Installer of the Month September 2026 | Nurture Pest Control

A huge congratulations to Chris Woollam and Gareth Tonen of Nurture Pest Control, our September 2026 Installer of the Month winners! Their school bird proofing installation has earned them this prestigious prize, and we are delighted to recognise the care, practical thinking and pride they bring to their work.

The school installation that took the prize

Chris and Gareth’s winning installation saw Defender® Wide Stainless Steel bird spikes fitted across several areas of a school to tackle ongoing bird activity and fouling.

Schools can present notoriously tricky bird problems, partly thanks to our lovely, but sometimes rather messy, children! Breaktimes and lunchtimes outside inevitably lead to dropped food, providing pigeons with an easy and reliable feeding opportunity. Encouraging children not to drop food is the ideal starting point, but proofing the birds’ favourite perching places can also make a considerable difference.

The team installed our Wide Steel Spikes around the roofline and along the parapet walls. This allows birds to land on the main roof while preventing them from sitting directly on the edges and fouling the paths and areas below, targeting the perching spots responsible for the customer’s problem.

Chris and Gareth know exactly how bird spikes should be positioned, and this installation is a perfect example. The outer pins slightly overlap the leading edge, ensuring pigeons cannot gain even the smallest foothold. The window ledges were protected with a single row fitted using our Defender® Opening Window Spikes allowing the windows to continue opening outwards, while the larger, wider areas featured several interlocking rows, leaving no gaps or inviting spaces between them.

Access added another challenge, with a Nifty HR15 mobile elevating work platform helping the team reach the installation areas. Before fitting the spikes, they jet washed the surfaces to remove the build up, then used clear Stixall adhesive to secure the strips. That preparation, combined with careful positioning and a neat finish, helped deliver a much cleaner area for the school.

For us at Defender®, this job brings together so much of what our Installer of the Month competition celebrates. Choosing the right spike, preparing the surfaces properly and paying attention to every edge and gap all contribute to an effective installation. Chris and Gareth’s pride in their work shines through in the finished result, making them thoroughly deserving September winners.

An unexpected start and nearly fourteen years of experience

Like many people in the industry, Chris did not set out with a career in pest control in mind. He says he fell into it, but soon discovered how much he enjoyed the practical work and the variety that came with visiting different sites. He joined Rokill nearly fourteen years ago, initially working in general pest control before quickly moving into bird control. Since then, he has progressed to become UK Manager, with bird control now forming a big part of his work.

Rokill became part of the Nurture Group in 2021 and was renamed Nurture Pest Control in 2024. Today, the business provides pest control services for commercial, domestic and public sector customers, with nationwide coverage and a focus on prevention and sustainable pest management. Chris’s own progression has taken place alongside the growth of the wider business, while the bird control team continues to expand.

Meet the dream team

Gareth joined the business five years ago and has become, in Chris’s words, his “right hand man”. They work closely together on many of the bird control installations, drawing on the wider team when a job needs extra hands.

Their partnership is built on working through problems together and coming up with solutions, although a good sense of humour clearly helps when so much of their time is spent travelling and working away.

“We spend more time working away than we do with our partners, so it’s a good job we get on with each other!”

That easy working relationship comes through in the way Chris talks about their jobs. Whether they are tackling a straightforward installation or figuring out a more complicated site, they are used to putting their heads together to make it work.

The challenging jobs are often the most rewarding

Working across the UK means Chris and Gareth see all sorts of buildings and bird problems, from smaller proofing jobs to large commercial sites where access, safety and the design of the system need much more thought.

For Chris, the bigger and more challenging installations are often his favourites. He enjoys working out how a job can actually be completed, particularly when reaching the affected areas is far from straightforward. Those difficult access jobs may take more planning, but they also bring the greatest satisfaction when the team can finally stand back and see the finished result.

It is a part of bird control that customers do not always see. Before any product is installed, the team needs to understand the building, how the birds are using it and how the work can be carried out safely at height. That assessment shapes the solution, rather than treating every property as though it has the same problem.

Choosing the right solution for the site

Chris is clear that no single product is suitable for every situation. Looking properly at the site and choosing a system that suits both the building and the bird activity is central to his approach.

We were particularly pleased to hear that Defender® Bird Spikes have been their choice for all their spike installations, with Chris describing them as “the best spikes available”. Knowing that experienced installers trust our products on the jobs they take such pride in means a great deal to us as a family business.

Thank you from all of us at Defender®

A big thank you to Chris and Gareth for sharing their winning installation and giving us a glimpse into the people and planning behind it. We are delighted to celebrate your work, and hope the trophy and certificate take pride of place. Congratulations again to both of you and the wider Nurture Pest Control team on a thoroughly deserved September win!

Got a bird problem for this dream team?

If birds are causing fouling or settling where they should not be on your building, Chris, Gareth and the wider Nurture Pest Control team could be just the people to help. With coverage across the UK and experience ranging from straightforward proofing to challenging commercial installations, they can assess your site and recommend a solution suited to the problem. Visit Nurture Pest Control to get in touch and ask about their bird control services.