The best of the North East construction industry was recognised at the 2015 Constructing Excellence in the North East (CENE) Awards last Friday (May 8).
The awards celebrate all that is exceptional in the region’s construction industry and recognise those high-flying individuals and organisations leading the way in North East construction.
Attended by almost 600 construction professionals, the awards recognised individuals and organisations across 13 awards categories this year including, integration and collaborative working, leadership and people development, sustainability, SME of the year, innovation, value and Building Information Modelling (BIM) project of the year and project of the year.
Catriona Lingwood, Chief Executive of CENE, said: “Every year I am impressed with the quality of work individuals and organisations produce in our region. This year was no exception, if anything, the general standard was even higher.
“These awards showcase only the very best and they continue to set the benchmark for the rest of the industry. All those recognised on the night should be exceptionally proud of their achievements.”
Each category winner will join the other regional winners at the national final in London in October, giving them an opportunity to receive further recognition on a truly national level.
Ian Storer, Director of Corepeople Recruitment, headline sponsor of the awards for the fifth year running, said: “These awards have built up a reputation as one of the must-attend events in the North East construction sector. It is a great opportunity to celebrate what is great about the industry.
“I think events like this are so important; we get so bogged down in our day-to-day lives that it’s easy to ignore the good that is going on in our region. It’s only right that we stop and celebrate their achievements– congratulations to all those recognised.”
The awards have gone from strength to strength over the past 11 years, with the number of awards, standard of entries and number of attendees increasing dramatically. Now seen as the must-attend event in the North East built environment calendar, the organisation is overjoyed with the occasion it has created and says all those recognised throughout the 11 years should be proud to have been involved.
John McGovern, Head of Investment Delivery at Northumbrian Water and Chairman of CENE, said: “Our awards have grown significantly over the years and are very important to us as an organisation.
“Our mission is to deliver improved industry performance resulting in a demonstrably better built environment in the region. All of our entrants have all shown their commitment to this cause and we celebrate our winners as shining examples of best practice. Well done to all those concerned.”
Guests at this year’s awards also enjoyed a raffle to support local charity Calvert Trust Kielder. Prizes included a short stay for four people in The Bradbury Chalet at Calvert Trust Kielder. A total of £10,000 was raised for the charity on the night.
Calvert Trust Kielder enables disabled people to achieve their potential through the challenge of outdoor adventure. CEO Peter Cockerill was delighted with the outcome and thanked guests for their generosity and support. Peter said: “We help disabled adults and children, together with their family, friends and carers so a lot of people will benefit from this. The support of local people and businesses is invaluable to us and our guests so we really are very grateful.”
The 2015 winners, highly commended and commended list is as follows:
Heritage – sponsored by Thirteen Group
Winner- Dunston Staiths Restoration
Highly Commended- Dukesfield Smelters and Carriers Project
Young Achiever of the Year – sponsored by Northern Counties Builders Federation
Winner- Jenna Graham
BIM Project of the Year -sponsored by CIOB North East
Winner- Pride Hospitals – Hopewood Park
Innovation- sponsored by Northumbrian Water Group
Winner- Pride Hospitals – Hopewood Park
Leadership & People Development- sponsored by Esh Construction
Winner- Willmott Dixon Construction
Health & Safety – sponsored by Association for Project Safety
Winner- Horsley WTW – Treated Water Reservoir
SME – sponsored by Gentoo Group
Winner- Hodgson Sayers Ltd
Integration & Collaborative Working- sponsored by Watson Burton LLP
Winner- Northumbrian Water Group – Accelerated Flooding Programme
Highly Commended- National Biologics Manufacturing Centre (NBMC) Project
Value
Winner- North Tyneside Living
Highly Commended- Procure 21 Partnership – Laing O’Rourke and NTW NHS Foundation Trust
The Legacy – Sustainability- sponsored by DAC Beachcroft LLP
Winner- The Core, Science Central
Highly Commended- Conversion of St Francis of Assisi Church
Client of the Year – sponsored by Ward Hadaway
Winner- Stockton Borough Council
Achiever of the Year- sponsored by Bond Dickinson LLP
Winner- Geoff Hunton
Outstanding Contribution- sponsored by Bond Dickinson LLP
Winner- John Waugh
Project of the Year- sponsored by Corepeople Recruitment
Winner of Infrastructure Project of the Year and Project of the Year- Littlehaven Promenade and Seawall
Winner of Building Project of the Year- Redcar Leisure & Community Heart
Highly Commended Project of the Year- Pride Hospitals – Hopewood Park