Firms win Queen's Awards for Enterprise

Glasgow City Council’s arm’s-length construction company is among a handful of building-related winners of this year’s Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

City Building was named in the programme’s sustainable development section in recognition of its social and environmental work.

Strongly committed to the development of sustainable housing, the company has formed a unique partnership with Glasgow Housing Association to build four prototype affordable houses - the first of their kind in Scotland.

The Glasgow House initiative applies high levels of insulation, solar thermal panels and the use of solar gain to reduce energy consumption by 75 per cent to help tackle fuel poverty.

The business also incorporates the UK’s largest and most successful supported factory, Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries, which provides vital employment and training opportunities for its disabled workforce and ex-service personnel returning from active service.

City Building managing director John Foley said the Queen’s Awards were “the pinnacle of achievement” for UK business.

“It is extra special to be honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the year of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and everyone at City Building can be very proud of their contribution towards achieving this accolade,” he said.

Elsewhere in the awards, private equity and infrastructure advisors Campbell Lutyens Holdings were named winners in the international trade section, as was Suffolk-based construction-machinery spares business Plant Parts.

In the innovation category, Ancon Building Products of Sheffield were named winners for their joints products, as was Mancester-based Tenmat for its Firefly passive fire-protection products.

For a full list of awards winners, see file at right.