One of Howard Civil Engineering’s most high-profile projects, Hard Ings Road, has won a prestigious award from the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation.

Howard Civil Engineering’s road improvement works on behalf of Bradford Council along the A650, which ran from 2019 to 2020, earned the project the John Smeaton Award for the Best Large Highways and Transportation Project 2021 for Yorkshire and the Humber. This award recognises the best project, study, or scheme valued over £1million completed in the last 18 months.

We undertook a range of improvement works on this scheme with the aim of both easing vehicle congestion and improving safety for road and footpath users, including widening the existing dual carriageway, adding new pedestrian and cycle crossings, and installing new traffic lights on the roundabout.

The judges were particularly impressed with the wide-ranging scope of the scheme which took into consideration the areas surrounding the highway, and its benefits to the community and the region. The also said it was ‘very high value for money’, with a cost-benefit ratio of £6.24 to every pound spent.

Contracts manager Tony Kilbane (pictured, third left) gave high praise to the site team who delivered the scheme: “Hard Ings Road was a very high-profile scheme in which the local community were deeply invested, and I am thrilled to hear that the project has won such a prestigious award. I would like to congratulate everyone who worked on the project on delivering such a high-quality product.”

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration Planning and Transport, said: “The improvements which have been carried out at Hard Ings Road are aimed at easing congestion, increasing road capacity, enhancing safety for road users, and boosting investment opportunities in the Keighley area. I’m delighted that it’s been so well received by members of the public.”

The scheme for Hard Ings Road was developed by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. The scheme received investment through the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund as part of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

Our Greengates site team are going to be pretty in pink this October as they swap out their usual yellow hi-vis vests for bright pink!

The team are hoping to generate awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and raise money for Bosom Friends, a local support group for people facing or recovering from breast cancer in the Bradford area.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting people with breasts in the UK, with 1 in 8 being diagnosed in their lifetime. 

Pre-construction coordinator Sophie Henderson is the community liaison officer for this project and was responsible for organising the campaign.

‘It is our responsibility as a local contractor to support the communities we work in,’ she explains. ‘If the past 18 months have taught us anything it’s that our communities are more important than ever, and Howard Civil Engineering are thrilled to be able to encourage this sense of togetherness by showing our support during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

‘The improvement works we are undertaking at Greengates junction on behalf of Bradford Council are very high profile,’ continues Sophie. ‘We have hundreds of cars passing the site every day, so hopefully we can drum up a lot of support for people facing breast cancer in Bradford and encourage people to get their breasts checked!’

In addition to looking pretty in pink, Howard Civil Engineering have also pledged a fantastic sum of £250 to Bosom Friends and are hoping to fundraise a further £250 from suppliers, subcontractors, and customers.

Bosom Friends is a patient-led support group providing friendship, help and support to those with breast cancer and to their families in Bradford and the surrounding area.

Julia Sunderland, a spokesperson for Bosom Friends, said: ‘We would like to offer a huge thank you to Howard Civil Engineering for donning pink jackets and raising funds for us. With the money raised we can continue to run our support group which provides friendship, tea and coffee, biscuits and cake, laughter, outings, and information evenings from our fabulous team of surgeons and specialist nurses.’

The group meet on the third Wednesday of the month at 7pm, inside Cancer Support on Smith Lane by Bradford Royal Infirmary. Details of all events are posted on the group’s Facebook and on their webpage. 

Want to show your support? Sponsor the team here!

Say hello to our newest engineering apprentice, Liam Chesney! Liam became a part of the Howard Civil Engineering team last month after completing his 6-week construction skills training at Rotherham Skills Academy with flying colours and is now working on our Cloverleaf Court site in Sheffield.

We first met Liam, 23, at Rotherham Skills Academy’s ‘Women in Construction’ event in May, where made quite an impression with his bubbly personality and his enthusiasm for engineering. Along with a group of his peers, Liam was then invited to attend a mock interview hosted by Howard Civil Engineering which enabled trainees to practice their interview skills with a real-life construction company.

Our team were so impressed with Liam’s responses that he left the mock interview with an invitation to join Howard Civil Engineering as an Engineering Apprentice!

‘I always knew I wanted to work in construction, so signing up with Rotherham Skills Academy once I moved to Sheffield was the obvious thing to do,’ says Liam. ‘I particularly liked the way Howard Civil Engineering came across, both at the ‘Women in Construction’ event hosted by Rotherham Skills Academy and in the mock interview. I’ve been a part of the team for almost a month now and my favourite thing about the role so far has definitely been the people I’ve met.’

Liam has been working as a labourer at Cloverleaf Court, a new development of 13 family homes in Sheffield, until he can attend college later this autumn. ‘I like doing things with my hands, and every day on site there has been something different to get stuck into,’ he said. ‘When I first started, my site manager was very patient with me and showed me what I needed to do as many times as I needed until I felt confident that I knew what I was doing. There’s no ego here, and everyone wants to help you.’

Part of the Skills People Groupand Construction Skills People, Rotherham Skills Academy offer fully funded courses in construction and is one of the UK’s largest private training providers.

‘Liam was always very inquisitive about how he could maximise his prospects and keen to understand the opportunities available to him,’ said Rotherham Skills Academy manager Alan Briggs. ‘Liam worked hard throughout his course and was very supportive of other learners. We are proud to have placed Liam with a company of such stature as Howard Civil Engineering and wish him great success in the future.’

So, what does the future hold for Liam? He was keen to let us know!

‘After I finish my apprenticeship, I want to climb the career ladder as high as I can and go as far as I can. I want to be my boss’s boss. Liam Chesney, Contracts Manager – it has a nice ring to it!’

Keep up the hard work Liam, and you can get there!

In 2020, Howard Civil Engineering donated a whopping £41,000 to a range of national and local charities, schools, sports clubs, and enterprises.

As fantastic as that sum is, we’ve decided to set our sights on a much heftier goal for 2021. This year, we’re aiming to contribute £50,000 and volunteer a total of 50 working days to benefit our local community!

So far in 2021, we have contributed over £17,000 and volunteered 33 working days. This includes fundraising for Mind in Bradford by tackling the Tough Mudder 5K and donating over £5,000 of furniture to a local independent school!

Prioritising Mental Health 

While we have already made great strides towards encouraging discussions around mental health and providing support for those with poor mental health in the workplace, Howard Civil Engineering are committed to expanding the level of awareness and help available.

This will include increasing the number of employees trained in Mental Health First Aid and ensuring that every member of the Howard Civil Engineering team is trained in Mental Health Awareness as standard by 2025!

Nurturing new talent 

Did you know that 7% of our workforce are apprentices? By 2025, we are hoping to significantly increase this figure to 12%! Not only that, but we are also partnering with new colleges and training providers to increase our talent pool and offer four work experience placements per year.

‘Howard Civil Engineering are making great efforts to build upon our existing sustainability strategy and ensure our impact in our local communities is as positive as possible,’ explains managing director Michael Howard. ‘As part of this, we are also emphasising the importance of employee wellbeing and professional development. I am very excited to see where these new sustainability practices take us as a company.’

Gruelling physical challenges, piercing ice-cold baths and miles upon miles of mud – that was how members of the Howard Civil Engineering team spent their Saturday taking on the Tough Mudder 5K!

On 31^st July, a team of ten from Howard Civil Engineering descended upon Broughton Hall in Skipton with the aim of raising money and awareness for Mind in Bradford.

Everyone had a bucketload of fun, and we are pleased to say we completed the 5K course and its 13 brutal challenges within two hours – a fantastic effort if we do say so ourselves!

Most importantly, we managed to raise a whopping £2,123 for Mind in Bradford! We couldn’t have done it without the support of our generous sponsors (below), and we would like to thank everyone very much for their sponsorship.

Mind in Bradford is a mental health charity which aims to support those suffering with poor mental health in Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale, and Craven. According to recent statistics, one in four construction workers have considered taking their own life and the suicide rate for construction industry workers is over three times the national average. We are hopeful that the amount raised for this event will help ensure that no one in Bradford is left alone whist struggling with poor mental health.

We hope to continue engaging with communities in Bradford as we progress with improvement works on Greengates Junction for Bradford Council.

Been stuck in the mud? Don’t worry, there’s still time to donate here!

Pupils at Greengates Primary Academy are in for a huge surprise when they return to school in September, thanks to our Greengates Junction site team!

With the help of local suppliers, Howard Civil Engineering have taken the playground area of EYFS pupils at Greengates Primary Academy from drab to fab in only a few short days.

In addition to retaining planters along the playground pathway and custom-built benches and play walls, nursery and reception pupils will also be able to enjoy a newly installed vegetable garden and sensory area.

Headmaster Andrew Gaunt said the playground was previously ‘blank, muddy, and uninspiring,’ with the pathway close to crumbling away completely.

‘We were on a really tight budget and the edging boards of the pathway were rotting,’ he explained. ‘It would have cost us thousands to remodel the whole thing, so what Howard Civil Engineering and local businesses such as Palmer Plants and Road Traffic Solutions have done is beyond amazing.

‘The school staff have been blown away with the results and they can’t wait for the children to enjoy the planting, the vegetable garden, and the sensory-based areas next month.’

Howard Civil Engineering previously donated some materials to form a new construction area for pupils, which Andrew says the children have used ‘relentlessly’ ever since.

‘It is possible that the nearby Greengates junction improvement works have peaked the children’s interest in construction and made this a very popular theme of play,’ commented Andrew.

Pupils will also be able to play with newly donated pipes, hi-vis jackets and safety signs in the construction play area in September thanks to Howard Civil Engineering!

Greengates’ project manager Simon Doling was thrilled with the outcome of his team’s efforts.

‘We based the design for the new play wall off a previous design we had constructed for Crossflatts Primary School last year, so this is becoming quite a regular thing!’ he joked. ‘On a more serious note, it is very fulfilling to give back to our local community and we have thoroughly enjoyed working on the new equipment and structures for Greengates Primary Academy.’

Well done, everyone, the playground looks fantastic!

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