SWH has achieved certification to BS 11000:2010 for Collaborative Business Relationships by the prestigious British Standards Institute (BSI).

The BSI is an international organisation that promotes standards which formalise better ways of working, for small businesses to multinational corporations and governments. Collaborative working can provide greater efficiencies for business, allowing the sharing of risks, costs and resources for mutual benefit.

A BSI assessor carried out two stringent audits of SWH working practices, during which he found no non conformities, and immediately recommended that certification for Collaborative Business Relationships be awarded.

During the audits, the assessor was extremely...

SWH Civils has been working at the site in the West End of the city centre since January to build a new coach station.

The entire site has been levelled and perimeter walls built. Foundations have been laid for the giant canopies which have now been erected and will cover the eastern end where the passenger facilities will be.

The car park perimeter walls are nearly finished and the car park area and the road around the site is due to be surfaced later this month.

Outside the new station, work is ongoing in Mayflower Street to change the layout of the road...

SWH Group Highways Apprentices recently gave up their time to build a driveway for a paralysed mum of four in Ottery St Mary.

Lucy Lowe was injured in a freak accident and complications following surgery to remove her coccyx left her confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Lucy was in hospital for 21 months as the family tried to raise funds to pay for alterations to their home. Lucy was able to return home in March this year but couldn’t leave the house on her own due to the property’s steep drive.

In April, SWH Group Apprentices and...

SWH Group, in partnership with Plymouth City Council’s ‘Building Plymouth’ initiative, opened a ‘Job Shop’ at 107-109 Mayflower Street on 11th May.

The Job Shop, which is located at the site of the new Plymouth Coach Station, currently being built by SWH Civils, will serve as a resource for those who are interested in careers within the construction and the built environment sector.  Representatives from SWH Group, Building Plymouth, Plymouth Construction Training Group and Jobcentre Plus will be on hand to provide advice and guidance to jobseekers and career changers about the exciting opportunities in this diverse sector, enabling local people...

Two civil engineering projects, on which SWH Civils acted as Principle Contractor, have been shortlisted for prestigious awards by the South West arm of the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE). SWH were also significantly involved in a third nominated scheme.

The awards were established by the ICE to showcase the breadth of work completed throughout the South West each year. SWH Civils’ shortlisted projects are the construction of a helipad and the refurbishment and repurposing of a disused rail bridge.

The helipad is located at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and was designed and built by SWH Civils within...

We are delighted to announce that Plymouth County Council has named SWH Civils as the preferred contractor to build a new coach station in Plymouth’s West End, following a competitive tendering process.

The works will see the existing, outdated coach station replaced with a modern facility that includes seven coach stands for National Express and Megabus routes, real-time passenger information systems, blue badge drop-off bays, customer help points, ticket machines, toilets, cycle stands, CCTV and ornamental lighting.

As well as the coach station, the contract also covers the provision of a car park with...

In May 2012 the Highways Agency, now called Highways England, allowed its first ever daytime closure for routine maintenance on a national trunk road – an innovative idea piloted by SWH Group. SWH operates the A30/A35 in joint venture with Balfour Beatty and is responsible for maintenance activities.

We suggested closing 8.5 miles of the A35 for a full 36 hour period to complete all necessary work in one go, negating the need for several partial closures staggered over the year.  We put the proposition to the HA for the following reasons:

• This way of working creates a much safer environment for...

Minehead Railway Station was opened in 1874, linking the town to Taunton and beyond. It is the seaside terminus of Britain's longest heritage railway.

The site was on the edge of the town centre, the location of the market and works connected with the West Somerset Railway – a new information centre and coffee shop, and a steam engine turntable; hand powered and the first of its kind installed in the country for several decades.

The whole...

A project undertaken at Wellesley Park Primary School has been awarded the Somerset LABC "Best Education Project Award"

SWH Build started works at Wellesley Park Primary School in June 2010. The scheme consisted the controlled demolition of an existing classroom and the build of three classrooms, a staff room and a facilities room. The company is delighted the project won the award. SWH Build Manager, Mark Bradley, comments: "The project went really well and we worked closely with the school to ensure...

As part of a two year scheme, the successful candidates will learn the vital skills needed for highway maintenance through on the job training and at our dedicated training facilities at Rockbeare.

At the end of the two-year Apprenticeship, each candidate will have qualifications in various disciplines, including a Level 2 NVQ, Traffic Management, Street Works and Emergency First Aid at Work.

Simon Bourne, SWH’s Learning and Development Manager, will be supporting the Apprentices throughout the programme along with a dedicated Apprentice Liaison Manager. He comments: “As an Investor in People, we...