IT’S that time of year again when the sector celebrates its achievements and gives itself a well deserved pat on the back.

We aren’t overly prone to making a big song and dance about our achievements in construction and it possibly hasn’t necessarily seemed all that appropriate to do so in recent years, when there has been so much doom and gloom.

Yet, the months of April and May are filled with celebrations of the sector in the North East and I believe that it is something we need to do.

When there is so much to be down about, we sometimes forget that an awful lot of very good work has been, and is being done here in the North East by companies from the region.

Here at Constructing Excellence in the North East, we have just announced a shortlist of more than 80 nominees across 12 categories for our annual awards night at the Gosforth Park Marriott Hotel, Newcastle, in May.

The size of this shortlist reflects the volume of excellent work which has been done and the number of individuals worthy of recognition in our region.

The quality of what has been achieved shone through last week when I attended the annual dinners of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) North East.

Hundreds of people attended each of these events, despite them being on consecutive nights, showing the will to celebrate achievements when the opportunity arises.

Perhaps it is our reluctance to take ourselves out of the day-to-day hard graft and our focus upon getting on with the job, particularly during such hard economic times, that forces us to squeeze the various festivities into a short time frame.

Due to the late Easter, this period of celebration has been extended with some events being pulled forward, but I don’t think that is any bad thing to have our festive season spread out a little further.

We need times like this to remember that the construction industry in the North East still does an excellent job in shaping the region, its skylines and infrastructure.

All of the ICE and RICS awards winners have made a significant contribution to this region, and I am certain that whoever wins the Constructing Excellence in the North East awards will be more than worthy winners.

Now...back to work!

For more information on Constructing Excellence in the North East, or its annual dinner, which takes place at the Gosforth Park Marriott Hotel, Newcastle, on May 13, please contact chief executive, Catriona Lingwood, on 0191 374 0233 or catriona@cene.org.uk

Catriona Lingwood, chief executive, Constructing Excellence in the North East