Construction leader Esh Group has been recognised by the Queen for its outstanding work in supporting communities.

Staff across the group – including Livingston-based Esh Construction – celebrated receiving The Queen’s Award for Enterprise this week, with the announcement coinciding with Her Royal Highness’ 92^nd birthday.

Regional Director for Scotland, Gerard McMahon, hailed the award as a “significant milestone for all at Esh” while paying tribute to the exceptional efforts of staff in helping to secure it.

Judges were impressed by Esh’s significant commitment to helping young people develop employability skills through its range of education programmes, which make up just one part of its ‘Added Value’ activity.

Each year Esh supports the development of more than 15,000 students across more than 200 schools through its ‘Building My Skills’ initiative – and last year, 70 sessions were delivered to Scottish schools alone by a variety of business partners.

As a result, Esh has been awarded in the Promoting Opportunity and Social Mobility category of the Queen’s Awards.

Gerard McMahon said: “Our Scottish team is delighted to have contributed to the securing of this prestigious award.

“It’s a wonderful testament to the workforce here and the hard work they undertake every day to ensure we add value to the communities in which we work.

“The Queen’s Award programme is the most respected in the UK. At Esh Construction and throughout the wider group, we’re ambitious and innovative, as well as being proud of what we have achieved with our Added Value programmes, so it made perfect sense to apply.”

Esh has built a strong reputation for its Added Value work which spans skills development, employment opportunities for disadvantaged young people, support for suppliers and environmental responsibility.

The model delivers positive educational impacts across the communities that Esh operates in and involves working closely with schools, colleges, universities, training providers and community groups, while engaging with many business partners to support the delivery of the group’s Added Value programme.

Darush Dodds, head of Corporate Responsibility and Added Value, said: “We are committed to giving back to the communities in which we operate and delivering a comprehensive ‘social value’ package on the back of any construction project.

“We believe the people who use our houses, buildings, landscapes and infrastructure are as important as the projects themselves. This is reflected in our company motto –‘leading the way in constructing communities.’”

Esh Group can trace its history back to 1971 with the formation of Lumsden & Carroll.

Since then the business has grown to become a multidisciplinary construction group with turnover of more than £225m and a workforce of 1,000.

The business delivers multi-million pound projects for a range of public and private sector clients.