BURGEONING reputations were cemented at York College of Further and Higher Education's annual construction award ceremony.

Towards the Millennium was the theme for the event, with more than 35 industry-sponsored prizes awarded to students for excellence in antique furniture restoration, joinery, carpentry, brickwork and masonry, painting and decorating, plumbing, professional and technical.

Guest of honour at the ceremony was the managing director of Osbaldwick-based plumbing and heating contractors, J H Shouksmith and Sons Ltd, Colin Foster.

Mr Foster, a former prize-winning construction student himself, congratulated the students on their outstanding success and thanked the staff and employers for their support.

A special award from York Master Plumbers Association was also given to Sam Dickson of H20 Plumbing and Heating Ltd, Sheriff Hutton, York, who was crowned modern apprentice of the year for construction during recent national finals.

Noel Shouksmith, associate curriculum manager for construction at the college, said: "These awards are our way of rewarding the hard work and success of our students.

"However, this event is more than a celebration of student achievement. With the focus of the awards on the Millennium, an event of this calibre is one way of bringing staff, students, employers and future employers together to help ensure that our education and training programmes meet the demands of the future."Prize winners are as follows:

Antique Furniture

Stephen Edward - The Period Furniture Ltd Award; Richard De Meester - The Bedern Hall Company Award; David Castle - The E J Freeborn & Sons Shield; Michael Dresser - The Rydenor Products Award; David Mothersdale - The Fiddes Cup.

Carpentry and Joinery

Sam Beck - The Building Employers' Confederation Shield; Mitsuo Noda - The A E Houghton Craftsmanship Award; Peter Copeland - The Portakabin Award; Tony Barnet - The Clive Walker Shield; James Byford - Shepherd Craft Award.

Brickwork and Masonry

Nicholas Woodward - The Building Employers' Confederation Shield; Steven Reynolds - The J P Birch Prize; Richard Plows -

The J H Walker Cup; Simon Grimmer - The Marshalls Clay Products Cup; Kevin Field - The Shepherd Craft Award; Michael Goulding -The Ferry Mennim Baily Award; Simon Keeley - The Marazion Trophy.

Painting and Decorating

Elaine Atkinson - The Building Employers Confederation Shield; David Hunt - The Dodsworth Trophy; Nicholas Beaumont - British Decorators Association Shield; Geoff Berry - The British Decorators Association Award.

Plumbing Prizes

Ben Scott - The York Master Plumbers' Association Award; Sam Dickson - The York Master Plumbers' Association Award; Paul Rayner - The Plumb Centre Award; Paul Selby - The W E Hargrave of York Award; Adrian Sharpe - The J H Shouksmith & Sons Ltd Award.

Professional and Technician Prizes

Matthew Vasey - The Building Employers' Confederation Technician Trophy; Matthew Bounds - The M L Design Award; Ian Reed - The Chartered Institute of Building Shield; Andrew Pulleyn - The Laing Award; Chris Battersby - The Martin Stancliffe

Architects Award; Ian Reed - The Shepherd Trophy; Daley Wharton - The Shepherd Shield; Stephen Toms - The Hogg the

Builder Trophy; Dale Rhodes - The Lightly & Lightly Building Surveyors Prize; Philip Dukes - the Norman Lilley Memorial Trust Cup; Lyn Foster - The Tom & R M Rhodes Prize; Stephen Toms - The Arktech Surveying Prize.

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