Chris Cole, chief executive of WSP Group, has won the lifetime achievement award at the inaugural European CEO Awards. The award was presented at the ceremony in London on 7 November, at which Flemming Pedersen of Ramboll was named CEO of the Year.

THE LONGEST bridge made of recycled plastic in the world was put up in Peebleshire last month. The 90ft crossing over the River Tweed on the Dawyck estate near Stobo is made of more than 50 tonnes of old plastic bottles and car bumpers – and is the first of its kind in the UK. Dawyck Estates’s Robert Balfour said: “I hope we’ve done something that is groundbreaking. There are only four other bridges like it and they are in the US.

A range of heavy duty conveyor chain specially designed for harsh environments is now available in the UK from Letchworth-based FB Chain Ltd.

A top-secret SAS base is bring built to combat the terrorist threat at next year's London Olympics, according to The Sun. The special forces have been given a key role in security at the Games, with Chinook helicopters, underground bunkers and water-borne craft all set for use.

The base is under construction in East London, and elite troops will use the area's network of waterways to respond to threats.

As well as the River Thames, the Olympic Stadium is surrounded by smaller tributaries such as the Old River Lea and St Thomas' Creek, which security forces will navigate in rigid inflatable craft.

CITB-CONSTRUCTIONSKILLS has this month secured funding to train up to 350 female construction workers across the UK, with women in Derbyshire now urged to apply for their share. The National Construction College (NCC), the training division of CITB-ConstructionSkills, has developed ‘Women and Work’ training courses which will run until the end of March 2012. Women in the East Midlands who wish to take the courses can apply now and find out whether they are eligible for funding.

A BUILDER has been presented with a seal of excellence. Steve Wyman, 30, of Kinmel Bay won a Wales Pride in the Job award from the National House Building Council (NHBC) for his work on St Francis Park Estate in Prestatyn. The site manager for Anwyl Construction will now travel to London to take part in the UK-wide awards dubbed the “Building Oscars”.

A Breakfast Roundtable hosted by PEFC at the Commonwealth Club in central London and attended by some of the country's major contractors, heard Dr Peter Bonfield, Head of Construction Products at the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and Chief Executive at BRE describe how the 2012 London Olympic Park development is destined to be a future model for timber procurement and its legal and sustainable supply.

ISG has successfully completed an £840K student accommodation project at St Mary’s College in Oscott, near Sutton Coldfield.

The contractor has adopted a painstaking and methodical approach to the sensitive refurbishment and rationalisation of existing space within the Grade II listed college buildings to deliver new residential accommodation for staff and students at the home of the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

Air Science is pleased to welcome Holliday Fielding Hocking to our UK distribution network. Holliday Fielding Hocking (Holliday) is based in Leeds, UK. A family run business established 50 years ago, the company is now managed by 3rd and 4th generation family members who continue to maintain strong customer relationships throughout the country.

Padipa Solutions are having an Open House at their base in Hampshire on 18th-19th November 2011. They will be hosting several of their suppliers and also will be demonstrating their products on those days.