Staff at Scottish building preservation company Richardson and Starling are celebrating after winning a prestigious UK construction award in Cambridge last week.

The firm walked off with the gong for Contractor of the Year in the Damp and Timber category at the Property Care Association (PCA) awards dinner, held at the city’s Rectory Farm.

Richardson and Starling, which is part of Scottish construction industry sub-contractor Veitchi Group, came top after all 410 member companies in the PCA had been audited.

Companies were assessed on a range of factors including property surveys, site competence, quality of work, health and safety management, complaint handling and office administration.

“Collecting this award is testament to the hard work, effort and dedication of all the staff at Richardson and Starling,” said managing director, Graham Duncan.

“We’re delighted to be recognised for our professionalism and the very high standards we set ourselves.”

Also collecting an award for CSRT (Certified Surveyor in Remedial Treatments) Student of the Year was Faye Harmey of Richardson and Starling’s Glasgow office. The award covers all students in the UK who sat the CSRT exams.

The business started in 1935, employs 156 people across 12 offices and makes up approximately half of the total staff numbers in the Veitchi Group.

Last month Veitchi, which will turn 100 years old next March, relocated its headquarters back to the banks of the Clyde after more than 50 years on Bouverie Street in Rutherglen.

The move followed a strong set of financial results which saw profits before tax grow by 26 per cent with turnover reaching £37 million in the year to 30th November 2015.