Celebrity line-up confirmed for 2026 Scaffolding Excellence Awards

Daniel Norton
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Celebrity line-up confirmed for 2026 Scaffolding Excellence Awards

The final celebrity line-up has been confirmed for the 2026 Scaffolding Excellence Awards, with comedian Dara Ó Briain set to lead this year’s ceremony.

Ó Briain will be joined by Countdown presenter Rachel Riley MBE, actress and presenter Kym Marsh and former England cricketer Phil Tufnell.

The line-up brings together well-known names from British television, comedy and sport for one of the scaffolding and access industry’s biggest awards nights.

Dara Ó Briain to host

Ó Briain is best known for hosting the BBC comedy panel show Mock the Week and has presented programmes including Robot Wars, Stargazing Live, Blockbusters and Dara Ó Briain’s Go 8 Bit.

He also has a long-running stand-up career. His previous tour, So… Where Were We?, played 173 venues across 20 countries and won Best Tour at the 2023 Chortle Awards.

His latest show, Re, has played across the UK, Ireland and Northern Europe, with further international dates scheduled during 2026.

He is also due to return to television with a new comedy entertainment series, Dara’s Dull Appreciation Society, announced in June.

Rachel Riley joins awards line-up

Rachel Riley MBE will also join the celebrations, bringing another familiar television face to this year’s awards.

Riley is best known as the numbers expert on Channel 4’s Countdown, a role she has held since 2009 after replacing long-serving presenter Carol Vorderman. She has since become a regular part of the programme and is also well known for her appearances on comedy spin-off 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

A mathematics graduate from the University of Oxford, Riley has built much of her broadcasting career around numbers, puzzles and popular science, appearing across a range of television programmes alongside her long-running Countdown role.

Away from television, she has become a prominent campaigner for Holocaust education and against antisemitism.

Riley was awarded an MBE for her work in this area and, in October 2025, received the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of her contribution to Holocaust education and antisemitism awareness.

Kym Marsh confirmed

Actress, singer and television presenter Kym Marsh will also attend the awards.

Marsh first became widely known as a member of pop group Hear’Say before moving into acting, including more than a decade playing Michelle Connor in Coronation Street. Her work on the soap earned her several awards, including Best Female Dramatic Performance at the British Soap Awards.

She has since appeared as Nicky Walters in BBC drama Waterloo Road and as a presenter on Morning Live, adding to a television career that has spanned entertainment, drama and daytime broadcasting.

Her stage career has also kept her busy during 2026. Marsh has been starring alongside Lisa Faulkner in the world premiere stage adaptation of psychological thriller Single White Female, which toured venues across the UK and Ireland during the first half of the year.

Phil Tufnell completes line-up

Former England cricketer Phil “Tuffers” Tufnell completes the guest line-up.

The former left-arm spinner took 121 Test wickets for England, including 11 wickets against Australia at The Oval in 1997.

Since retiring from professional cricket, Tufnell has built a broadcasting career through programmes including A Question of Sport and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, alongside his work as a cricket commentator and pundit.

He remains part of the BBC’s cricket coverage in 2026, including analysis of The Hundred.

The Scaffolding Excellence Awards recognise companies, projects and people from across the scaffolding and access sector.

Organisers say demand for tickets and tables is high and are encouraging those planning to attend to book as soon as possible.

£2m scaffolding framework opens for contractors in Midlands and Yorkshire

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£2m scaffolding framework opens for contractors in Midlands and Yorkshire

Arc Property Services Partnership is inviting scaffold contractors to bid for a new framework covering work across the property portfolio it manages on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council.

The framework has an estimated total value of £1.7m excluding VAT, rising to £2.04m including VAT over its full term. A maximum of 2 suppliers will be appointed.

Arc Partnership is a joint venture between Nottinghamshire County Council and SCAPE. The framework will also be available to Via East Midlands, which provides highways and infrastructure services across Nottinghamshire.

The scope covers scaffold design and drawings, material supply, erection, inspection, alteration, maintenance, dismantling and removal from site.

Work could include access and structural scaffolds, birdcages, cantilever scaffolds, staircases, loading platforms, travelling platforms, propping and crash decks, along with associated measures such as edge protection.

The procurement covers the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, with projects expected to be commissioned as and when required.

Individual jobs will be priced on a project-by-project basis, using rates submitted under the framework. Call-off work can be awarded through mini competitions and other methods set out within the tender documents.

Contractors looking to bid will need to meet a number of financial and competency requirements.

These include a minimum annual turnover of £150,000, Employers’ Liability and Public Liability insurance of £10m each and Professional Indemnity cover of £250,000.

The notice also requires appropriate CISRS cards, together with relevant SSSTS and NRSWA accreditation. Enhanced DBS checks are required for staff and subcontractors, while suppliers must commit to paying the Real Living Wage.

Bids will be assessed 70% on quality and 30% on price.

The framework is due to begin in March 2027 with an initial 2-year term and options for extension. Arc Partnership currently expects to award the framework in March 2027.

The procurement is a re-issue of an earlier competition which Arc said had been advertised only on Contracts Finder because of an administrative error. Contractors that previously submitted bids are able to tender again.

The deadline for tender submissions is 2pm on 15 September 2026, with enquiries due by 4pm on 8 September.

View the official procurement notice.

ScaffPlan sets sights on US market after Nashville platform launch

Daniel Norton
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ScaffPlan sets sights on US market after Nashville platform launch

ScaffPlan has outlined plans for a major push into the North American scaffolding market after giving contractors their first public look at its wider software platform at the SAIA Convention in Nashville.

The Australian company has expanded well beyond the 3D scaffold design software on which it built its name, developing a single system intended to carry a scaffolding job from the first inquiry through estimating, design, site operations, commercial management and equipment control.

Our sister publication Scaffold & Access Magazine was given a private walkthrough of the platform ahead of its public presentation in Nashville.

At the centre of the system is ScaffPlan AI, which the company says can work across live project and business information to answer questions about costs, estimates, variations, labour and equipment.

During the demonstration, managing director Ben Beaumont showed how a contractor could ask which current jobs were at risk of losing money. The system identified a project running above budget, along with outstanding variations and the financial effect of those issues.

The idea is to give contractors access to information that can otherwise be spread across estimating software, spreadsheets, site records and accounting systems.

ScaffPlan was founded in 2019 by Australian scaffolder Simon Boyes, who spent more than 20 years in the industry before developing his own software.

Boyes initially spoke with around 200 scaffolders about the problems they had with existing design tools before testing an early version with 12 businesses. The commercial product followed in July 2022.

ScaffPlan now says its software has supported more than 117,000 scaffolding projects across 21 countries.

The company has since brought in Beaumont, a chartered civil engineer with more than 21 years’ experience in scaffolding and temporary works.

The ScaffPlan team in attendance at SAIA Convention in Nashville

Before joining ScaffPlan in 2023, Beaumont founded UK scaffolding design consultancy 48.3, which grew to a team of more than 50 temporary works engineers. He also served as a director of the Temporary Works Forum and co-authored industry guidance covering the management of scaffolding under BS 5975.

From estimating to site operations

The wider ScaffPlan system links several stages of a scaffolding contract.

A contractor can model a scaffold in 3D and use information from the model to produce quantities and equipment requirements. Those figures can then feed into estimates and customer proposals.

Once a contract moves on site, planned modules cover labour scheduling, RAMS, scaffold registers, inspections, handovers and permits.

Individual scaffolds can also carry QR codes giving site teams access to information including drawings, photographs, inspection records and 3D models.

The commercial side of the software is being developed to track costs against budgets, manage variations and monitor progress claims. A separate asset module will cover equipment registers, yard stock, deliveries, hire charges and equipment use.

ScaffPlan is releasing those parts of the system in stages.

Sales & Estimating and its Design products are already available. Field Ops is due to launch at the end of August, followed by Commercial in September.

The Assets module is planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.

Businesses will be able to take individual modules or use the wider platform.

AI built around company records

ScaffPlan AI sits across those modules and uses information held within the system. The company says the AI draws on scaffold industry knowledge built into the product, information supplied by each individual contractor and live data produced by jobs running through ScaffPlan.

That means a contractor could ask whether an estimate is consistent with similar previous projects or whether enough equipment is available in the yard for forthcoming work.

The system can also prepare documents such as work packs or variations for review. ScaffPlan says actions that alter company information require approval from an authorised user.

Early access to ScaffPlan AI is being opened to the first 250 businesses on its waiting list.

US expansion

The Nashville launch forms part of a wider move into North America.

ScaffPlan’s 2026 software includes imperial measurements and a frame-and-brace design module aimed at systems widely used by US contractors.

Its design software works within Tekla Structures, SketchUp and Revit.

Boyes is also due to relocate to the United States in October to lead the company’s expansion there.

Beaumont said: “It’s time to go and talk to the market properly.” ScaffPlan already had a small number of US customers ahead of the Nashville launch, according to the company.

The move into the US comes as ScaffPlan develops from a specialist scaffold design product into a much broader business system.

The next test will come as its Field Ops, Commercial and Assets modules reach contractors over the coming months and begin running alongside the design and estimating tools already in use.

Former Devonport scaffolder dies after asbestos exposure

Daniel Norton
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Former Devonport scaffolder dies after asbestos exposure

A former Plymouth scaffolder who worked on Royal Navy ships at Devonport dockyard died from an asbestos-related cancer, an inquest has heard.

Denis Tapp worked at the dockyard between 1978 and 1984, erecting and dismantling scaffolding on warships including HMS Ark Royal and HMS Eagle.

He also worked around the dockyard’s blacksmith shop.

Plymouth Coroner’s Court heard the dockyard was a “very dusty place to work”, with asbestos dust released from lagging that had been removed from boiler pipes on ships and at land-based locations.

Mr Tapp later developed pleural mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the lining around the lungs and chest wall.

He died in March 2025 at the age of 72.

The inquest heard Mr Tapp had instructed solicitors to pursue a civil compensation claim in connection with his asbestos exposure. He died before signing the legal statement required for the claim.

The coroner recorded that his death was caused by industrial diseases.

Mr Tapp’s case is another reminder of the long-term consequences of asbestos exposure for workers who spent their careers in shipbuilding, construction and associated trades.

Mesothelioma can develop decades after exposure, meaning illnesses linked to work carried out many years ago continue to emerge.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Tapp’s family and loved ones at this difficult time.”

Blencowe Scaffolding Files Administration Notice

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Blencowe Scaffolding Files Administration Notice

Blencowe Scaffolding, one of the South of England’s longest established scaffolding contractors, has filed a notice of appointment to appoint an administrator.

The development was first reported by Construction Enquirer, which said the filing had been identified through Red Flag Alert’s monitoring of High Court construction insolvency applications.

Importantly, the filing does not mean the company has formally entered administration. At the time of publication, Blencowe Scaffolding remained listed as an active company on the Companies House register, with no appointment of administrators appearing in the publicly available filing history.

Founded in 1964 by Pat Blencowe, the family-run business has spent more than 60 years building a reputation across the commercial, industrial, heritage and specialist access sectors. The company operates from its headquarters in Salisbury, alongside depots in Basingstoke and Eastleigh.

Over the decades, Blencowe has delivered scaffolding and access solutions for several landmark projects across southern England. Among its most notable contracts was work at Winchester Cathedral, where the company provided specialist access to support conservation and restoration work at one of Europe’s largest medieval cathedrals.

The contractor has also been involved in a wide range of complex projects requiring temporary roofing, containment systems and specialist access solutions.

The latest accounts, covering the year ending 30 June 2025, show the company employed 55 people and held plant and equipment assets worth £7.6 million.

A notice of appointment to appoint an administrator provides a period of legal protection while options such as restructuring, refinancing, a sale of the business or a formal administration process are explored.

NASC and CISRS put industry guidance behind new AI assistant

Daniel Norton
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NASC and CISRS put industry guidance behind new AI assistant

The new tool allows users to ask questions in their own words and search across the knowledge held by NASC and CISRS, rather than working through individual guidance documents or website pages.

It covers areas including TG20, SG4, technical standards, health and safety, training, competence and CISRS requirements.

Crucially, the assistant draws exclusively from NASC and CISRS material, including guidance available only to members and approved CISRS Centres.

Answers also direct users back to the original source material, allowing them to check the guidance themselves.

The system has been introduced to make the organisations’ existing library easier to navigate, particularly when users know the information they need but are unsure which document contains it.

For smaller scaffolding contractors without their own technical department, that could make a noticeable difference when trying to find guidance quickly.

Mark Collinson, Head of Technical at NASC, said: “The guidance has always been there, but knowing exactly where to look for it has not always been straightforward, particularly for smaller businesses without a dedicated technical resource.

“This gives members a much quicker route to the right information, and it always points back to the source document so you can check it for yourself.

“It is not a replacement for reading the guidance properly, but it makes finding the right part of it far easier.”

The distinction is an important one. The assistant is designed as a way into NASC and CISRS guidance rather than an alternative to the documents themselves.

It also avoids one of the more obvious problems with general-purpose AI tools by restricting its information source to material produced by NASC and CISRS.

The assistant is available now to NASC members and CISRS Centres.

Users can access it through the round icon in the bottom-right corner of either organisation’s website. The icon is red on the NASC website and orange on the CISRS website.

Access Association of Canada honours ‘Dr. Scaffold’ Alan Osborn

Daniel Norton
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Access Association of Canada honours ‘Dr. Scaffold’ Alan Osborn

Alan Osborn has been made an honorary member of the Access Association of Canada (AAC), recognising his growing work to put mental health higher on the agenda across the international scaffolding and access industry.

The honour was announced in Nashville during the SAIA Annual Convention, where Osborn was invited to speak about mental health in construction and the practical steps companies can take to support the people working for them.

Loud, funny and instantly recognisable in his Dr. Scaffold hoodie, Osborn spent 30 years building scaffolds before moving into business ownership, consultancy and standards work. In recent years, he has become one of the trade’s most recognisable voices on mental health.

His Check Your Mate campaign encourages workers and managers to look out for colleagues, recognise changes in behaviour and have the confidence to start a conversation when something doesn’t seem right.

“Being made an honorary member of the AAC is a real privilege, but for me it’s about what we do next as an industry,” Osborn said.

“Recognition is welcome; action is vital. If Check Your Mate helps even one person feel able to speak up or one colleague spot the signs early, then it’s doing its job. The AAC is going to change the access industry in Canada.”

Speaking in Nashville, Osborn drew on something scaffolders already understand well: looking after the person working alongside you.

“In scaffolding and access, we’re brilliant at looking after each other when it comes to physical safety. We see a loose fitting or a risky set-up and we step in immediately. Mental health needs the same instinctive response,” he said.

“If something doesn’t look or feel right with a mate, that’s your cue to check in, not look away.”

Osborn spoke about the pressures that come with working in the trade, including long hours, travel, demanding programmes and high-risk sites. He also addressed the stigma that can still make people reluctant to admit when they are struggling.

It is a subject shaped by his own experience. Osborn has previously spoken openly about his personal struggles and about losing five people he describes as brothers from the scaffolding trade.

“The pressures on our workforce aren’t going away: tight programmes, long travel, demanding sites. What can change is how prepared we are to support people through those pressures,” he said.

“Check Your Mate is simply about giving everyone permission and confidence to start that conversation.”

Taking the message further

Osborn’s work has also received backing from Brandon Martin, President and Owner of InSite Software, who has been supporting his work and exploring how technology already used by scaffolding and access businesses could carry wellbeing prompts, training material and easier routes to support.

“Dr Osborn’s work aligns perfectly with where we believe the industry is heading,” Martin said. “Data, planning and software can help to design safer projects, but at the heart of every system are people. Supporting their mental health is not an add-on, it’s a core part of safety.”

InSite is looking at how wellbeing could be worked into the systems site teams already use during the working day.

“At InSite, we’re looking at how we can weave wellbeing into the everyday workflows our customers already use,” Martin said.

“If we can make it natural for site teams to receive prompts, access guidance, or flag concerns through the tools they’re in all day, then checking your mate becomes part of the process, not an extra task.”

Martin said the response in Nashville showed mental health was gaining a stronger place in conversations about safety across the wider access industry.

“When you have organisations like the AAC honouring Alan’s contribution, it sends a clear message: this isn’t a side issue. Mental health belongs in the same conversation as fall prevention, load management and design.”

For Osborn, much of the answer still comes back to people looking out for each other.

“I’ve seen first-hand that a five-minute chat on site can be more powerful than any poster or policy,” he said.

“When a supervisor or a colleague makes it clear that it’s okay to talk, the culture shifts. That’s the future of safety: PPE for the mind as well as the body.”

Martin believes technology can help make those conversations easier to start.

“I’m proud that InSite can play a small part in amplifying Check Your Mate,” he said. “Technology should serve people, not the other way round. If our software helps one supervisor start a conversation they might otherwise have avoided, that’s a win for us and, more importantly, for the person on the receiving end.”

Brogan Group reaches 5 million hours without reportable injury

Daniel Norton
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Brogan Group reaches 5 million hours without reportable injury

The scaffolding and access contractor has recorded no reportable injuries since 2023 across its operations in the UK, Ireland, UAE, Saudi Arabia, the USA and mainland Europe.

Brogan Group said the 5 million-hour figure is the highest safety record achieved in the company’s history.

The milestone covers work carried out across a wide range of projects and regions, with the company crediting its health and safety teams, site management and operatives for maintaining the record.

Brogan said its approach has centred on planning, training, communication and day-to-day site management, with safety procedures applied across its international operations.

James Lewis, Brogan Group HSQE Director, said: “Reaching 5 million man-hours without a reportable injury is a significant achievement for Brogan Group. It is the result of the collective commitment of our people, who continue to make health and safety a priority every day.”

The company operates across several major construction markets and has continued to expand its international presence in recent years, making the Group-wide safety figure particularly notable given the number of regions covered.

The record now extends beyond 5 million working hours, with Brogan reporting no reportable injuries across the Group since 2023.

JR Scaffold secures MoD Gold Award for Armed Forces support

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JR Scaffold secures MoD Gold Award for Armed Forces support

JR Scaffold has been awarded Gold status in the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) for its support of the Armed Forces community.

The award is the highest level within the scheme and recognises employers that maintain policies and working practices supporting serving personnel, Reservists, Veterans, service leavers, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers and military families.

For JR Scaffold, the award follows previous Bronze and Silver ERS recognition and continues the company’s work under the Armed Forces Covenant.

The company said its approach includes supporting veterans moving into civilian employment, creating opportunities for service leavers and providing flexibility for employees who continue to serve as Reservists.

John Horne, Managing Director of JR Scaffold, said: “We are immensely proud to have achieved Gold Award status through the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

“This is a fantastic achievement for everyone across The JR Group and one that is particularly important to us as a business.

“Our journey through the ERS awards, from Bronze to Silver and now Gold, reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting the Armed Forces community.

“We recognise the valuable skills, experience and dedication that members of the Armed Forces community bring to the workplace.

“Whether that is supporting veterans as they transition into civilian employment, creating opportunities for those leaving the services, or accommodating colleagues who continue to serve as Reservists, we are dedicated to doing what we can to provide meaningful opportunities, and the flexibility people need.”

The Gold Award recognises JR Scaffold’s continued work to support members of the Armed Forces community through employment and workplace policies.

ScaffEx26 completes conference line-up ahead of Manchester show

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ScaffEx26 completes conference line-up ahead of Manchester show

ScaffEx26 has completed its conference line-up ahead of the two-day industry event at Manchester Central on 10 and 11 September.

Hosted by journalist Sophie Long, the programme will bring contractors, clients, training specialists and industry bodies together for discussions covering some of the biggest issues currently facing scaffolding businesses.

Commercial pressures come under the spotlight on Thursday in Thriving in Uncertainty: Insights from Across the Supply Chain, a Question Time-style panel looking at fair payment, contract terms, workforce pressures and relationships between scaffolding contractors and clients.

The panel includes Richard Beresford of the National Federation of Builders, Danny Dwyer of PHD Access, Chris Abbey of Altrad UK, Rob Wright of Lindum Group and Fergus Harradence from the Department for Business and Trade.

Running a scaffolding company gets its own session later that day.

What Nobody Tells You About Starting Your Own Scaffolding Firm will see James Brierley of Rose System Scaffolding, Lee Marley and KAS Scaffolding directors Shane Wood and Adam Millgate discuss the realities of setting up and growing a business, including finance, contracts and company culture.

Recruitment follows with The Talent Crisis: Why You Need a Blend of Youth and Experience.

Danny Clarke of CITB, Donna Mulvihill of Altrad UK, Ashley Smith of R.A.S Scaffolding, Dan Wilson of MAR Scaffolding and Anne Pavey from the Department for Work and Pensions will examine routes into the industry and how contractors can widen the pool of people they recruit from.

Thursday will close with a project session looking behind the scenes at major scaffolding schemes.

GKR Scaffolding will present its work at 25 Canada Square in Canary Wharf, while BrandSafway will cover the Manchester Town Hall restoration. A further project is still to be confirmed.

Safety takes a larger role on Friday. Hiding in Plain Sight: The Hidden Risks of Getting It Wrong will examine fire, noise, dust and airborne contamination, with former HSE inspector Matt Greenly joined by Alice Thomson of 4-RAIL Services, Layher UK Managing Director Sean Pike and David Gilmore of ITP.

Training technology will then come under scrutiny in one of the programme’s more deliberately provocative sessions, Would You Trust a Scaffolder Trained on a Computer?

Martin Addison of Video Arts Group, Joanne Walker of CWIC Wales, NASC and CISRS Group CEO Clive Dickin and NETA’s Brian Ward will discuss blended learning and immersive technology, including where digital training can support practical instruction and where its limits should sit.

Friday’s technical programme will also turn to temporary roofing, with projects including the weather protection solution used at Huddinge municipal centre in Sweden.

AT-PAC’s Ruslan Potapov and Scaffco’s Tobias Bækhøj are among those due to speak, alongside Sean Pike of Layher UK and Alan Armstrong of Laidlaw Scaffolding.

The conference forms part of ScaffEx26, which combines the exhibition and conference at Manchester Central before the Scaffolding Excellence Awards on the evening of 11 September.

The awards will be hosted by comedian and broadcaster Dara Ó Briain. Registration for the ScaffEx26 conference and exhibition remains free.

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