Leeds-based WGL Stoneclean was nominated for three categories in the Constructing Excellence Yorkshire & Humber Awards this year, gaining recognition for a stone cleaning system it developed and promoted with the help of Leeds University.

WGL was shortlisted in the Innovation and Heritage categories and was runner-up in the Value section.

The Awards dinner was held on 17 July at the National Railway Museum in York, with more than 350 guests and nominees enjoying a black tie dinner. The judges said they had looked for projects, organisations or individuals where outstanding performance had been achieved.

WGL were runners-up in the ‘Value’ category with the cleaning and restoration of a derelict building on Railway Street, Huddersfield, which had stood empty for nearly 30 years. WGL used its Steamacc cleaning method that has been developed with the University of Leeds, taking advantage of funding made available by Business Link Yorkshire to help businesses connect with colleges.

The system involves an acid clean quickly neutralised using the Doff steam cleaning system from Stonehealth.

A nine-page report by the university helps WGL Stoneclean to convince clients of the merits of its cleaning without using grit blasting. Bernie Coleman, Director of WGL Stoneclean, says the real skill is knowing the strength of acid to use for the clean required and the length of time to leave it on the stone before washing it off.

Bernie says having the University report has proved exceptionally successful. “We went from scratching around trying to keep three people employed to having 22 people on sites.”

After cleaning the building on Railway Street, the stonework was consolidated using another WGL innovation that enabled the stone to regain most of its original strength.

WGL also won the contract to clean Dean Clough in Halifax, a thriving, privately-owned business community of more than 4,000 people on the 20-acre site of A&B Mills, once the world's largest carpet factory. WGL won the £150,000 contract to clean the stonework with both chemical and abrasive processes.

Following the Awards, Bernie Coleman said morale was “through the roof” at the WGL Stoneclean. “As a growing Yorkshire SME we were one of the smallest companies nominated at the awards, so it was a real honour and a huge morale booster for the company. Working with the University of Leeds has led to new ways of working to enable new processes and innovations to take shape to provide our customers with outstanding results.

“We are well known for our commitment to our employees through training and development and it was great to see the team enjoying a well-deserved night out at the awards – we had a fantastic time!”

WGL Stoneclean was founded by Terry Coleman in 1972 under the name Wessgold. In the early 1990s the name was shortened to WGL Ltd. Over the past 30 years it has established itself in the North of England. It was bought by Bernard Coleman and two minority shareholders in 2004.

Bernard’s objective was to grow the company and introduce the new technologies that are beginning to be required in today's conservation / cleaning marketplace.

WGL’s client base includes individual homeowners and commercial and professional customers comprising architects and principal contractors, and planners and conservation officers from the public sector.

The Constructing Excellence Awards are held in various regions of the country and recognise the best of companies, collaborations and projects with the aim of sharing best practice and inspiring others to adopt new and better ways of working that deliver outstanding results.