Derrick East of Accolade Building Services has been honoured with an HVCA Outstanding Service award.
During the 25 years in which his Ringwood-based company Accolade Building Services has been an HVCA member, East has contributed much to the life of the association.

East served as chairman of its Wessex regional branch and its south east regional committee, has also been a member of the council of the HVCA, and of its finance and education committees.

He was a founding director of SummitSkills, the sector skills council for building services engineering.

In presenting East with his award, president John Miller thanked him for his contribution to the life and work of the HVCA. Miller praised East as an 'unsung hero' and one of the reasons the HVCA Outstanding Service awards were established eight years ago.

The president highlighted the key role East had played in the introduction of the association's independent member inspection and assessment regime.

Miller said 'And he has been active over very many years in promoting the HVCA, its members and its core values to customers and clients, particularly in the ever-important public sector.'

Such initiatives, said Mr Miller, had led him to be described by his colleagues as 'a true HVCA champion' and 'a source of wise counsel to his fellow members'.