North East contractor Tolent has secured five new contract wins across the North East and Yorkshire worth more around £38.2m.

The projects will see the Gateshead business build more than 260 new homes built for a variety of clients including Gentoo, Centaura Homes, Bernicia, Chapter Homes and The Joseph Rowntree Trust.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic means that start dates on projects have been delayed, but most sites have been able to reopen through the implementation of site operating procedures issued by Build UK, the leading representative organisation for the UK construction industry, and advice given by Public Health England.

On sites that remain open, some of the steps taken include reprogramming works to minimise the number of people on site, staggering shifts and break times, providing full time cleaning services, implementing one-way access to work areas and at all times carrying out risk assessments to implement social distancing.

Tolent chief executive Andy McLeod said: “From the start of this global pandemic, the health and wellbeing of our colleagues and supply chain partners has continued to be our number one priority.

“By administering rigorous social distancing and health and safety protocol, we have been able to safely reopen most of our sites and we continue to monitor the situation diligently.

“From supporting our most vulnerable colleagues to remain at home, assisting others to work from home and continuing to pay our subcontractors; we are committed to supporting everyone.”

Tolent has also made a number of donations of vital PPE and its team was also recently recognised for its involvement in completing the NHS Nightingale Hospital in Sunderland.

Appointed to lead a regional-wide team to transform the building in Washington into a facility that has the capacity to provide 460 beds for patients with coronavirus, Tolent worked around the clock to deliver the temporary hospital in just over three weeks.

The hospital is for patients from the across the North East and North Cumbria. Staff – including nurses, physiotherapists and doctors – will come from NHS trusts across the region, with teams working together to provide the best possible care.