Walker Morris' Public Sector Projects Team and Wakefield Council's in-house legal team scooped the prestigious Enterprise Award at last night's Yorkshire Lawyer Awards, held at the Queens Hotel, Leeds.
The Enterprise Award was jointly presented to the two legal teams in recognition of their collaborative and innovative approach to establishing the successful the Hepworth Wakefield. The purpose built award winning Gallery, which cost £35 million and opened in May this year, is already one of the most popular art galleries in the UK.
Cllr Graham Stokes, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for Corporate Services, said: “Winning this award is a great accolade to all the hard work that the team put in behind the scenes to help make the Hepworth Wakefield the huge success that it is.
“The inspirational way the team were able to work cohesively and seamlessly together was a key factor in the successful delivery of the project and we are really pleased that all the hard work has been recognised with such a prestigious award.”
David Kilduff, Client Partner and Head of Commercial Group who has worked with the Council over 10 years commented that:
"The award is a fitting accolade to the long-standing, successful working relationship between Walker Morris and Wakefield Council".
Andrew Uprichard, partner in the Public Sector and Projects team at Walker Morris said:
"Building on past successes and a thorough understanding of each other were we able to work cohesively to deliver the project as one team."
The Hepworth, Wakefield, which opened in May this year, is one of the most prestigious art galleries in the UK. The Council built it with the vision of displaying permanent collections celebrating the work of the Wakefield born Barbara Hepworth alongside temporary exhibitions of national and international significance. The Gallery has received widespread acclaim from the UK and international media and has already won, and been short listed for, numerous awards.