THE founder of a successful construction firm that he started more than half a century ago has died.

On Thursday, May 31, the company confirmed David Sutcliffe, of Sutcliffe Construction Ltd, had died following a short illness.

In a social media post, the company, with its head office at Goal Farm, Hellifield, paid tribute saying: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved founder and company director, David Sutcliffe. David passed away peacefully with his family alongside him on May 29 following a short illness.

"Originally from a farming background, David left farming life back in 1968 aged just 17, to become self employed as a building contractor, building dry stone walls, block work and carrying out concreting at farms around Malhamdale. He quickly added new skills to his portfolio, including groundworks, roofing and the construction of agricultural buildings.

"In 1970, a £500 loan secured a Land Rover, trailer and a concrete mixer, enabling David to get on the road with his business and by the early 1980s he was taking on larger projects as principal contractor, had opened a steel fabrication plant and was constructing steel-framed buildings.

"James, David’s son, joined the business in 1991 and together, they shaped the business into what we are today, taking on bigger and more complex construction projects in the industrial, commercial and residential sectors.

"David was a very passionate and driven man who put his heart and soul into SutCon and his family. He loved the local Dales countryside and in recent years he was president of Malham Show. He was a keen member of local rambling clubs, an enthusiastic and competent skier and had a love of socialising and eating out with friends and family.

"David leaves behind his son James and daughter Joanne, daughter-in-law Sarah and granddaughters Holly and Emily, along with many more family members and friends who will sorely miss him.

"We plan to celebrate David’s life in the next few weeks, details to follow."

Sutcliffe Construction has its own steel-frame fabrication plant and has the capability to handle contracts from £50,000 to £10 million from design stage through to civils, build and fit-out, working with leading architects and customers on industrial, commercial and retail builds in the manufacturing, food, transport, and leisure industries.

Recent projects include Langcliffe Quarry Enterprise Centre.

In recent months it has achieved UKAS ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management), UKAS ISO 14001:2018 (Environmental Management) & OHAS ISO 45001:2018 (Health and Safety Management) accreditations.

There will be a private cremation followed by a service at St. Michael the Archangel church, Kirkby Malham on June 23 at 12.30.