Building bard Mike Garry – who worked on site as a labourer in the 70s and 80s – believes construction workers should be compared to artists and sculptors.

He said:“I worked on building sites when I was a student and earlier with my dad and although it was good money the conditions could be pretty terrible.

“I’ve found Seddon to be quite a different kind of company – people on site are treated with respect and I’ve been welcomed with open arms.

“I’m particularly enjoying the banter and the chance to talk to the guys on site. I’m not there to pry, I’m emphasising the artistry in what they do – I firmly believe they are sculptors and painters, it’s just that their work is on show on a building site, rather than in a gallery.”

Garry has also performed his work at the company’s head office and held workshops as well as creating his own library in the staff canteen with some of his own works plus poetry by writers such as Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon and Simon Armitage.

He said: “I want to change people’s perceptions of what poetry is and to get away from the notion of poetry as being separate from the world.”

Seddon was founded in 1897 by bricklaying brothers George and John Seddon.

Managing director Jonathan Seddon said: “We’re one of the construction industry’s biggest family-owned businesses and our history has made us what we are.

“We wanted to celebrate our past as well as capture the stories of the people working for the business today and are excited to have Mike working with us.”