Stephen loved marine civil engineering projects and, until recently, was still leading our projects from the front in the operator’s seat of any one of the large fleet of specialist long reach and heavy-lift excavators.

Stephen formed Ashleigh Contracts in 1987 and began to grow the company and the range of plant operated by the company. Since 2000, Stephen in partnership with Brian McKee and then Philip Conacher, built up Ashleigh Contracts to becoming one of the UK’s leading specialist marine civil engineering companies tackling some of the most challenging breakwater, dredging, scour protection and revetment projects across the UK and Ireland.

Stephen was never happier or more determined than when he was faced with a challenging project with a high tidal range, significant weather events, access constraints all seemingly being against him – yet Stephen methodically and skilfully faced each test and overcame many hurdles along the way to successfully build sea defence structures to a high level of quality – with these structures having proved themselves under the test of time over many years in the harsh marine environment of the UK & Ireland’s coastal waters.

In his own quiet way, Stephen lead all of his teams from the front and as each team changed and developed – and the plant fleet grew larger with the greater use of 3D GPS machine control technology - Stephen’s teams all learned to follow his example and they worked together to successfully complete many challenging projects across Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales including some work on remote islands of the Aran Island and Shetland.

Stephen will be greatly missed by all his colleagues and friends in the industry, and we are all so sad and devastated that, with his declining health and now his passing, that Stephen never had the opportunity to enjoy a well-earned and well-deserved retirement.

May Stephen now Rest in Peace.