Housebuilder Dandara unveils mental health campaign
Independent housebuilder Dandara has launched its first national partnership with Lighthouse Club, a charity which provides mental health and wellbeing support to people working in the construction industry.
Suicides in the construction industry throughout England and Wales hit their highest level last year since analysis began.
On average, two construction workers take their own life every working day in the UK and Ireland, and over 20% of recorded work-related absence is caused by stress, anxiety or depression.
Trevor Dempsey, chief executive of Dandara, said: “The construction industry has a tragically high suicide rate, which has been increasing in recent years, so it was incredibly important to us to work with a charity like Lighthouse Club that provides practical support to not only our employees, but our subcontractors and any other workers on our sites – alongside their family members.
“We want to help break the stigma of mental health in the industry, and the grassroots support this partnership offers across our sites is a meaningful first step.”
Lighthouse Club provides a range of support services for all construction workers, including subcontractors, agency workers and people in allied trades.
It operates a confidential helpline and has over 350 volunteer drop-in centres that provide a safe, supportive environment for people to talk about the problems they face or have faced.
It also offers a 24/7 text-back counselling service, a support app with information about medical conditions and coping strategies, and masterclasses to help people deal with a range of issues including stress, bullying and financial management, as well as alcohol and drug problems.
Bill Hill, chief executive of Lighthouse Club, said: “We are excited to welcome Dandara as one of our company supporters.
“We receive no public funding, so it is only through the generosity of people in the industry that we can provide much-needed support to people working in construction and their families.”
Dandara was established in 1988, while in the past three years it has created two new divisions to span its operations across the South of England, Wales, Scotland, Jersey and Isle of Man.
