THE Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity has published its 2023 Impact Report which details the vital support and impact they have delivered to our construction community in the UK and Ireland.
With a unique focus on emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing support, the charity has delivered £3,927,992 of charitable support and been a beacon of hope to 4435 families in need, a 30% increase on the previous year.
Against a challenging backdrop of continued cost of living increases, material price rises, unpredictable workloads and labour shortages, the report reflects a year of resilience, growth, and impactful initiatives.
For every £1 of charitable spend the charity created £10.06 of social value, a figure which reflects the impressive array of proactive and reactive support available for both individuals and organisations alike. The report also outlines some of the strategic collaborations that have facilitated sustainable futures for the people in our industry and to support a new generation of workers.
The charity’s caseworkers played a pivotal role, supporting 2435 complex cases and securing £1,675,309 of funding through collaborative working with other charities and ensuring that people were accessing their statutory entitlements.
There was a 20% increase in the number of people accessing vital counselling services, with a huge 42% of the charity’s grant expenditure being invested in fast access to both virtual and face-to-face counselling offering vital support with a variety of emotional wellbeing issues.
One of the charity’s most impactful front-line interventions has been the hugely successful #MakeItVisible on-site initiative. In 2023 the team visited 390 sites, reaching almost 26,000 site operatives, contractors, and allied trades, some of the industry’s most vulnerable workers.
The charity’s on-site team share their own struggles in a down-to-earth and relatable way, encouraging others to speak openly too, Last year the on-site team made a life-changing and life-saving impact with 139 workers experiencing suicidal thoughts.
In 2023 their Critical Incident Support team were called to 49 locations and supported 850 people affected by a serious or fatal on-site incident. The specialist team provides immediate support offering a ‘safe space’ for people to share their concerns and signpost to specialist trauma counsellors if necessary.
Aimed at equipping workers with the soft skills they need to navigate today’s challenges, the charity also extended their portfolio of training within their Wellbeing Academy which saw the introduction of self-paced eLearning.
These on demand modules respond to the diverse needs of a transient workforce with demanding work and home time commitments. The Wellbeing Academy delivered 436 courses and trained 3606 individuals.
Summarising on the report’s findings, Sarah Bolton, CEO of the Lighthouse Charity said it was encouraging to see more people reaching out for support. “We are constantly looking for new ways to amplify our message of support and ensuring that we reach those who may not know how or where to ask for help. Our #MakeItVisible on site team do a fantastic job of reaching out to the sites and meeting some of our most vulnerable workers. We’re also increasing the number of collaborative partnerships with other providers to offer specialist support to meet the diverse needs of our construction community.
Our Impact Report is an annual opportunity to highlight our successes and reflect on what has worked well. It’s also an opportunity to identify and understand how we can be better and how we can support our industry’s wellbeing in every way.
Our key message remains constant; no matter how small or large the problem may seem, we will always be able to help, and if we can’t be able to signpost to someone that can.”
If you or anyone you know is struggling, reach out for free and confidential support now 24/7 Construction Industry Helplines; 0345 605 1956, (UK) 1800 939 122 (ROI)
Live chat lighthouseclub.org constructionindustryhelpline.com makeitvisible.info
Text HARDHAT to 85258 (UK) 50808 (ROI)
