Construction Sport organise walk to raise money for construction professionals battling cancer

Construction Sport, a charity that promotes the wellbeing benefits of sport to the operatives within the construction industry, organised Walking for the Workforce, a 40-mile-long trek that visited every Premier League Football stadium in London, to raise money for two construction professionals who are both battling with cancer.

The trek was done in one day and started at 4am at Crystal Palace Football Club and finished 14.5 hours later at West Ham United, having visited the grounds of: Tottenham, Arsenal, Brentford, Fulham and Chelsea.

Richard Stewart, Operations Manager at PDC

Scaffolding Limited, who are Audited Members of the Scaffolding Association, took part in the walk.

Paul Casey: Managing Director at PDC Scaffolding Limited, commented:

“PDC Scaffolding took part in a 40-mile trek organised by Construction Sport, to benefit two lads, Mechanical & Electrical Engineer, Martyn Guest & Site Manager Steve Hall, who play a part in our construction network and have both been diagnosed with cancer.

We are delighted for PDC to have taken part in Construction Sport’s longest walk yet and to have helped such a great cause!”

Steve Kerslake, Director at Construction Sport concluded:

“Not only is this event about raising funds for them and their families, but it is ultimately to show them that we are here as mates, as colleagues and as an industry to give them the morale boost they truly need in these tough uncertain times.”

You can still donate at: www.gofundme.com/f/ walking-4-the-workforce

Find out more: www.constructionsport.com

CITB funds mental health first aiders for construction apprentices

CITB is investing £90,000 to fund a pilot scheme which will provide mental health support for apprentices from the start of their construction industry careers.

Optima UK Ltd will train further education construction tutors to be Mental Health First Aiders so they can support construction apprentices during their learning. Apprentices will also be given mental health awareness training in bite size four hour sessions. This will mean the apprentices have the knowledge and education during learning, at the start of, and throughout, their career in construction. There will also be one-to-one support.

The courses will be run by trainers accredited by Mental Health First Aid England and deliver 29 courses, all with 16 delegates, to hubs of colleges across the UK. In the space of a year, they will have trained 464 tutors and 464 apprentices, as well as offered one-to-one support to around 100 apprentices.

The CITB investment comes after a study compiled by the Lighthouse Construction

Industry Charity and CITB, highlighted the toll poor mental health is taking. Research showed 26% of construction workers had experienced suicidal thoughts and 91% felt overwhelmed. Tragically, two construction workers take their own lives each day.

This UK-wide pilot scheme will aim to understand how mental health education and support can contribute to improved retention for individuals during their apprenticeship in construction, as well as reducing their likelihood of experiencing mental health issues.