Many of us in the construction industry are becoming increasingly aware of the problem of mental health issues in our community. Poor mental health takes many forms, but the stark statistics from the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity show that two construction workers take their own lives every day.
Shocked by these alarming facts, Vicki Allen, managing director of International Platforms, has just announced a brand-new initiative to help support the construction community and their families.
In what could be an industry first, Vicki and the team at International Platforms are auctioning a MEWP online and donating the entire proceeds to The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity.
The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is the only one that provides emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to the construction community and their families. A crucial element of its strategy is to provide a wide range of free and widely available pro-active resources to support the industry.
Vicki explained: “I am fortunate to know a lot of people in the construction industry from working for almost 20 years in the access platform business. Unfortunately, I have become increasingly aware of the mental health problems some are having and had also heard about the good work the Lighthouse Club does. I decided the best way to help was to do something we are good at – selling a used MEWP – and then donating all the proceeds to the Charity!
“To get the best possible price and contribute the most we can, I decided to do an online auction. Once I had the idea, I got out my address book and made a few calls to other industry experts who wanted to help. With the generous support of Genie, PAS Powered Access Services, Hire Safe Solutions and Avalon Metal Coatings I bought an eight-year-old Genie GS2632 electric scissor lift and organised for it to be fully refurbished and serviced including a full repaint and new batteries, tyres and steps amongst numerous other parts. It’s a great indoor access platform and has non marking tyres making it ideal for second fix construction work, warehousing, cleaning jobs, electrical work, facilities management and stock taking.
“Anyone interested in bidding for this machine can, if they win, be confident of getting a useful piece of equipment while supporting a very worthwhile cause.”
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction industry Charity said, “We are delighted that International Platforms have chosen to support us in this way and hope that the industry will get behind the auction and help then reach some dizzy heights with their fundraising!”
To place a bid, visit the International Platforms website; internationalplatforms.co.uk/auction where bidders can read about the machine, see the latest price and add their own bid. All the t&cs are there too – and designed to be as straight forward as possible.
For a closer inspection, this special machine will be on show at the International Platforms stand (315) at Vertikal Days on 11th and 12th May, coincidentally Mental Health Awareness Week whose theme this year is loneliness.
Vicki says the International Platforms team is hoping to raise at least £5000 for the charity that provides a 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline which offers a range of free and confidential support, complemented by their free Self Support App.
Their free text HARDHAT to 85258 service provides yet another route to support, along with their Lighthouse Beacons who offer a safe space for people to share concerns.
The charity also offers a variety of free construction-focussed training programmes ranging from hour long interactive wellbeing sessions through to the MHFA England approved Mental Health First Aider course.
Their latest campaign, Help Inside the Hard Hat, aims to raise awareness of mental health issues in the construction industry and you can join the campaign for better mental health by downloading free resources and site hoardings artwork from their website.
