Esh Construction employees came together to raise over £400 for the Lighthouse Construction Industry during Mental Health Awareness Week.
87 staff chalked up over 6.5 million steps through 12 teams, while a Wear Something Green Day saw colleagues dress in green attire on Thursday, all in the name of raising awareness of mental health in construction.
And after Esh’s Yorkshire office won the Esh Steps Challenge by clocking up 1.6 million steps, Contracts Manager Brendan O’Hara explained why 14 colleagues came together as team ‘Marching on Together’ to record an average of 16,415 steps per person per day.
He said: “Many of the team are keen walkers or enjoy a challenge, for some they know someone who has or is experiencing mental health issues, maybe even themselves at some point in their lives. It was brilliant to see so many colleagues partaking in the challenge.”
During the week-long challenge, Brendan clocked up his own tally of 215,210 steps by taking his dog on morning and evening walks, site visits and a trusty round of golf. He added: “It’s easy to get steps in when you play bad golf! The motto I went with was to try and get more steps in today than I did yesterday.
“It’s been great to see the dedication of teams and individuals in keeping the momentum up over the week – everyone has played a part in raising awareness of mental health in the workplace and the wider construction industry.
“Greater awareness of mental health and anything that helps destigmatise talking about your mental health openly can only be a positive thing.”
The fundraising efforts are the latest in Esh’s ongoing partnership with the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity. For Mental Health Awareness Week 2023, Esh launched a campaign with the charity in which 450 transparent hard hats were rolled out across sites to reduce the stigma associated with mental health in the industry, with QR codes on the hats directing workers to further information and support networks.
A group of employees also raised £3,000 for the charity by completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in June last year, while the industry wide ‘Make It Visible’ campaign has seen the charity’s van visit several Esh sites across the North East and Yorkshire in the last 12 months.
The campaign is part of Esh’s wider efforts to provide access to mental health services, whereby over 30 Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) are employed across its divisions who have been trained by MHFA England to provide advice and support to anyone who may be experience difficulties.
On June 21st, a team of eight employees will take on the National Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds for Lighthouse. To make a donation, visit the Justgiving page.
Find out more about the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity at www.lighthouseclub.org
Many of the team are keen walkers or enjoy a challenge, for some they know someone who has or is experiencing mental health issues, maybe even themselves at some point in their lives. It was brilliant to see so many colleagues partaking in the challenge.”
