INDUSTRYNEWS
FAMILY CRISIS APPEAL UPDATE
A staggering £320,031 has been raised so far by the
construction industry to respond to the recent cry for
help from the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity.
‘It is our mission and
moral obligation to
ensure that no worker
feels alone in a crisis’
» DONATIONS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED
across the country from both individuals
and organisations, who have stepped up
to support the only charity that provides
physical, financial and mental wellbeing to our
construction workforce and their families.
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse
Construction Industry Charity said, “We
are absolutely astounded by the magnificent
response we’ve received so far. We’ve received
huge support from the House Builders
Federation (HBF) and also from five tier one
construction companies; the most recent
of which is from Ferrovial Agroman who
have made a significant contribution to our
appeal.”
Karl Goose, Managing Director, Ferrovial
Agroman UK & Ireland commented,
“Considering the sector that we work
in, it makes sense to partner with The
Lighthouse Club by contributing to their
dedicated Construction Workers’ Crisis
Fund. Nevertheless, that is not the reason
why we have selected the Lighthouse Club.
We have done so because they deliver
such a committed and vital service for the
construction community and their families,
and because the funds will immediately be
available to really help those who need it
most.”
However, with calls to the charity’s
Construction Industry Helpline up by
over 55% compared to this time last year,
the appeal is ongoing and the charity has a
long way to go before they reach their £1
million target. The event calendar has been
decimated, meaning that a huge proportion of
their income has disappeared at a time when
the industry needs their support the most.
Bill Hill added, “It is our mission and
moral obligation to ensure that no worker
feels alone in a crisis. Sometimes words just
aren’t enough but we’d like to say a huge
thank you again. Here’s just a few of the
people you’ve helped.
“We are currently supporting the family of
a gentleman who worked in the construction
industry for 20 years. The family were already
in debt and the news that he was being laid
off due to site closure was just too much
to take. He took his own life in the family
home. We have supported the family with
emergency financial assistance for food and
utilities, cleared their rent arrears to prevent
homelessness and ensured access to much
needed emotional support. We all had lumps
in our throats when we received a photo of the
children holding a poster they had drawn to
say thank you to us. That thanks belongs to
our supporters.
“A self-employed labourer contacted us
after his site was closed due to Covid 19. He
and his partner have a two-year-old baby and
they were frantic about being able to pay their
bills. We assisted with an emergency financial
grant for food and utilities. We also signposted
the family to counselling and legal and tax
advice.
“A health and safety executive with over
30 years in the industry was horrified to
learn that because he made the decision to go
self-employed last October he is not eligible
for financial support from the Government.
His only recourse to financial support is to
claim Universal Credit, which will be less
than a £100 per week and will take five weeks
to reach him. We’ve supported them with
emergency funding for food, utilities, and
advice and guidance on how to re-organise
finances until he is able to work again.
“A bricklayer contacted our helpline when
he was laid off due to Covid 19. In his own
words, he had no idea what to do, or where
to turn to for help and wasn’t sleeping. We
were able to provide guidance on the benefits
he could apply for and in the meantime, we
provided emergency financial support to pay
outstanding bills and ensure that there was
food in the house. We also signposted him to
a debt specialist offering free advice and with
an affordable repayment plan now in place, his
mind has been put at rest, he is sleeping better
and accessing counselling to support him
through this difficult time.”
The charity is urging the industry to
continue to dig deep so that they can provide
life changing support to our construction
community.
www.lighthouseclub.org
CLEARVIEW-UK.COM » JUL 2020 » 21