44 | OCTOBER 2021
Business
2020 Impact Report demonstrates vital support for Construction Community
Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and three national lock downs , Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity was able to provide a lifeline to 2264 families in crisis and delivered £ 1.287M of charitable giving . For the first time ever , the report also details the social value created by the charity which equates to £ 7.48 for every £ 1 of charitable spend .
It was of little surprise to see increased demands on the charity ’ s 24 / 7 Construction Industry Helpline resources and the number of complex cases needing multiple interventions increased by 70 %. These cases were managed by case workers who have expertise in pulling together all the available resources to provide all round support .
40 % of calls handled by the charity ’ s caseworkers mentioned struggles with mental health issues and 4 % of callers mentioned an attempted suicide .
21 % of cases were for issues directly related to Covid-19 and the charity responded quickly to urgent requests for financial support with household bills , emergency food deliveries and helping with debt .
Despite these challenges , the charity ’ s case workers leveraged an amazing £ 564,000 by working with 3rd party sources before releasing charitable grants , meaning more support , to a higher quality and at a lower cost per case .
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We must ensure we continue to pro-actively support the industry ’ s mental wellbeing
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The report also details major developments in the charity ’ s education and training programme . In response to the restrictions on face to face training , all courses were augmented so that they could be delivered online and free of charge , with over 1500 people attending courses ranging from coping with stress through to resilience and mindfulness . The ongoing success of a major national project funded by the CITB delivered a further 41 Mental Health First Aid Instructors into the industry .
One of the highlights of the year was the launch of a dedicated free helpline number for the construction community in the Republic of Ireland and working with the Construction Industry Federation is ensuring that construction colleagues in Ireland can access the same support as their counterparts in the UK .
Bill Hill , CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said , “ We must ensure we continue to pro-actively support the industry ’ s mental wellbeing and make our services easy to access and freely available to everyone and I am proud to say that we have been able to provide life changing support to our construction community . But our work is only possible due to the fantastic support we receive and I would like to thank every single person and company that has helped us , especially during these difficult and uncertain times . You have helped us take another step towards our mission to ensure that no construction worker or their family is alone in a crisis .”
www . lighthouseclub . org
Read online at www . proinstaller . co . uk
THEY ’ RE SAMPLES – BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW THEM
Ultraframe has announced the launch of a series of high-tech digital samples for its range of conservatory and extension roofing systems . The samples , which have been developed in conjunction with a leading digital expert , allow users to explore every detail of a roof system , just as they would if handling a physical sample .
Ultraframe Marketing Director , Alex Hewitt , said : “ Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Ultraframe , and this applies to our marketing support as well as our product range . While we will continue to produce a smaller number of physical samples for our customers , we ’ re delighted to offer the 2021 solution to showing off the finer details of our systems , with our new digital samples . Working with our online partner , ICAAL , we will roll out the digital samples to our customers . This will include ensuring our customers can use on them iPads for selling in the home and showroom , as well as on touchscreens in showrooms – which we can assist with sourcing if needed . Customers simply choose which digital samples they require from our many roofing systems , and offer a fast , simple solution to allow their customers to explore components and cross sections in detail .”
Users of the new digital samples will be able to click on their chosen sample and then rotate and view in full 360 °, as well as reading information about key components , and explanations of features and benefits . The digital samples will be auto-updated whenever there are enhancements to a system , so customers will not need to replace the software – it will all be done for them .
Ultraframe customers can access the digital samples via the Cuckoo online marketing system or by speaking to the Ultraframe Marketing Team and there is the option to personalise them with their own branding if desired . Aside from usage on iPads and touchscreens , there is also the option to add them to websites if required . The new hi-tech samples are available for all of Ultraframe ’ s systems including its Glass Roof , Ultrasky , Ultraroof and Livinroof .
www . ultraframe . co . uk