Lighthouse’s MakeItVisible Campaign Gets £50k Persimmon Donation

THE LIGHTHOUSE Construction Industry Charity has received a £50,000 donation from the Persimmon Charitable Foundation to support their work.

The charity specialises in providing emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families.

The funding will go towards ‘MakeItVisible’ building site visits where Lighthouse teams deliver sessions and promote their support services.

Last year, the MakeItVisible team visited 390 sites, engaged with 25,000 site workers and had a life-changing and in some cases a life-saving impact.

Through simple but crucial conversations, the charity’s team provided immediate support to 147 workers who expressed suicidal thoughts. They also implemented positive interventions and signposting to expert help.

In 2021, 507 construction workers took their own lives, equating to two workers every day. With this number only rising, the Persimmon Foundation is committed to helping combat the stigma surrounding suicide and shifting attitudes across the industry.

Persimmon Donation

Chief Operating Officer for the Lighthouse Charity, Sarah Bolton, said: “We are absolutely staggered to hear about this hugely generous donation from The Persimmon Charitable Foundation to support our MakeItVisible On Site initiative.

“This means that we are able to reach more of our most vulnerable workers and ensure that we get our message of support to those who may otherwise not know how or where to reach out for help.

“We know that our teams have been able to make a life changing and lifesaving impact with those they meet, and the fundamental success of this initiative is addressing the barriers within the sector through an informal approach, delivered by those with lived experiences.

“This campaign has been hugely successful and incredibly popular, and the donation from the Persimmon Charitable Foundation will enable us to continue and expand this vital programme.”

Positive Impact

Chair of the Trustees for the Persimmon Charitable Foundation, Anthony Vigor, expressed his pleasure at supporting the charity’s work. He praised the positive impact Lighthouse Charity has had on the construction industry. Anthony also highlighted Lighthouse’s commitment to raising awareness of and supporting those with mental health challenges.

Commenting on the work of the Lighthouse Charity, Anthony Vigor said: Their team of dedicated and knowledgeable professionals are present on building sites across the country to support those in the industry and it is a privilege to support such a great organisation and important cause.”

>> Read more about the Lighthouse Charity in the news