Last year saw the return of Keylite Roof Windows (Keylite)’s ‘Kick it with Keylite’ initiative, which challenged the UK construction industry to ‘keep it up’ for Mates in Mind, a leading charity addressing the stigma of poor mental health within the construction sector.
The initiative encouraged merchants, trades and all those in the construction sector to record themselves doing as many keepie uppies as they can, share on social, donate to the charity and nominate a ‘mate in mind’ to get involved using the hashtag #KeepItUp.
The initiative witnessed its best year yet, hosting over fifty Kick it with Keylite merchant days across the UK, ‘keep it up’ videos posted across social media and most importantly, £20,000 raised for such a vital charity.
Fiona Feeney, Support Manager at Mates in Mind, said: “The confronting human cost of mental ill-health cannot be ignored, with suicide rates amongst construction workers more than three times higher than the national average, averaging at a shocking two deaths per day in the UK.
“We are so happy that a company like Keylite has taken the initiative to encourage mental health conversations within its own workplace as well as encouraging the conversation at builders’ merchants, local contractors and construction sites across the UK.
“The £20K raised will help us deliver organisational support and training to change the conversation around mental health in the industry. It will also help support our new text support service – SHOUT. To use the service, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can simply text “BEAMATE” to 85258 and trained volunteers can help with issues including anxiety, stress, loneliness or depression.”
Keylite will be continuing to support Mates in Mind in 2023, so keep your eyes peeled on Keylite’s social media for this year’s ‘kick off’. For more information on how you can support Mates in Mind and the Kick it with Keylite initiative, check out www.keyliteroofwindows.com/kick-it-with-keylite. For more information on Mates in Mind visit www.matesinmind.org.
If you’re interested in hearing more about mental health then you may also like episode 3 of the Professional Builder Podcast.
