Twenty Anderson employees were joined by friends and family for an overnight fishing adventure that reeled in more than £6,000 for charity!
The ‘fishathon’ was organised by project manager Steve Townley and Site Manager Ron “Rocket” Sant from the leading construction and property development company, to help raise funds for The Lighthouse Club.
Mr Townley said: “The mental health of employees is something that is very important to Anderson – and in our industry, our company is extremely forward-thinking in this area.
“Shockingly, three people a week who work in the built environment sector in the UK commit suicide. A lot of this is to do with the stigma associated with having poor mental health and many people finding it hard to speak up when they need help.”
“Anderson has invested a lot of money in training people in mental health first aid and establishing resources to support those people who struggle.”
He said the fishathon aimed to create a social occasion and bring people together to encourage conversation.
He said: “There are a big group of people who work at Anderson that enjoy fishing in their free time and we have had conversations about how relaxing it is, how it helps us unwind and how beneficial it is for your mental health.“
“Fishing is often seen as a very singular activity – something you do by yourself – but there is something magical about sharing a wonderfully peaceful environment and spending time with friends – especially after the long periods of isolation we have all experienced through the pandemic.”
Tents were set up along the banks of the fishery for the 24-hour event and several large carp were caught by some of the budding anglers.
Those taking part came from all different departments of the business with several from head office, a number of site staff and some contractors signing up. Most brought partners and children to make it a family day out.
The biggest fish was caught by Site Manager Kevin Russell who was awarded a trophy. Runner up was Groundworker Chris Ruffles and the wooden spoon trophy for best effort going to Health and Safety Adviser Andy Hammond.
An incredible sum of £6,200 was raised during the event,
Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at the Anderson Group for their fantastic fundraising. Their support means that we can continue to support our construction workforce in crisis and continue to provide free and easily accessible pro-active resources for everyone.“
