This year our mantra was Shining Brighter, Reaching Further and we are delighted to report that we have achieved just that. It has been a terrific year for our charity, not only have we raised a record amount to support our cause, we are also supporting more construction workers and their families than ever before. Since introducing our Construction Industry Helpline just over two years ago, our support cases have grown significantly. By the end of 2017 we will have supported over 1500 cases. Over 400 families have been granted emergency financial help and over 1100 workers have been given advice and support on issues ranging from stress and depression to legal, debt management and taxation advice.
But we need to do so much more! Our helpline is constantly evolving and we are always looking to develop new partnerships so that we can extend our charitable support services to the construction community. We know that there are many construction workers and their families in the UK and Ireland that simply do not know we exist. Our biggest challenge is getting our Construction Industry Helpline Cards out to every construction worker. We have now distributed over 100,000 cards but there are over 2.1 million workers in construction. Many larger employers have their own employee assistance programmes but over 53% of our construction workforce are self employed, so our helpline offers a safety net to those who have nowhere else to turn. So, if you can help us with our challenge to make sure every construction worker has one of our helpline cards then find out more here.
Thank you once again for your continued support and we look forward to another year of Shining brighter and reaching further.
May we take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very safe and healthy Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
Best wishes
Bill Hill
Chief Executive
Cormac MacCrann
Chairman
