Aphex Raises for Lighthouse

We’re over the moon to announce that this year, our official charity is The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity.

We’ll be doing a few events over the year to raise money, share resources, and celebrate their hard work. Read on to understand why mental health, why Lighthouse, and what to expect.

We take mental health seriously

Our charity partnerships are all closely aligned with our social values, allowing us to use our skills, expertise and resources where we can have a real, and relevant impact.

We have done a lot of work internally at Aphex to ensure that mental health is considered in our teams, our policies and our users too, which you can read about here. It makes sense to us to extend this focus to our charitable focus too.

In the past, we’ve raised money for CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) by cycling from London to Brighton, which Carlos covers in his blog from 2021.

Mental health impacts every single person every single day. Mental health stigma, lack of awareness and uncertainty around how to talk about it can be hugely detrimental, often leading to many suffering in silence. At Aphex, we want to do all we can to help tackle this and get the conversation out in the open.

We need industry-specific action

• Every single working day in the UK, two construction workers take their own lives.
• 26% of construction industry professionals thought about taking their own lives in 2019.
• Stress, depression & anxiety account for 27% of all work-related illnesses in construction in the UK.

We deep dive into the uncomfortable truths around mental health in the construction industry in this blog and the stats above show how critical an issue this is on their own.

Construction has very specific, complex conditions. Work is characterised by limited-term contracts, long hours, long commutes, time away from family and the pressure to complete on time and within budget - all of which negatively impact an employee’s mental health. The ‘macho’ culture that’s embedded in many organisations prevents workers from speaking out and seeking help, meaning many will suffer in silence, causing deterioration of their mental health.

We support the incredible work Lighthouse is undertaking

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is an industry-specific charity in the UK. They provide emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families.

Bill Hill, CEO of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, said: “Doing things right is important. Doing the right things can save lives."

“Implementing and measuring a comprehensive programme to improve workforce wellbeing in construction needs no thought, it is the right thing to do. It will improve the workplace culture, support and retain the existing workforce, make the industry more attractive to the next generation and will undoubtedly save lives.”

They don’t receive public funding, relying solely on the generosity of those within the industry. They offer emergency financial aid to construction families in crisis, advice on occupational health, and support on legal, tax and debt management.

They also provide an array of free, and accessible resources, including:

• A free and confidential 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline. Whether you’re an employer or an employee, their helpline provides the first point of contact for those who need to access a range of completely confidential support services.
• A free and confidential 24/7  Construction Industry Helpline App aimed at those who may not feel comfortable speaking with someone or would like more information about how they can help themselves before taking the next step in seeking professional help.
• A range of free construction focused training programmes ranging from hour-long interactive wellbeing sessions to the MHFA England approved Mental Health First Aider course.

They also run an incredibly high number of regional, company and team-specific efforts across the UK, and do phenomenal work all around.

We want to support them with more than just words

Though we may not be a huge company, we can pack a punch when we put our minds to it. This year we’re taking on the Lighthouse Charity’s Four Peaks Challenge, to raise as much as we can for this awesome cause, as well as some other - slightly less peaky - things planned too!

You can read about our Four Peaks Journey on our blog or, directly on our Just Giving page by clicking the image below.