A national construction materials supply firm has built up its support for mental health charity Mates in Mind, thanks to a suggestion by one of its drivers.
Mark Byers, who is based at Civils & Lintels’ Westbury depot, came up with the idea of using sigs on its fleet of 95 vehicles to promote the charity’s free text helpline service.
The firm, a leading distributor of lintels, drainage, and heavy-side building materials for the construction industry, raised more than £21,000 for the charity, which raises awareness of the stigma of poor mental health, especially in the construction sector, last year – but wanted to step up its commitment.
Mark Byers, pictured with the first truck to sport the new design, said: “Having suffered with my own mental health, I’m really proud that this has happened.
“As a lorry driver, you spend lots of time on your own and if you’re not feeling 100% it’s good to know that you can reach out to a great charity like Mates in Mind.
“Of course, those on building sites often also suffer in silence. Now, when they see this on my truck, they might be encouraged to give them a call.”
Civils & Lintels managing director Allan Wright, who recently joined the board of trustees at Mates in Mind, added: “It’s vital that we focus our fundraising efforts on a cause that resonates with our own team.
“Mates in Mind has built a reputation for addressing issues around poor mental health in the construction industry and given the focus of our own work, the synergy is clear.
“I joined the board at Mates in Mind as a further demonstration of our commitment to this important charity and when Mark suggested we include details of the charity on our fleet of trucks it made perfect sense to do so.”
“He said the trucks not only reached the firm’s own nationwide teams across its 19 depots, but also its customers across housebuilding, groundworks, civil engineering and commercial contractors.
“Anything that we can do to encourage greater support around tackling poor mental health is time well-spent,” he added.
Last year staff at Civils & Lintels, part of the Huws Gray group of companies, staged a series of fundraising events for Mates in Mind that ranged from sky-dives, walks, cake sales, raffles and comedy nights to one employee travelling to all 18 Dutch Eredivisie stadiums in just 24 hours.
