The Aberdeen branch of Samaritans Scotland has teamed up with Cala Homes to create a short film to help increase awareness of mental health issues in the construction industry.
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Constructing Healthy Minds was produced by Samaritans volunteers with Cala Homes (North) and Pink Sphynx Media, with funding from LNER’s Customer and Community Investment Fund.
Samaritans has been Cala’s charity partner since 2020 following the charity’s call for better mental and emotional health support for middle-aged men, who are three times more likely to take their own lives than women.
The film highlights some of the struggles construction workers may face and the stigma surrounding talking about mental health issues.
It also discusses the confidential help Samaritans can offer those in need of emotional support and how Cala supports the charity’s vital work across the UK while strengthening mental health and emotional wellbeing among employees and subcontractor partners.
Maria Cowie, former Aberdeen branch director, who has been leading on the project, said: “In 2021, the suicide rate for workers in the construction industry was 34 per 100,000, according to the Office for National Statistics. That’s significantly higher than the national average in the UK.
“Volunteers at the branch have been working closely with our partners at Cala Homes for a number of years now, and we know that construction workers especially can feel like they just need to ‘get on with it’.
“We felt that a film would be a great way to help reduce the stigma around speaking about mental health, as well as highlighting the various avenues of support available to anyone who may be struggling.
“I have been really impressed with the wellbeing initiatives that Cala has put in place to help its employees and subcontractors, and we hope our partnership will inspire other construction companies to follow suit.”
Samaritans is available for emotional support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Maria continued: “Most of our contact is through telephone, but we do email and face-to-face meetings as well.
“We also do a lot of outreach visits in schools, workplaces and prisons. We go where anybody wants or needs us to go.
“No problem is too much. It is so important to talk and there will always be somebody there to listen to you.
“If you do not have family or friends to talk to, you can always contact us. You are not alone.”
Whatever you’re going through, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 free of charge, or email jo@samaritans.org.
You can also drop by Aberdeen Samaritans at 60 Dee Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6DS if you want to talk about mental health in the construction industry.
The short film will be seen in full on the Samaritans’ website, its Youtube channel and the LNER’s customer and community investment fund website.
