Band of Builders launches free counselling service for tradespeople

Construction workers in crisis are being urged to use a new free counselling service that has been set up by a national builders charity, after its inaugural Big Brew fundraising campaign raised enough cash to run the service for the next two years.

Band of Builders (BoB) is reaching out to tradespeople who are experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness, relationship issues, self-harm, feeling suicidal or any other trauma to encourage them to take the all-important first step of seeking help, which is tailored for those in the construction industry.

Tradespeople can self refer themselves through the charity’s website and receive confidential counselling in person (dependent on location), by phone or online via a video call service such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom.

Band of Builders – a registered charity which helps members of the UK construction industry battling illness or injury through the completion of practical projects carried out by volunteers using donated materials - is also funding the training of 150 mental health awareness courses - designed primarily for builders merchants staff across the UK, as they are often the first line of support for tradespeople.

The counselling service can be accessed from https://bandofbuilders.org/pages/ apply-for-help and clicking the Wellbeing Service where there is more information about the service and self-referral form. This is also signposting for people in immediate crisis.