Five years ago, under the leadership of our chief procurement officer Jason Stapley, the Pagabo Foundation was born. Since then the board of trustees and, more importantly, the many people who have given time and money to the foundation’s initiatives have helped us towards our goal of combatting the mental health crisis in construction.
Since its inception, the Pagabo Foundation has raised and donated more than £10,000 to a number of different mental health charities that are actively changing lives every day. The foundation has also run more than 30 mental health first aid courses of its own for people across the industry to access for free, qualifying 40 people to spot the warning signs and know how to help others when they need it most.
As it hits the five-year milestone the foundation, despite already making mental health support and training more accessible, maintains its major aim which is to have formal training on the topic included in the construction apprenticeship curriculum.
Chair of the Pagabo Foundation, Jason, said: “The Pagabo Foundation’s trustees are very proud of what’s been achieved in the past five years as well as the growing impact and support of its initiatives. However, this milestone isn’t about looking back, it’s about thinking about what we still need to do and what is possible within the next five years.
“It’s important that the foundation has connections at both grassroots and government levels, so that it can help understand the best approach to creating change and impacting policy respectively. We’re hoping to bring in more passionate trustees and work with influential ambassadors to reach every corner of the industry. No matter how stressful the construction environment may be, there should be no one that doesn’t know where to go to for support – and we hope we can also help towards ensuring more people can quicky recognise when they need help.”
From mountain climbing challenges to competitive sporting events, the foundation’s fundraising initiatives are spread out throughout the calendar year. One highlight is its largest annual event, the Feelgood Games, which is hosted at UKREiiF.
After gaining insight from attendees at UKREiiF last May on charities they believed would benefit from the foundation’s support, a split donation of £3,333 each was made to Mates in Mind, Community Links and Andy’s Man Club. Respectively, all three charities work tirelessly to support those struggling with mental-health and wellbeing issues across the built environment sector and beyond.
Harriet Parker at the Pagabo Foundation said: “It’s really pleasing that more and more people are becoming aware of the foundation’s activity. As we reach this five-year milestone, we’re confident that we’re in a strong position to make the next five years even more impactful.
“From large organisations through to SMEs, it’s our mission to move the entire industry in the same direction when it comes to looking out for one another and removing the stigma around mental health.”
If you are interested in finding out more about what the Pagabo Foundation has planned this year, or would like to collaborate, reach out to harriet.parker@pagabogroup.com or visit www.pagabofoundation.org.uk.
For more of our latest news, visit www.pagabo.co.uk/news
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