Men In Need Together receives £500 from local homebuilder

MINT currently has free weekly support groups in South Leeds and Otley, for all men to attend and talk about their struggles in a peer-to-peer setting. Its mission is to reduce male suicide by providing a safe place for men to speak without judgement, and its aim is to create a group in every city in the UK. Each group comes equipped with at least one facilitator who runs the group, and the charity also gives free online support via its Facebook page and signposts specialist help when needed.

Research has found that nearly 60 per cent of construction workers suffer from a mental health issue during their career. A study in 2023 also found that 73 per cent of UK builders experience mental health problems such as anxiety and depression every month, with the wider cost of living crisis identified as the number one concern and as the UK’s largest Homebuilder, Barratt Developments is committed to mental health due to the rising cases of mental health issues in the construction industry. Since 2018, it has worked alongside registered charity Mates in Mind to provide a suite of materials onsite and in the office that raises awareness, as well as providing a ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ eLearning course for all employees.

Barratt Homes’ £500 donation was in support of 12-year-old Freddie Hall, a relative of a member of their Commercial Team, who walked Ben Nevis raising £4,000 for MINT.

On the donation, Josh Sturgeon, Founder and CEO at Men In Need Together, said: “75 per cent of all suicides are men, with the main reason being that men find it difficult to reach out for support. So, our work is more vital than ever to offer whatever support they need whenever they need it.

“MINT are here to combat the suicide rates in men by providing free support to those who need it. Our goal is to support men nationwide and provide more groups, so we are hugely grateful for support from organisations like Barratt Developments Yorkshire West to help achieve this goal.”

Gavin Birch, Managing Director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, commented: “Men In Need Together is an incredible charity that does amazing work to ensure any man suffering with their mental health is heard and is receiving the correct support. The charity is extremely active in the area close to our head office, helping so many men in need, and creating a safe space for people if they’re struggling.

“Our goal is to support people within the business with mental health struggles, and seeing the concerning numbers of mental health issues in the construction industry has meant this is a huge priority for us. We hope that this donation can support Men In Need Together to continue to run such important groups for men in the area.”

For more information about Men In Need Together, please visit their web page: https://www.meninneedtogether.org/

Barratt Developments Yorkshire West is building a collection of homes across North, West and South Yorkshire. For more information about new homes in your area visithttps://www.barratthomes.co.uk/ or http://dwh.co.uk/