Man's 5K runs to help construction workers talk

A Bromsgrove man has been running 5km every day in May to raise awareness of mental health issues in the construction industry.

Joe Baker is raising funds for the Project 7,000 - The Lost City campaign, which is raising awareness of the high rate of suicide in the construction industry.

The project's name is based on the premise that the 7,000 construction workers who have taken their own lives over the past decade could have built a city.

Mr Baker said he had struggled with mental health issues and addiction, particularly during the pandemic, but working in construction had saved him, and he wanted to send a message to other men that it's "OK to talk".

Four weeks into the challenge, Mr Baker said his legs were "a little bit sore".

He said: "I've struggled massively with my own poor mental health, specifically through Covid. I struggled with addiction."

He said working in the building industry helped him to recover, adding: "I wasn't actually in construction at the time, and I believe construction has actually saved me and had the opposite effect."

Mr Baker said it was important to break down the stigma about talking, adding: "It's okay to talk and do you know what – when you do talk about your problems and you open up, it can get easier for you."

Mr Baker said there was support available for people, including The Band of Builders, the national construction charity, which offers a 24/7 support helpline via text.

He said Construction Sport , a charity set up to offer sporting opportunities across the industry, also ran events to help workers.

The organisation creates opportunities for construction workers to have downtime from tools, laptops and stress, and address their mental health.

Mr Baker said he had received a huge amount of support for his challenge, with people sending messages of encouragement and "talking and opening up about the way that they potentially felt".

The runner has raised nearly £1,600 and is aiming to get to £2,000 before the end of the month.

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