The Lighthouse Charity in Ireland, recently celebrated their third annual fundraising event and raised over €120,000 at their fantastic Summer Lunch held at the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin.

The event was sold out with over 500 guests arriving at the iconic venue for a day of networking, entertainment and fundraising.

Charity CEO Sarah Bolton delivered a speech welcoming and thanking the guests for their ongoing support and also thanking the committee members for their time and dedication to the charity.

Representatives from the Northern Ireland committee, retired members of the Ireland Committee and recently formed Lighthouse Beacons, Celbridge Boys Club and Blueballs Ireland were also in attendance.

Derek Murphy, Chair of the Ireland Committee said, ” It was fantastic to see so many of our construction colleagues, sponsors and supporters  join together once again.  This event celebrates the incredible work we do to support those in need within the construction industry and our initiatives offer hope and assistance, only made possible by the generosity of our loyal supporters.”

Bernard Brogan,  Dublin GAA legend and Oisin McConville, Gaelic Football Manager hosted a ‘fireside chat’ with two very special guests who shared their very personal and poignant journeys of support from the charity.

This was followed by a panel discussion of esteemed stars and representatives from the Irish sporting arena including; Carole Anne Clarke, former captain of the ladies Irish rugby team and mental health advocate. Eric Donovan, former European boxing champion,  Sarah Ennis, equestrian eventer and Olympian, Hamish  Adams, CEO of Athletics Ireland, Michael McKillop, 800m Paralympian runner, and 400m running champion and gold medal holder Sharlene Mawdsley

Sharlene had just returned from the European Athletics Championships in Rome and received a standing ovation from the audience as they watched her gold medal winning performance in the mixed 4 x 400 metre relay race. She proudly displayed her gold and silver medals as she spoke about her achievements and the importance of pulling together.

In a frank and open discussion, the sporting panel talked about their challenges and experiences, again highlighting the importance of reaching out for support and maintaining a positive mental health culture.

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is the only charity that provides emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to the construction community and their families, offering a wide range of free and widely available pro-active resources.

The charity offers a free and confidential 24/7 Construction Industry Helpline, live online chat service and text HARDHAT service which provides a range of information, guidance and support on a huge variety of wellbeing issues. These services are complemented by their free Self Support App which offers another route to support, along with their Lighthouse Beacons who provide a safe space for people to share concerns.

Their Wellbeing Academy offers a variety of free soft skills and leadership training delivered across a variety of platforms to suit every learning style from self-paced e-learning, tutor-led online training and bespoke onsite training.

If you or anyone you know is struggling, reach out for free and confidential support now 24/7 Construction Industry Helplines;  1800 939 122 (ROI) Live chat lighthouseclub.org   Text HARDHAT to 50808 (ROI)

Follow Irish building magazine on LinkedIn for the latest news and updates.