A mental health and wellbeing campaign for the construction industry run in partnership with Ford is helping to transform lives across the industry.

Make it Visible’s Ford Transit Custom vans enable the charity to deliver wellbeing advice to construction workers across the UK

Two construction workers are lost to suicide every day. The Make it Visible (MiV) campaign was launched by the Lighthouse Charity in February 2022 to raise awareness of resources and support available to the construction industry, helping workers with their mental health and wellbeing.

The work is bolstered by two Ford vehicles, which visit construction sites across the UK and Ireland, enabling the charity to reach more sites to deliver wellbeing advice and signpost construction workers to the wealth of support available.

In the last 18 months, MiV’s Ford Transit Custom vans, driven by the charity’s Make it Visible team, have visited 600 sites, engaged with over 37,000 workers and provided critical intervention support to 284 at-risk individuals.

The campaign now ranks as the national mental health and wellbeing campaign for the construction industry – and has been awarded Best Automotive Campaign by Campaign magazine for its value and impact in community

“The MiV graphics on the van grab people’s attention and by sharing our own experiences we can open a conversation. It all starts from there,” said Andy Bishop, a member of the MiV team alongside Robert Muldoon and Lee Anderson, who talk about the team’s work in the accompanying video. “Without the MiV onsite initiative, we wouldn’t have been able to impact so many lives.”

Mandy Dean, commercial vehicles director, Ford of Britain and Ireland, commented: “Wellbeing is at the crux of all the progress we intend to make as a company and Make it Visible is our pledge to make a tangible difference where it counts the most.

“Witnessing our vans evolve into symbols of hope and support and hitting milestones, fills us with a deep sense of pride and greater responsibility. This campaign reflects our collective commitment to positive social impact and shaping a better future for the communities we serve.”

Lighthouse Charity is exploring more ways to deliver the MiV message, including a dedicated vehicle for construction-related trade shows and exhibitions.