'Butty and Brew' mental health event for Orbit Homes at Mill View

Construction workers across the Midlands, East and South of England took time out for a ‘Butty and Brew’ recently as part of annual events from affordable housebuilder, Orbit Homes, to raise awareness of mental health in construction.

Hosted at three of Orbit Homes’ developments – Levett View in Hastings, Micklewell Park in Daventry and Mill View in Dereham, the events were designed to create a safe space for open conversations around mental health.

The ‘Butty and Brew’ events included mental health awareness sessions delivered by specialist trainers. Construction colleagues were also shown how to access the emergency mental health support services available to them, should they or colleagues ever need help, and given tips to manage their day-to-day wellbeing both at home and the workplace.

Brian Nearney, Chief Development Officer at Orbit, commented: “Construction is a rewarding and varied industry, and we’re committed to supporting our colleagues with their mental health. Our annual ‘Butty and Brew’ events across our regions are designed to create safe, supportive spaces where colleagues and contractors feel comfortable speaking openly about their wellbeing.

“We know that stigma around mental health still exists in the sector, and by continuing to host these events, we hope to encourage more people to start conversations and seek support when they need it. No one should suffer in silence, help is available and we’re committed to making sure our teams know where to find it.”

‘Butty and Brew’ mental health event for Orbit Homes at Micklewell Park

Tom Gooding, an Orbit Homes colleague who attended one of the events, said: “Our annual ‘Butty and Brew’ events brought together colleagues from across our regions to help us understand what we can all to do to care for not just our own, but also each other’s wellbeing. It was a brilliant way for us to educate ourselves and open up to each other about our own experiences.”

Orbit Homes also lead another safety campaign for construction colleagues, ‘Look after your mates’, designed to further reinforce existing health and safety procedures by encouraging construction colleagues to continue to take care of their own and each other’s physical and mental health.