Organisations team up to launch “The Lost City” campaign

A new campaign is being launched in 10 cities across the UK to remember more than 7,000 construction workers who have died by suicide in the past decade.

The UK has missed out on building a city the size of Cardiff due to the mental health crisis in the construction industry, which sees two tradespeople per day taking their own lives

The “Lost City” campaign, set up by On the Tools, alongside construction charity Band of Builders and mental health initiative Construction Sport, sheds light on an urgent crisis in the UK construction industry. Over 7,000 construction workers have died by suicide in the past decade – equivalent to the population needed to build a new city.

The campaign aims to raise £2.5 million in order to provide therapy to tradespeople in the UK to save the next 7,000.

The campaign starkly illustrates the human and economic impact of these tragic losses. This effort aims to raise public awareness and secure £2.5 million to provide life-saving mental health
support, including therapy sessions, to tradespeople across the UK.

In a powerful visual statement, 7,000 hard hats will be placed across the UK, each representing a life lost to suicide within the construction industry. Accompanying them, 10 cities nationwide will see reimagined construction signs, serving as poignant reminders of the workers who could have built our homes, schools, and hospitals but were lost to mental health struggles. This is being coordinated by On The Tools, the largest online construction community in the UK, with 8.5 million followers across their social platforms.

These signs will be taking over key cities across the UK: London, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

The Reality of the Construction Suicide Crisis
Beneath the towering cranes and scaffolding of the UK’s construction sites, a hidden crisis is reaching breaking point. The nation’s tradespeople – the backbone of our infrastructure – are crumbling under a relentless weight, not of concrete and steel, but of unaddressed mental health struggles that threaten to bring the industry to its knees.

The construction industry has a suicide rate four times the national average, with mental health struggles often overshadowed by the demands of grueling work hours, financial pressures, and high levels of isolation.

The impact is both personal and widespread, with more than 70% of tradespeople reporting mental health issues, and 64% turning to alcohol or drugs to cope.

More information can be found here: The Lost City

To donate to the campaign, please visit The Lost City’s JustGiving page: The Lost City is fundraising for Construction Sport

On The Tools – Connecting Construction

Band of Builders | National Charity for Tradespeople – Band of Builders Ltd

Construction Sport – Building teams. Saving lives.