A Nottinghamshire man has left his job and made a start on his three month journey walking from Lands End to John O Groats to work on his own mindfulness whilst also raising awareness of mental health in the construction sector. Safety specialist Sean Johnson, of Newark, explained that according to charity Mates In Mind research, a third of construction workers suffer elevated levels of anxiety on a daily basis and that each year 700 people in the sector commit suicide.
The 33 year old began his journey on Wednesday, April 12, and hopes that his efforts to complete the 1,000-mile route will help end the stigma faced by construction workers surrounding mental health whilst also raising awareness and funds for Mates in Mind, a charity which addresses the stigma of poor mental health to promote positive mental wellbeing.
Speaking about the stigma, Sean explained: "Historically when you think of the construction sector you think of big burly guys and girls, they go to work and they have to lay a lot of foundations, lay a lot of bricks and whatever they have to do. It's something where it can be very much of a lads culture where it's always joking about.
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"With the idea of getting deep with someone and sharing how you're feeling, it's easier to make a joke than to say how you are actually feeling. I've seen this with my brother who was an electrician, I very much saw this in him.
"My grandad was in the construction sector as well, and if he wanted to sort of sort his feelings out then he would go down to the pub. That's the type of thing that goes on in the construction sector."
Sean worked as a senior safety specialist and has been in the industry for almost eight years, working with an American company for the past five years. He said: "I really enjoyed my time there but I think the past year, the same as a lot of people, I've been feeling the mental burnout.
"I came to the conclusion that it's time to take a little bit of time out. Something I have always liked to do is go on walks and that sort of thing, and then it just sort of came to me why not do a substantial walk and raise awareness for mental health and raise a bit of money."
He continued: "I was leaving the job anyway, the decision to do this walk came after I had decided to go. I didn't just want to stay at home twiddling my thumbs, I wanted to do something that would clear my own head but raise awareness for a worthy cause."
In addition to being a safety specialist, Sean is also a mental health first aider and has a "passion" for helping others. He works with engineering companies, which can be anything from construction, oil or gas organisations.
Sean explained that from this work he has "liaised with a lot of construction companies who have been in partnership with Mates in Minds and told me all the wonderful things they did." He explained: "I appreciate that in today's working world, if you think of it like a stress bucket, you have your personal life and your work life and it's very easy for that bucket to overflow.
"It's something I've seen a lot in the industry and I just want to help people to voice their concerns who struggle to be listened to. More so in the office administration role I've spoken to a number of people over the years and provided advice when they have become very stressed out and unstable with workloads.
"So although I'm raising money for Mates in Mind primarily on the construction side of things, my own experience comes from dealing with people on the office side of things." He explained that he hopes his fundraising helps raises the profile of mental health in construction and all working environments., as "people should have the right to speak up and feel confident about doing so and that's something that I'm really passionate about."
A spokesperson for Mates in Mind states: "We would like to extend our huge thanks and appreciation to Sean Johnson for his incredible effort and commitment to raising funds and awareness for mental health support and awareness through his inspiring journey from Lands End to John O'Groats. As a charity, we rely on the support and dedication of fundraisers like Sean to help us achieve our vision of creating a healthier and more supportive workplace culture within the construction industry and beyond."
So far Sean has walked almost 130 miles and raised more than £1,200 for Mates in Mind through his JustGiving page and he has been tracking his progress for his supporters on YouTube.
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