THE Lighthouse Charity has published its 2025 Impact Report, which revealed an ‘unprecedented’ 42% increase in the number of calls seeking support from the critical incident team.
During the year, the charitable and leveraged support delivered rose to £6.3 million, with 6,712 families supported with a variety of needs, including emergency food shops and housing support.
The Lighthouse Charity responded to 94 critical incidents, which refers to serious incidents and fatalities both on and off site and ensures that those who have witnessed or been affected by the incident receive expert and specialist support.
The charity also funded 8,714 counselling sessions – an increase of more than 50% compared with 2024.
The support has been delivered against a backdrop of external pressures across the construction sector, with increased material costs and labour shortages. Demand for all of the charity’s services has grown.
Sarah Bolton, CEO of the Lighthouse Charity, said, “Last year we continued with our strategy of increasing awareness of our services and building and supporting our communities. This has been incredibly successful, and we have been able to connect with more people than ever before. As well as supporting 17% more families than in the previous year, we also reached more people through our #MakeItVisible initiative and our Critical Incident Response Service.”
The report includes a feature detailing the role of the charity’s caseworkers and highlights the £2.7 million of leveraged support gleaned from external sources, including funding from other charities and through ensuring people are accessing their statutory benefits before the charity releases its own funds.
Sarah added, “Our number one priority is the community we serve and these strategic decisions have allowed us to continue to deliver our vital support. We will maintain our focus on our core services whilst ensuring lean working practices and continuous process improvement.”
2026 marks a significant year in the charity’s history as it celebrates 70 years of delivering support to the construction community. This milestone will be celebrated throughout the year with a number of events across the UK and Ireland.
