Building industry leaders have come together to launch a new charity aiming to transform cancer advice and support for people working in the Construction and Built Environment sector.
In a bid to raise money to help fund research to beat cancer sooner, Andy von Bradsky, Anthony Burd, Emma Clancy, Paul Everall, Richard Harral and John Tebbit, have been working since the end of 2017 to launch We Build the Future.
Working in partnership with Cancer Research UK and the Lighthouse Club, We Build the Future has three specific objectives:
- To support people who work in the construction and built environment sector who face the challenge of dealing with cancer in their lives
- To fund research which can help accelerate improvements in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer
- To promote health and wellbeing in the construction and built environment sector in order to help reduce the risk of people developing cancer in the first place.
Founder and Trustee Richard Harral, Technical Director at the Chartered Association of Building Engineers, said: “One in Two people will develop cancer at some stage in their lives. We want to ensure that whatever the circumstances – whether it’s dealing with a personal cancer diagnosis or cancer affecting friends or family – the people in our industry get the support and advice they need. With three million people working in our sector if we all give a little we can transform peoples experience and help more people everywhere beat cancer, sooner.”
Caro Evans, Director of Partnerships at Cancer Research UK, commented: “Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen cancer survival in the UK double in the last 40 years. But one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer which means there’s still so much more we need to do. We’re proud to be working with We Build the Future. Their passion and ambition to support people within their industry when they’re faced with cancer makes it the perfect fit with Cancer Research UK. Together we can reach even more people with information about cancer and raise more money for vital research.”
Trustee and Certsure CEO, Emma Clancy, added: “Cancer impacts not just the person who is living with the disease but also their family, friends and even their colleagues. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to say, do or where to turn to for advice. Our hope is that We Build the Future will be a one-stop-shop to help those in the construction industry to learn more about cancer and how – by working together – we can fight it.”
We Build The Future is asking people in the industry to:
- Donate an hour of earnings every year to help develop campaigns through the Just Giving page
- Follow the charity on twitter at webuildtf or #beatingcancersavinglives
- Complete the short cancer survey so that the chairty can start to understand how best to help people
- Get involved in raising cancer awareness in a workplace by visiting the website
- Subscribe to e-mail alerts
- Come forward as business and sector supporters to help build a better industry
We Build The Future is also interested in speaking to people from within the construction and Built Environment sector who would be willing to help produce some case studies of their personal experience to exemplify the challenges that dealing with cancer can bring, or who would be happy to act as ambassadors at regional events to help raise the profile of the charity. If interested people should contact info@webuildthefuture.org.
