Time to Talk Day in Scotland is organised by See Me, the national programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination. The nationwide campaign aims to get as many people as possible talking about mental health, and this year looked at how people can make space in their day for a conversation on mental health.

Clark Contracts joined groups, schools, companies, and members of the public, in encouraging conversations about mental health.

The company supported Time to Talk Day by encouraging all employees to take a break from their work and engage in conversations around mental health with their colleagues. There was tea, coffee and cakes, and employees were provided with conversation starters as well as some fact sheets about mental health and the stigma surrounding it.

Gordon Cunningham, managing director of Clark Contracts, said: “It was great to see our employees come together to engage in conversations about mental health and help break down the stigma associated with this. With two people working in the UK construction industry dying by suicide every working day, we recognise the importance of providing our employees with continuous support and training to fully understand mental health in the workplace.”

Wendy Halliday, director at See Me, said: “We want everyone to feel comfortable talking about mental health – whenever they like. Talking about mental health reduces stigma, helping to create supportive communities where we can talk openly about mental health and feel empowered to seek help when we need it.

“That’s why opening up the conversation about mental health problems is so important – by talking about it we can support ourselves and others.”

Clark Contracts has a corporate fundraising partnership with SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) which jointly manages See Me with the Mental Health Foundation. Since the partnership launched last year, the contractor has raised over £7,000 for the charity through a range of fundraising events.

The company also delivers ongoing mental health awareness training, with a number of employees being Mental Health First Aiders and Mental Health Champions, with more training planned for this year.