Cala Homes has marked a major milestone in its six-year partnership with Samaritans, donating more than £1 million to support the charity’s vital work in suicide prevention, and enabling the charity’s volunteers to respond to 100,000 calls for help.
Cala's partnership with Samaritans was established in 2020 in response to the charity’s call for better support for middle‑aged men, a group three times more likely to die by suicide and a demographic strongly represented in the construction industry.
Samaritans’ volunteers answer a call for help every 10 seconds, with callers often seeking help for mental health issues, illness, family problems, isolation, loneliness, and relationship difficulties. Cala's backing has enabled Samaritans to answer more calls for help and launch its online chat service, so people can connect with volunteers in the way that works best for them.
In return, Samaritans has delivered a range of listening and resilience sessions to Cala’s staff and subcontractors, equipping them to care for their own wellbeing and support colleagues. Over the past six years, teams have learned about the charity’s active listening skills, how to look out for signs someone might be struggling, and how they can support themselves and their colleagues, and the importance of open conversations around mental health.
Throughout the years, Cala employees have embraced a wide variety of fundraising activities and volunteering opportunities for Samaritans combining creativity, teamwork, and dedication to make a real difference. This year has been a record-breaking year for fundraising, bringing total funds raised to £1,000,000.
Highlights of Cala’s fundraising initiatives during the last six years include:
- Sponsored Walks: Cala teams have raised over £39,000 through walking events across the UK.
- Marathons: Employees have taken on the London Marathon, London Landmarks Half Marathon and the Edinburgh Marathon raising £19,873 to support Samaritans’ services.
- Golf Day: Cala Thames’ annual charity golf day has raised more than £100,000
- Football: Cala South Home Counties held a five-a-side tournament in Dorking, raising more than £8,000.
- Dragon Boat Race: Teams from Cala’s Southern and Thames businesses took the plunge in a day of dragon boat racing to raise more than £3,500.
Louise Poole, Group People Director at Cala, added: “We are immensely proud of our teams and subcontractor partners for getting behind Samaritans and the vital work they do across the country over the last six years. It’s been a privilege to play a part in helping Samaritans reach more people in need, and our long-standing partnership has created a strong foundation for our wider wellbeing strategy at Cala.”
Gwen Grant, Head of Corporate Partnerships, at Samaritans, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the unwavering support of Cala employees over the last six years. Reaching the £1 million milestone is a remarkable achievement and demonstrates how deeply their colleagues care about the cause. This funding will make a lasting difference to countless lives and ensures that Samaritans can continue to be there for anyone who needs someone to listen.
“We are so grateful to everyone at Cala who have stood shoulder to shoulder with us in a mission to see fewer deaths by suicide.”
For more information on Cala’s national charitable partnership with Samaritans visit www.cala.co.uk/sustainability/people-and-communities/samaritans/ or watch our ‘Mental Health in Construction’ video.
