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.
