Builder's song encourages workers to talk about mental health

A construction company manager is using music as a way of getting more men in the industry talking about their mental health following the loss of his uncle.

Ben Francis, from Bruton, Somerset, has written a song as a way of raising awareness and money for mental health charities after his uncle, Jonathan Carpenter, took his own life in December 2023.

Jonathan was a "meticulous carpenter" and Francis hopes his uncle's story and his song will strike a cord with fellow construction workers and encourage them to open up about their mental health.

"I want natural construction voices to come and be heard and help me share the message that we should be talking about mental health in construction."

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"It takes a little bit of strength to say how you're feeling, so think of it as a good thing," he said.

"In the industry we haven't done it and mental health awareness has been around for while now and what I want to do is take a bit more action."

Francis has worked in the industry since 15 and now runs his family business.

Construction sites are well known for their banter and camaraderie but Francis believes that sometimes things might not be all as they seem.

"[It was] a terrible moment because [my uncle] felt like he couldn't reach out and talk about how he was feeling," he said.

"Even for the guys who might have had an inkling, no one really knew how to deal with what was going on.

"I think he was struggling personally, he was going through what a lot of guys go through, he was 50 and sort of in a mid-life crisis moment and unsure of what he was doing.

"He had lost a lot of confidence in what he was doing and I think all these things snowballed."

Studies have shown that talking and being part of an active community can help improve overall mental health and Francis hopes that introducing this to construction could go a long way.

"If you ask guys on site how they're doing, the common phrase is 'living the dream' and we all know that's sarcasm," he said.

"I think that each day the pulling pranks and joking is just a way of dealing with issues in their own way but actually they're not speaking to anybody.

"We should be talking on site and just being able to open up about our feelings."

Jonathan was a keen musician and started creating music at a very young age.

He passed this love of music on to his nephew and helped him write his first song at just 10 years old.

Francis has now released a new single called Smile in the Dirt, that highlights the pressures of working in the industry and calls on people to talk about how they are feeling.

The song was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and all proceeds will go to four mental health charities.

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