In our industry, change can arrive without warning. One month the skyline is full of cranes, the next, projects pause and plans are redrawn. Markets shift, investment slows, and the impact is felt from boardrooms to building sites.

For those working in construction, these changes can test more than just our professional skills. They can affect our livelihoods, our wellbeing, and sometimes, our sense of stability.

That’s why CIOB Assist exists. It is an invisible helping hand, ready to step in when life takes an unexpected turn. Sometimes that means urgent financial help for a member who has lost work, or assistance with fees when ill health strikes. Sometimes it is mental health support for someone who is quietly struggling, ensuring they have someone to talk to before the weight becomes too heavy.

This year alone, hundreds of our members have turned to CIOB Assist. Many more have accessed immediate mental health help through our ‘Need to talk?’ sticker campaign. And for every person who asks for help, there are many more who take comfort simply knowing that safety net is there.

But that safety net is only as strong as the community that holds it. The funds that keep CIOB Assist running come directly from members like you, professionals who understand that a thriving industry is built on more than contracts and concrete. It is built on people.

By contributing to CIOB Assist, you are investing in the resilience of our profession. You are making sure that when one of us stumbles, we all have the power to help them stand again.

If you can, I encourage you to learn more at assist.ciob.org and consider supporting the work. You may never need its help yourself, but you will know it is there, quietly, powerfully, protecting the community we share.

Paul Gandy FCIOB
President of the CIOB