Construction Charity To Shut Down

A construction charity is to shut down at the end of the month due to a lack of funding, it has been announced.

Building Lives has revealed it will close by 30 June.

Started by Lakehouse founder Steve Rawlings in 2010, the award-winning organisation provided young people with the required training and skills to pursue a career in construction.

In a statement, Building Lives said it was "incredibly disappointed" it would be unable to continue in its current model, especially given the skills crisis in London.


A total of 16 staff have been served redundancy notices and training academies will be handed back to Building Lives' partners to determine their future purpose from 30 June 2016.

MD Sian Workman said: "In order to continue operating for another year, Building Lives needed £900,000 to deliver 380 Careerships across four Training Academies based in the heart of London Council Estates.

"That's a drop in the ocean compared to how much money is spent for no guaranteed job outcomes. The bottom line is, although a Careership may not have fitted with existing government funding criteria, it led to real construction jobs, helping reduce unemployment and the skills shortage – ultimately, benefiting us all."

"I am deeply disappointed we have failed in our attempts to secure the financial support needed from government and the construction sector to continue. However, I am also incredibly proud of what the team has accomplished since Building Lives first opened its doors."

(LM)