The first Scaff Walk will take place at Battersea Park on Sunday 18 October, starting at 9am.
Those attending are being asked to meet at the Gate Car Park by the Chelsea Bridge Road roundabout before walking together through the park.
The initiative has been set up by Benchmark Scaffolding Senior Contracts Manager Stuart Didd, who has become increasingly involved in mental health awareness across the construction industry.
Didd said the walk is open to anyone from scaffolding or the wider construction sector who wants to come along, meet others and talk.
“You don’t have to be struggling to come along. Just turn up, walk, talk and be part of it,” he said.
In memory of Wayne ‘Bud’ Didd
The first walk will have particular significance for Didd and his family.
It is being held in memory of his younger brother Wayne, known as Bud, who died unexpectedly in 2021 at the age of 29.
Didd said he hopes the event will give people across the trade an informal way to check in with each other and make conversations about mental health easier.
The Battersea event is planned as the first of a series. Scaff Walks will take place every month at different locations, giving people from other areas an opportunity to get involved.
Building on Bud’s Story
The walk builds on mental health work Didd has already been carrying out on construction sites.
Through Bud’s Story, Didd and his cockapoo, also called Bud, have visited sites and offices to speak about his own experiences with mental health and encourage workers to talk when they need support.
Didd has previously explained that the dog’s name honours his younger brother. Benchmark Scaffolding has also used the sessions across its workforce as part of its wider health and wellbeing activity.
The first Scaff Walk takes place on Sunday 18 October at 9am at Battersea Park, London.
