In the famous words of George Bernard Shaw “I can think of no other edifice constructed by man, as altruistic as a lighthouse. They are built only to serve.’

When Four Papamoa men started chatting about their journey with mental health, they had a realisation that kiwi blokes tend to fob off any questions about their wellbeing with the classic phrase ‘Yeah, I'm Sweet’

The men, Luke McFarlane, Matt Tope, Jamie Wilson and Rodney Phillips, who have all had brushes with the infamous “Black Dog’, decided to do something about it, and being an on to it bunch, realised the best way they could contribute to this important issue, was to shine a light and support some of the amazing organisations and charities currently working in this space.

From here the ‘Sweet? Nah…find your lighthouse’ tour was conceived, and the lads will set off from one of NZ’s most iconic marine landmarks, Mauao (Mount Maunganui) on Sunday 17 April at 5am. From here they will navigate their way around NZ via 24 of NZ’s lighthouses over 12 days and over 6000 km.

‘All too often when we are asked if we’re sweet, we say yeah, but the answer is often nah’ says Luke, spokesperson for The Lighthouse Project Charitable Trust. ‘We started this charity to highlight community organisations around Aotearoa that are working hard to ensure that those who struggle the most get the support they need. We want blokes to see that there are options out there and that the first step is to acknowledge our struggles, and then start talking about them.’

With a fundraising target of $100,000, the team will be sharing their journey via their social media channels, encouraging the public to connect with them on their stops and will be pointing supporters to their Givealittle page to make donations which will be shared by the organisations already doing great mahi in their communities.

Rowan McKeany, National Operations Manager for Classic Builders NZ Ltd, a major sponsor of the tour, commented “A healthy workforce is the lifeblood of our business and just as we ensure our staff are physically safe in their workplace, we are equally focused on mental well-being. Classic Group’s 5 ways to wellbeing programme provides some simple checkpoints for our team to use in everyday life and Connection is one of the core pillars. There is nothing like a roadie to bring people together and the way the boys are connecting with other organisations embodies this value perfectly.’

"TracMap has always been a strong advocate for mental and physical health and well-being. Our aim is that every team member is supported by their leaders and team mates, with access to resources including Employee Assistance Counselling and our well-being support programme. Thanks to the efforts of The Lighthouse Project, we’re really highlighting that it's ok to ask for help. We know that feeling a sense of purpose and “an attitude of gratitude” positively impacts mental health; and this tour encompasses this and more, which TracMap is a huge supporter of."
Several other organisations have come on board to support the initiative including TrailLite, who have provided use of a campervan to complete the tour, and Gull who have awarded a 'Good Grant' to help with fuel costs.

Issued by The Lighthouse Project Charitable Trust (#CC59556)

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