Keith Hart, a 44-year-old plumber from the South East, had everything going for him. His plumbing and heating business was doing well, he was happily married and he had just found out he was going to be a dad.
In 2020 as a black cloud descended on the world with news of the pandemic, Keith’s life abruptly took a turn for the worse too, starting with a bad back injury that left him unable to work or drive.
From there, his life plummeted downhill. He lost a cousin to a heart attack, struggled with pneumonia himself, and had to take care of his dad who was suffering with poor mental health. When he and his wife suffered the loss of his unborn daughter, it was the final straw. Keith’s mental health took a turn for the worse.
With life spiralling out of control, Keith found himself in an unhealthy relationship with drugs and alcohol, and he shut himself off. With more family deaths and another miscarriage, his relationship couldn’t take the strain, and his wife left him.
Keith decided to clean up his act and found the strength to turn his life around. He gave up substances, ate well, and started to exercise regularly.
But despite dragging himself out of the darkness, life wasn’t done with him yet. Whilst on facetime to her niece, Keith’s mother suffered a stroke. Keith’s financial situation had deteriorated but as always, he prioritised his family and took time off to care for her.
In the same week, his van was broken into. Three masked attackers took most of his tools and before he could stop them – they sped off with his livelihood. Crushed and reeling, he remembered the Lighthouse Charity- he had heard about us through work. He was ready to accept help and he reached out to us in March 2025.
We approached Keith’s case holistically, as there was a lot that needed to be taken into consideration. First, we provided him with replacement tools to get him back on his feet at work. Most importantly, we encouraged him to attend counselling sessions to work through everything that had happened to him.
Keith enthusiastically engaged with counselling, and one session at a time he unpicked his past trauma and the detrimental effect it had had. Grateful, Keith said, “I feel like I’ve turned a huge corner. I can never thank the Lighthouse enough for all that has been done and how caring you all are. The Lighthouse Charity has been life changing.”
We are pleased to report that Keith is doing well and is back at work. He’s also about to start life coaching as part of our aftercare service, helping him to plan and achieve his future goals.
If you feel moved by Keith’s story, please consider supporting the charity. Working tirelessly, a case at a time, we’re committed to helping individuals and their families overcome real-world struggles in the construction industry.
Life can be tough, but help is here – call our free 24/7 helpline 0345 605 1956 (UK) 1800 939 122 (ROI) or web chat live with one of our advisors at www.lighthouseclub.org
