Bathroom Association conference raises more than £5,600 for construction charity CRASH

Construction industry charity CRASH has raised more than £5,600 as charity partner of the Bathroom Association's Connect Conference, held at The Grand Hotel, Birmingham, on 8 October 2026.

CRASH said bathroom sector businesses and guests supported the charity on the evening through prize donations, a raffle and an auction. The Bathroom Association's own report on the conference did not give a fundraising total.

Vipesh Mistry, Head of Projects at CRASH, presented to guests at the gala dinner on how the charity draws on the construction industry's expertise and products to create places for people experiencing homelessness and those receiving hospice care.

Daphne Doody-Green, Chief Executive at the Bathroom Association, said: "Vipesh's presentation proved to be a powerful moment of the gala dinner. The response was immediate. Every donation, ticket and bid contributed, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who played a part."

Call for products

Alongside the fundraising, CRASH said Mistry asked guests and businesses in the industry to support its work with product donations. The charity listed sanitaryware, brassware, showers, screens, furniture, flooring, accessibility products, mirrors and accessories among the items it can use, adding "or even rubber ducks".

CRASH sources free or discounted construction products for the projects it supports, according to its own description of its work, and draws on pro bono or discounted professional expertise through its Corporate Patrons. The charity has a staff team of six.

The conference

The Bathroom Association said Connect 2026 welcomed more than 120 delegates from manufacturers, distributors, merchants, retailers, installers and industry partners, under the theme Stronger Together.

The daytime programme opened with keynote speaker Jez Rose, and Rebecca Larkin, Head of Construction Research at the Construction Products Association, spoke on the economic and construction outlook. Ahead of the event, the Association said comedian Alun Cochrane would host the evening and that the gala dinner would recognise its Thirty-under-Thirty winners for 2026.

Doody-Green said Connect showed the value of bringing different parts of the industry into the same room. The Association describes its role as an independent forum for bathroom companies trading in the UK.

Earlier fundraising

CRASH thanked the Bathroom Association for what it called its ongoing support of the charity.

In 2023, CRASH reported that a raffle and silent auction at the Bathroom Manufacturers Association's conference gala dinner, held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in Cheshire, raised £3,050 for the charity.

CRASH at 30

The fundraising comes as CRASH marks 30 years of delivering projects. The charity traces its origins to 4 October 1992 and says it has delivered more than £12m in total value of support since 1996. It extended its work to hospices in 2015.

In 2024-25, CRASH supported 48 homelessness and hospice construction projects.