CRASH raises more than £4,600 at 2026 Construction Products Association Autumn Lunch

Construction industry charity CRASH raised more than £4,600 as charity partner at the 2026 Construction Products Association (CPA) Autumn Lunch, the charity said, with the money going to its work with homelessness charities and hospices.

CRASH said guests from construction product manufacturers and suppliers gathered for welcome drinks and a three-course lunch, followed by guest speakers including the charity's chief executive, Trisha Pickersgill.

A raffle was held for guests who donated to CRASH. Prizes ranged from two Club Wembley tickets to a Construction Monopoly set, the charity said.

"Events such as the CPA Autumn Lunch highlight the power of the industry coming together to support charitable causes," CRASH said in its report on the event.

The volunteers

CRASH thanked the volunteers who helped with the collection: Laura Collins and Gabrielle Variyam from Arcadis, Matt Davies and Beth Walton from Beale & Co, and Caroline Hudson from Keltbray.

The charity said events of this kind raise funds but also give it networking opportunities to increase its visibility in the sector and introduce its work to potential supporters and patrons.

A long-running partnership

CRASH has reported its takings from the CPA lunch in each of the past five years. In its 2025 post the charity said the partnership with the CPA had reached 23 years; the previous year it put the figure at 22 years. CRASH has not stated a figure for 2026.

Year	Sum raised for CRASH at the CPA Autumn Lunch
2022	£5,730 (charity draw)
2023	£6,209.59
2024	£4,371
2025	£6,846
2026	more than £4,600

Source: CRASH

The 2025 lunch opened with remarks from Jeff May, deputy chief executive of the CPA, according to CRASH, and Peter Caplehorn, the association's chief executive, spoke at the 2024 event. In 2023 the charity's chief executive was Francesca Roberts.

The relationship predates those posts. In June 2019 the CPA said CRASH had recognised it as a Fundraising Champion for its fundraising in the 2018-19 financial year. The association described CRASH at the time as channelling the expertise and products of the construction and property industry to create places that care for people.

How the money is used

CRASH describes itself as the UK construction industry charity, founded in 1996, and says its purpose is helping homelessness charities and hospices with construction projects.

The charity said it supported 48 homelessness and hospice construction projects during 2024-25. It sources pro bono or discounted professional expertise through its Corporate Patrons, and runs with a team of six staff, according to its website.

CRASH said it looked forward to building on the CPA partnership. The 2026 total takes the sum the charity has reported from the lunch since 2022 past five separate annual collections, the smallest of which was £4,371 in 2024.