To say that 2020 has been a tough year would be an understatement. But what has been tough for us has been unbearable for others. Thankfully, though, real state has within its ranks a growing number of thoughtful, caring, philanthropic people.
To help highlight those people and the deeds they have done, EG launched a special award in May. The EG Superhero Award – the winner of which will be revealed at the EG Awards next month – set out to identify those individuals and companies that went above and beyond during the coronavirus pandemic to help those that really needed support.
We were overwhelmed by the nominations and entries we received and want to thank everyone who entered. You are all superheroes in our eyes.
But there can only be one winner for each category and a shortlist can only be so long.
Congratulations to all those shortlisted. Don’t forget to tune in to the EG Awards on 29 October. Click here to “book” your free place at this year’s virtual extravaganza.
INDIVIDUAL
Robert Adams – Colliers International
Uncomfortable at being unproductive during his time on furlough, Robert Adams became a volunteer at a shop at the 261-home ExtraCare retirement village in Bristol. As the crisis deepened, the village was forced to become self-contained. Adams was the first to volunteer to help out, visiting various wholesalers to source what limited stock was available, setting up new accounts, walking 5km through the village to drop off supplies, packing shopping and delivering them to residents. Although Adams is no longer on furlough, he continues to volunteer at the village at weekends.
Alan Barker – British Land
When the government announced that it was going to expand its NHS volunteer scheme, shopping centre manager Alan Barker didn’t hesitate to apply. He was enrolled very quickly and received his first alert within days – picking up prescriptions for elderly people in self-isolation. He now supports the overwhelmed local social care team on prescription runs for their patients.
Barker has dedicated a huge amount of time to helping his local community throughout lockdown and has encouraged friends and family to join the scheme. His selfless commitment to helping those most vulnerable in his community, combined with carrying out his day job at a very difficult time in the retail sector, makes him an invaluable part of the British Land team and a highly worthy candidate for this award.
Herman Barros – Greystar
Herman Barros is a community manager at Chapter London, Greystar’s London student accommodation JV, and is responsible for the 1,100-bed Chapter Spitalfields. Many of the students residing in the building were not only away from home for the first time but studying abroad. Barros moved to London to look after the building’s residents, demonstrating an exceptional duty of care to residents and providing essential support to a vulnerable group of young people who were also without their families at a difficult time.
Sarah Hayford – The Land Collective
With many students seeing their internship and graduate scheme offers postponed or withdrawn as a result of Covid, Hayford utilised her online platform, The Land Collective, to create a virtual internship programme for the commercial real estate and construction sectors. The programme was open to all who were interested in the sector in a bid to increase employability, commercial awareness and access. The programme was well-received with more than 350 young people (predominantly from BAME backgrounds) registering interest in the initial stages before launch.
COMPANIES
British Land
Its strong and established community links saw British Land supporting employment across the country, helping children learn to read and play and supporting homeless people across the UK. Customers were given a lifeline with beneficial terms and rent holidays as British Land preserved the all-important ecosystem on its campuses and retail assets. Suppliers were also protected as major construction sites temporarily shut down, with the reduction of payment periods to protect companies’ cash flow, and it even worked with families to create safe “bubbles” for them to return to site.
Bruntwood SciTech
Bruntwood SciTech has had an outstanding impact on the UK throughout the coronavirus pandemic by leading the development of one of four national Covid-19 Lighthouse Lab testing centres at Alderley Park, Cheshire. The team designed and delivered the new facility in a completely innovative way, providing a range of expertise from project management, construction and operations to scientific and health and safety support. The lab enabled thousands of NHS staff and key workers to return quickly to the frontline and supported the diagnosis and treatment of those affected, helping to contain and reduce the spread of the virus.
Derwent London
Derwent London made a range of donations during the pandemic, particularly supporting the NHS and keyworkers. Directors waived 20% of base salaries over three months, increasing its charitable donations for 2020 by £186,000 to £696,000. In June, the company made 16 furnished flats available at Charlotte Apartments (part of 80 Charlotte Street, W1) at no cost to frontline workers at University College Hospital until December. Many of Derwent’s connected artists donated art for the accommodation.
Do Some Good
Do Some Good is a property industry initiative founded by Debra Yudolph and led by businesses from across the sector, including SAY, deverellsmith and Greystar. Its mission is to facilitate the connection between those who need help and those who want to help, be it volunteering, skills or space. During the pandemic, its supported the NHS and other at-risk groups by offering space for accommodation, parking, storage of goods, as well as with donations of PPE, supplies, food, and other services. As a result of the Do Some Good initiative, 108 real estate firms came together, delivering a wide variety of support.
Edmonton Green Shopping Centre Management Team
At Edmonton Green the Ashdown Phillips team has worked seamlessly with landlord Crosstree Real Estate Partners to mitigate the challenges faced by the community during the pandemic. The team engaged with more than 20 community groups during the crisis, making donations not only to those directly in need, but also to organisations that exist to help the needy.
Forsters Refugee Lunch Club
Over the past few years Forsters has been providing a hot meal and company for refugees every Thursday at a local church in Mayfair, W1. When lockdown happened the lunches came to a halt. After discovering that several refugees had been given accommodation at a hostel in Olympia, W14, many members of the club sent donations towards the cost of their accommodation. The club also continued to provide home-cooked food to the refugees each weekend until they had to leave the hostel in August.
Hertfordshire County Council Property Team
During the pandemic, the property team at Hertfordshire County Council worked collectively with all support services, responding and delivering property assistance as requirements evolved and changed. The team worked with other local authorities, negotiated with suppliers, challenged contractors and directed consultants to support the NHS, military, emergency services, and other council teams to deliver essential services to the wider public.
Knight Frank
Knight Frank has been active in supporting the NHS, local businesses and charities. Its geospatial team built a Covid-19 Property Intelligence Portal to identify sites that could be used by the NHS and local authorities to increase hospital capacity, while the company as a whole donated and raised more than £83,000 for the LandAid Covid-19 Emergency Fund and local NHS charities.
LandAid
The LandAid Covid-19 Emergency Fund harnessed the generosity of the property industry to the needs of young homeless people and the charities supporting them. Its fundraising appeal raised £1m in a matter of months. With barely any planning, it was overwhelmed as large companies, small companies and countless individuals donated to the appeal. It has funded 92 charity projects across the UK and, through its pro bono appeal, has helped a further 32 charities.
NHS Property Services
During the Covid-19 pandemic, NHS Property Services’ specialist asset management, construction and FM teams worked collaboratively to provide more than 1,000 additional beds locally, conduct more than 2,500 deep cleans to reduce risk of infection and give 243 hours to community volunteering. The whole NHSPS team played an important role in the pandemic, from training and recruitment to taking on more duties in critical environments to allow patients and NHS colleagues to be kept safe with the best possible care.
Savills
While adapting to new ways of working and anticipating the impact it would have across our industry, Savills says its employees demonstrated resilience, generosity, creativity and talent by supporting the elderly and raising community spirit through music, to sewing face coverings, cooking and delivering food. Savills also worked with its clients to support the NHS, reviewing and identifying commercial sites where space could be donated for critical care beds, accommodation for workers, car parking, additional storage, and operational supplies. It allocated some £767,500 of charitable funds during the period, benefiting 40 UK charities.
SEGRO
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, SEGRO bought forward the launch of its £10m Centenary Fund to provide immediate, urgent support to local communities that were particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the pandemic. By May, just one month after launching the fund, it had helped more than 50 charities to deliver vital projects which supported some 25,000 vulnerable people across the UK and Europe during the pandemic. Now the fund has moved to a recovery stage, helping more than 2,000 people in the UK back into education, training and employment.
To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@egi.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette
