Horsing around for charity
Lucy Boultbee-Brooks of Boultbee Brooks Real Estate galloped to the finish line at the Greatwood Charity Race, taking first place and bagging the trophy ahead of 10 other participants.
The race took place on 5 March at Newbury Racecourse and raised £3,700 for Greatwood, a charity which cares for retired racehorses and helps children with special educational needs.
Mental health symposium
Mental illness of some form will affect one in four of us every year and the property industry is not immune.
A new forum, aimed at bringing together leading business people and mental health experts to promote wellness within the industry, will be held on 17 May in memory of former BAA Lynton managing director John O’Halloran, who took his own life in March 2015.
The John O’Halloran Symposium, to be held at CBRE’s UK headquarters at Henrietta House, W1, will feature talks from people within the industry affected by mental illness as well as mental health campaigners and experts. It is supported by the British Property Federation, LionHeart, City Mental Health Alliance and Changing the Face of Property. To find out more visit
www.johnohalloransymposium.org
Industry rallies to support Sport Relief
Haircuts but not shortcuts were the order of the day as the property industry rose to the Sport Relief challenge.
Linden Homes director Fraser Hopes had his long locks chopped off after much teasing by colleagues.
So far, clean-cut Hopes’ mop-chop has raised more than £900. You can still donate to this worthy cause at www.justgiving.com/FraserHopesMopChop
Meanwhile, MEPC and the people of Milton Park in Oxfordshire hosted a 5km run/walk on a course around the park. Almost £2,000 was raised by 200 participants. MEPC agreed to match the amount raised, making a grand total of more than £3,935.
Yorkshire’s got talent
The singing and dancing skills of the Yorkshire property industry have been put to the test in the region’s own version of TV talent show the X-Factor, dubbed the “Crypt Factor”.
This year’s event saw 10 stars from the past decade take to the stage and compete to be named as the singing competition’s champion of champions.
Lakeisha King from Addleshaw Goddard was crowned winner along with dancers Sean Meehan from Addleshaw Goddard and Alice Carr from Freeths Solicitors.
The event has been supported by the property industry for 10 years, raising £500,000, with this year’s event adding more than £80,000 for charities LionHeart and St George’s Crypt.
Good sports
Hertfordshire property professionals’ sporting knowledge was put to the test at its annual Question of Sport quiz and charity event in St Albans, Hertfordshire.
The event, which also included a live auction, was sponsored by Aitchison Raffety and hosted by Sky’s Premier League reporter, Geoff Shreeves.
Some 250 people attended and a total of £40,000 is expected to have been raised for charity Rennie Grove Hospice, which offers specialist care to people with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.
Train to gain
Ellandi has joined Hammerson in committing to appointing and training a retail property apprentice through Retail Path – an industry-wide apprenticeship programme by the British Council of Shopping Centres Educational Trust and National Skills Academy for Retail.
The Retail Path programme was piloted by Hammerson in 2015 with the intake of five apprentices, who will have all graduated into full-time employment by the end of this year.
The project was set up in 2014 to address the issue of youth unemployment and to encourage more young people to consider a career in the retail industry.
Peter Drummond, chairman of the BCSC Educational Trust, said: “We are very excited to have Ellandi commit, and Hammerson’s Highcross Leicester re-commit, to recruiting apprentices through this industry-wide programme. Their partnership with Retail Path is a stellar example of industry best practice, providing young people with a professional point of entry into the retail property industry and the opportunity to develop a rewarding career.”
Find out more about the scheme at www.retailpath.org
