In support of Dyslexia Awareness Week, Alison Sands from the British Dyslexia Association led a webinar on Dyslexia in the Workplace. Highlighting the indicators of dyslexia within adults and reasonable adjustments to foster a more inclusive, dyslexia-friendly environment.
Sustainable approach.
Positive impact.
Social value is embedded into the delivery of our developments and managed assets, but we also have a vibrant CSR programme which aims to provide wider social value over and above our core functions.
Health and wellbeing
For our employees we aim to promote a healthy lifestyle by providing a workplace where people can perform at their best and empower people to prioritise their physical and mental wellbeing. This is supported by a range of benefits including exercise classes and meditation, a cycle to work scheme, comprehensive healthcare cover and trained mental health first aiders in our offices.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
ED&I is not just a box -ticking exercise for us. Our aim to achieve a workplace and industry that reflects our diverse society is central to our values and we want to bring this strategy to life by working with our people, our supply chain, through wider partnerships and via our support to the Chancerygate Foundation.
You can read more about our approach to ED&I in our ED&I strategy.
Inclusivity
We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and we want our employees to feel valued and empowered when they come to work. We understand and acknowledge the intersectional nature of diversity. People do not fit into neat categories and many of us are affected by many different aspects of EDI.
Our aim is to develop and embed an inclusive culture that offers dignity and respect to everyone, that encourages the sharing of ideas and perspectives, and values differences. To achieve this we undertake EDI initiatives including guest speakers and events linked to the annual EDI calendar and we measure our progress using an annual survey.
Dyslexia Awareness Week
Black History Month
For Black History Month we were joined by Dr Dwight Turner to talk to us in relation to the Black History Month theme of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’. He shared his powerful lived experiences growing up as a Black man in an age of populism.
Pride Month
We held a lunch and learn session for LGBTQ+ Pride month with Belton Flournoy from Protiviti. Belton shared his personal story of overcoming adversity to become a leader in a global management risk consultancy and his perspective on various LGBT+ issues along the way.
Chancerygate Foundation
Chancerygate supports the Chancerygate Foundation, a charity which supports African and Caribbean heritage students to access the real estate profession through bursaries, mentorship and paid work experience.
We believe nobody should be prevented from accessing and thriving in the property industry just because they didn’t go to the right school or their parents didn’t have the right connections. Working with a network of partners, mentors and supporters, our aim is to provide the students with all the support they need to thrive in their careers.
Lockton’s Employability Workshop
In July 2024, the foundation students had the pleasure of visiting Charlotte Edwards, Early Careers Lead, at Lockton’s head office. Charlotte hosted an engaging employability workshop for our students, providing insights on how to craft a standout CV, highlighting essential skills to mention, and offering valuable tips for improvement.
Together Charlotte and Jonathan Hackett, Partner at Lockton, give their time to mentor and support our students’ professional growth.
We Rise In
Faith Locken kindly invited our students to the We Rise In Leadership Summit sponsored by Montagu Evans. It was a inspirational evening with empowering discussions from panellists and Lottie Whyte, as guest speaker, all of whom shared their journey to success and leadership styles with honesty and passion.
This event gave our students the opportunity to network with successful black professionals, and more importantly, recognise the heights they can aspire to.
It is from collaboration with like-minded organisations such as We Rise In, that we are expanding our network of support.
Site Visits
The students had the benefit of a site visit to Metroplex Park, Tolworth. Matthew Young and Chris Thrippleton from Chancerygate, and Gearoid Keane from Harmonix Construction, took the students around the site answering all their questions, followed by the experience of their first project meeting. It is events such as these that give the students an insight into life in the industry once they graduate.
Youth careers
Our aim is to engage with a diverse range of young people to inspire and support them to embark on a career in the property industry. In time, this will create an improved supply chain of diverse talent for our industry.
Working with partners and charities such as Land Collective, we carry out a wide range of activities with young people, including school visits, site visits and guest speakers.
New City College, Rainham
We recently visited New City College’s Construction & Engineering Specialist Centre in Rainham and conducted speed interviews with students. These students, aged 17 and over, were enrolled in a variety of courses, including design, planning, surveying and construction, construction and the built environment, electrical installation, bricklaying, and engineering.
Each student participated in three 5-minute interviews with different interviewers, receiving constructive feedback after each session before moving on to the next interviewer.
It was a pleasure to support students by providing guidance on the best educational pathways to achieve their career goals.
The City Academy, Hackney
We teamed up with IntoUniversity to host a Careers in FOCUS session for Year 9 students at The City Academy, Hackney. The session delved into real estate, property, and construction sectors, exploring the various roles of development managers, project managers, and asset managers. During the group activity, students prepared a development plan for a mixed-use scheme in the local area, considering factors like planning layouts, impacts on neighbours, accessibility, parking, landscaping, and biodiversity.
Site Visit with The Land Collective
Members of The Land Collective were invited to Harlequin Industrial Park, Hayes, for a site visit. The seven students had the opportunity to see a live site and learn more about the development process and construction.
Volunteering and Fundraising
Our employees are actively involved in volunteering and fundraising, through which we support a range of charities and issues that matter to our people. Our aim is to give back to society via our charity work and provide everyone in the company with the opportunity to take part.
Edale Skyline fundraiser
In September 2024, thirty members of the Chancerygate team took on the challenge of the Edale Skyline in the Peak District, walking up to 34km with a 1,070m ascent. Raising over £27,000 for our annual charity, Little Hearts Matter.
Little Hearts Matter provides vital support and raises awareness for those affected by single ventricle heart conditions. Every contribution helps make a difference for children born with half a working heart and their families.
Marylebone Project Valentine’s Day afternoon tea
A group from the London office hosted a Valentine’s Day afternoon tea for women at the Marylebone Project. Over 50 women attended the event and it was a pleasure meeting and getting to know them as well as the team at the centre. On arrival, the women were gifted goodie bags filled with treats and necessities, followed by a classic afternoon tea spread with sandwiches, scones, and delicious cakes.
The Marylebone Project are the only women’s-only homelessness service in London that is open 24/7, 365 days a year, providing a safe space and life-changing services for women to overcome homelessness and live independent lives.
KidsOut Giving Tree
Our support for the KidsOut Giving Tree continues, Christmas 2024, we donated over 55 toys, books and experiences to KidsOut Giving Tree for children in refuge. Over the last four years, we have donated over 200 gifts.
Gifts donated through the Giving Tree are distributed to children living in refuge over the festive season. Without Giving Tree, these children may not otherwise receive a gift at Christmas. Every year, an average of 20,000 children in the UK flee domestic violence to a women’s refuge with their mothers, with 8,000 being rehomed in a new and unfamiliar area.
Communities
We partner with our JV investors and our contractors to provide volunteering and or donations to charities or community organisations in the vicinity of our projects. Our aim is to provide a high value improvement to every community we work in.
Oldham Trussells Trust foodbank
Oldham Trussells Trust foodbank received a £2,000 donation from Chancerygate and Hines. Staff from Chancerygate and Hines also volunteered for the day assisting the foodbank by unpacking deliveries and restocking shelves, creating Christmas parcels for families and standard food parcels.
Southall Black Sisters
Chancerygate and Magrock Construction donated £2,000 to Southall Black Sisters, a non-profit organisation local to the Harlequin Industrial Park. They provide holistic advocacy services aimed at helping Black and minoritised women live free from all forms of violence and abuse.
Southwater Youth Project
Chancerygate, Harmonix Construction and Alpha Property Lending donated an overall £2,250 to Southwater Youth Project. The donation was put towards their Wednesday Youth Hang Out and enabling them to continue offering a safe space for young people in the local community.