Great Portland Estates PLC Successful deployment of COVID-19 Community Fund (1574E)
04 November 2020 - 6:00PM
UK Regulatory
TIDMGPOR
RNS Number : 1574E
Great Portland Estates PLC
04 November 2020
4 November 2020
Successful deployment of GPE COVID-19 Community Fund
Great Portland Estates plc (GPE) announces that it has now fully
deployed the GPE COVID-19 Community Fund, donating GBP325,000 to
vulnerable groups most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Fund was originally seeded with GBP280,000 raised through a
combination of Board Director bonus reductions and fee waivers to
the equivalent of at least 20% salary or fees for three months,
along with contributions from all other GPE Executive Committee
members. The remainder of the funds were donated by GPE employees.
All amounts raised were matched by the Group.
Funds were allocated by the GPE Community and Charities
Committee. In line with our purpose and community strategy, all
donations were made to charities with a strong presence in London
and which are being particularly impacted by COVID-19.
In total, 28 charities were supported, with a particular focus
on homelessness, mental health, vulnerable groups and education.
Key beneficiaries included:
-- National Literacy Trust - supporting a virtual summer school
and internship programme for disadvantaged teenagers in London who
are most at risk of missing out on education, employment and
training;
-- Hestia - The Phoenix Project, a volunteer-led project to help
survivors of modern slavery rebuild their lives and integrate into
the community;
-- Young Westminster Foundation - supporting the Brighter
Futures programme, providing grassroots support focused on mental
health and resilience, staying safe, education and lost schooling
to improve social mobility; and
-- London Wildlife Trust - to support the reopening of Camley
Street Nature Reserve in 2021 to provide an ecological hub
supporting outdoor learning and volunteering within the
community.
For more on our wider community initiatives, see
https://www.gpe.co.uk/our-relationships/community-relationships/
Janine Cole, Director of Sustainability and Community at GPE
said: "It has never been so important to support community causes
in their work to reach the most vulnerable. The Community and
Charities Committee is therefore delighted to have been able to
support those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, through the
donations of our Board, Executive Committee and the wider GPE
team."
Laura Dowson, Deputy Director for Innovation and Partnerships at
Hestia, one of our charity recipients said: "The COVID-19 pandemic
has hit everybody hard, but none more so that the highly vulnerable
victims of modern slavery in our services. Their fragile networks
are destroyed, and many are at high risk of homelessness,
re-traumatisation, chronic isolation, and re-trafficking. GPE's
generous donation means Hestia can be there for these individuals.
Their contribution will support the work of our award-winning
Phoenix Project; a pioneering volunteer-led project to help adults
(and their children) recovering from immense trauma to rebuild
their lives."
Contacts:
Great Portland Estates plc
Nick Sanderson, Finance and Operations Director +44 (0) 20 7647 3000
Janine Cole, Director of Sustainability & Community +44 (0) 20 7647 3000
Finsbury Group
Gordon Simpson +44 (0) 20 7251 3801
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