News

Wimbledon legend Tim Henman is delighted to be raising funds for LandAid at the MIPIM Tennis Classic in Cannes this March.

Last week our new Head of Programmes & Impact, Sean Tizzard, joined the LandAid team. We're so excited to have Sean on board, and his first week was a busy one which saw him travelling around the UK, learning more about our grant programme, our charity partners and some of the amazing work we've been able to help fund across the country.

I work for Goldcrest Land. We're a small but enthusiastic team, with a huge amount of energy, and I knew the guys would immediately get on board with any fundraising events or ideas. After some initial disappointment at having missed the chance to compete at Construction Rocks (bring on 2019), LandAid Day was earmarked as our first venture.

A few weeks ago I spent the weekend in the Lake District- it was lovely. Beautiful, quiet and I ate a cracking Thai curry that was cooked on an open fire. But I wasn't just here for a jolly, I was there as part of LandAid's second Young Voices project, with nine young people who have experienced homelessness and are part of St Basils Youth Voice group.

I love architects' designs. As a child I spent hours drawing my perfect' house. It was exactly how I wanted it. So, when I see those beautiful brochures of new developments - master-plans proclaiming places people should want to live, work and play in, I'm back in my bedroom with paper and coloured pencils. Sculpted trees, litter-free streets, little traffic, blue skies. It's how we want it to be.

Throughout October, we've seen over 500 property professionals across the UK stomping away, vying to log the highest step count they can manage, and win one of the many trophies up for grabs. Competition has been fierce, and you've already walked around the earth more than twice - taking over 100,000,000 steps between you!

One of the many amazing charity partners we work with is Giroscope in Hull. As it is Empty Homes Week this week, we thought it would be a great opportunity to highlight the work Giroscope do in buying and renovating empty homes. Not only do they make the properties into usable accommodation, they also encourage volunteers and prospective tenants to help in the renovation project, giving them a greater sense of ownership of the property.

It is unacceptable that 86,000 young people will experience homelessness this year. Tragically, that truth is matched by another bizarre, shocking statistic. According to the government, there are 205,000 long-term empty homes ('long-term' means over six months) in England alone. This week is national Empty Homes Week.

It is a startling fact that young people in the UK are three times more likely to experience homelessness than the rest of the population, and are disproportionally impacted by job insecurity and poverty. A recent study found that one in 13 people aged between 16 and 25 in the UK have experienced some form of homelessness within the last five years.