Our communities
Creating and sustaining a social value for those communities that work, live and visit the areas where our buildings are located is a key indicator that our activities are generating wider and lasting benefits.
Through community engagement, we believe we are creating spaces where people can thrive. As a property developer, we are responsible for the regeneration of significant and important areas of London and have always worked hard to maintain close relationships with our communities through open dialogue, engagement and the supporting of local charities and organisations.
- Bring social, economic and environmental benefits to the areas in which we operate
- Design and operate our buildings to support health and wellbeing
We acknowledge the profound influence our development and related activities can have on local neighbourhoods, communities tenants and the local economy. Not only are we able to support communities through corporate giving and fundraising but also via direct involvement through staff volunteering.
At our development sites, in partnership with our main contractors, we actively manage and monitor the social impact of our development activities. We issue a monthly newsletter to all local residents and businesses to ensure they are made aware of progress, any upcoming disruptive activities and details on community events and initiatives.
At our existing assets we invest in local initiatives and support communities, this includes creating a calendar of events and initiatives to ensure we are positively engaging with local residents, schools, community groups and businesses, facilitating Green Groups to discuss ESG issues and supporting local charities.
Charity partnerships
Volunteering at London City Farms
In August staff spent the day volunteering at London City Farms supporting the excellent in-house team with maintenance, housekeeping and animal welfare work. Despite the heat the Helical team worked tirelessly conducting repairs, painting fences, cleaning, sweeping, draining the duck pond, clearing nettles and mucking out the animals.
Participants learned about the extensive community work conducted by London City Farms to support their key objectives which include providing free-to access, inclusive space for the public; advancing education for all in agriculture, horticulture and country life; protecting and improving the natural environment and promoting humanity and morality by advancing education in the care and consideration of animals.
Workshop in celebration of International Women's Day
In March Helical hosted team of young women studying Real Estate for a workshop in celebration of International Women's Day.
The workshop was hosted by our Senior Development Executive Nikki Dibley and our Head of Sustainability Laura Beaumont. Our CEO Matthew gave a presentation to the students and two of our Non-Executive Directors, Sue Clayton and Amanda Aldridge, spoke about their career and experiences within the property industry.
The sun shone brightly on an outdoor networking event attended by all the Helical team and the students participated in a branding and marketing challenge resulting in some truly impressive pitches!
Thank you to all the students who attended the event and best wishes for their very promising careers ahead.
Volunteering at Hackney Night Shelter
In January a team from Helical again spent an afternoon volunteering at Hackney Night Shelter which has been providing shelter and support to homeless guests for over 25 years and is run almost entirely by a large community of volunteers.
The group met with one of the Directors of Hackney Doorways who explained the way the shelter is funded and operates, the demand on services, the changing landscape of homelessness and the charity’s plans for the future.
Helical volunteers spent the afternoon completing housekeeping, decorating and maintenance jobs around the centre as well as shopping for and preparing the evening meal for the guests staying at the shelter.
“Hackney Night Shelter greatly appreciated the support from the staff at Helical. We could not function as a charity without voluntary support and this is especially helpful during the day when our guests are out. The team deep cleaned all the guest bedrooms, prepared a scrumptious dinner and made sure we were fully stocked with supplies in time for the return of our 20 guests in the evening. That night we had a new guest arriving and they were so grateful for how the welcome and how their room looked, all thanks to the Helical staff. All of the staff said how they would happily have the team back again to help out. We had especially great feedback about the apple cake!”
Volunteer Coordinator
The LandAid Trek
In September The "WalkaHelics" successfully completed the challenging LandAid Trek, hiking 27km across the Black Mountains.
They enjoyed a tough but beautiful day with a backdrop of spectacular scenery and were delighted to raise over £11,000 to support LandAid's work to end youth homelessness.
Thank you to all our generous sponsors and to the fantastic WalkaHelics!
