Construction industry races to help London’s most vulnerable

Leading names in the construction industry are celebrating the completion of an intense fitness challenge to raise money to help vulnerable individuals back into employment.

McAlpine, Laing O'Rourke, and T Clarke were just some of the 30 plus construction industry players who channelled their inner Jessica Ennis, Chris Froome and Adam Peaty to walk, run, row, swim and cycle almost 2000 miles – the distance from London to Lisbon – to raise money for the Stanhope Foundation, the charity arm of leading developer Stanhope PLC.

Donations of £1 per mile completed were encouraged, resulting in £28,000 being raised over the duration of the challenge and pushing the Foundation’s total funds raised since April to over half a million pounds. The remaining funds have been raised through donations from partners and one-off support.

Competitive to the end, contractors Cantillon, A J Morrisroe & Sons and Gardner & Co were featured in the top 10 companies on the leadership board on the virtual challenge titled Journey for Jobs.

Launched in April 2021, the Stanhope Foundation is focused on increasing employability among vulnerable and young people in London, so they can find hope and pride through meaningful employment.

Partnering with three charities – Maggie’s, St Mungo’s and The Prince’s Trust, the Foundation raises money for gainful employment initiatives, whilst also offering pro bono advisory work, and volunteering opportunities to tackle the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the UK capital’s communities.

Two Journey for Jobs events have taken place so far from May to July, with over 350 participants from across the built environment and construction industry taking part to raise money for the newly created Foundation.

The funds raised go directly towards the employment-focused areas of the chosen charities - working with Maggie’s on their Back to Work programme for cancer patients; with The Prince’s Trust on their skills development and employability programmes; and with St Mungo’s on the charity’s Recovery College initiative.

A host of leading companies from across the construction industry are involved, such as:

• Cantillon + Morrisroe (Lead)
• T Clarke (Lead)
• Wilson James (Lead)
• Hare (Lead)
• McAlpine (Lead)
• Keltbray (Lead)
• Savills (Lead)
• Michael Lonsdale (Lead)
• ABBEY THERMAL
• AKTII
• Alimak Group UK Ltd
• Alinea
• Arup
• Baupost
• Capital Real Estate (Support)
• Celtic contracts
• Deloitte
• Dn & Co (Support)
• DP9
• Electracom Projects UK Ltd
• Eric Parry
• Feilden Fowles 
• Fosters
• Gardner & Co (Support)
• Gerald Eve
• Hall & Kay
• Health & Safety
• HHBR
• Hotchkiss Ltd (Support)
• Knight Frank
• Laing O'Rourke
• Lendlease
• MacFarlanes (Support)
• Mace
• Make Architects (Support)
• Real PM
• Robert Bird
• Social Value Portal
• Sweco
• Vectos
• Wilkinson Eyre (Spport)

Michael Hoodless, Founder and Group Chairman of Michael Lonsdale and Lead Partner of the Foundation said:

“During these extremely difficult times, we should all be mindful of young unemployment, homelessness and not to forget the care and support of cancer needs in others. This is why Michael Lonsdale Group is proud to take up a long-term Lead Partnership with the Stanhope Foundation to address these needs.”

Talking about the foundation’s launch and completion of the Journey for Jobs industry initiatives, Mike Crowder, Group MD of T Clarke and Lead Partner of the Foundation said:

“We applaud the organisation and dedication of the people involved in getting the Stanhope Foundation started on such a solid footing. We are pleased to be a lead partner of this substantive venture and are proud to play our part in making it a sustained success.”

Paul Cluskey, MD of Cantillon + Morrisroe and Lead Partner of the Foundation added:

“We are delighted to be supporting the Stanhope Foundation, particularly at a time like this where so many people have been impacted by the crisis that has gripped the world over the last 15 months.”

Stanhope has created some of the most iconic places and spaces in London over the past 30 years, including White City Place, Television Centre, The British Library and Bloomberg London.

The Foundation is Stanhope’s direct response to the severe impact the pandemic has had on vulnerable members in the communities in which it works, such as young people, those fighting life-limiting illnesses such as cancer and those experiencing homelessness.

David Camp, CEO of Stanhope PLC. said:

“For over three decades, Stanhope has developed and created places and spaces in London to allow communities to work, live, grow and thrive. The pandemic has had a devastating effect on these communities, especially when it comes to employment and we need to support them as much as we can, particularly those who are most at risk.

“The Stanhope Foundation formalises what we’ve already been doing internally for a number of years, and we are hoping that our clients, partners and other stakeholders will be inspired to join us on our mission to unlock the amazing opportunities that charities such as St Mungo’s, Maggie’s and The Prince’s Trust can provide.”

The Stanhope Foundation is raising money and awareness for charities getting Londoners back into work. For more information, please visit www.stanhopeplc.com/stanhope-foundation or contact alice.reid@stanhopeplc.com