Norwood Property Lunch raises £435,000
Howard Lake | 28 June 2011 | Newswire
Former FA Chairman Lord David Triesman gave a ringing endorsement to Norwood and its ‘exceptional’ work as he helped the charity raise £435,000 at its annual Property Lunch.
Lord Triesman’s forthright and candid interview with 5 News presenter, Matt Barbet was the highlight of the fundraising and networking event, held at the Marriot London in Grosvenor Square on Friday.
The Norwood Property Lunch is a key fixture in the property industry calendar and attracted more than 600 professionals from some of the country’s biggest firms. It was sponsored by Amlin, Derwent London, Earlcrown and Savills, while its media sponsor was Property Week.
During his highly topical interview, Lord Triesman, a former Government Minister, spoke about the latest development in the FIFA bribery scandal, his revelations to a House of Commons select committee which precipitated the scandal, and his resignation from the FA following a Sunday newspaper sting. He also answered questions from guests about the row over the formation of a Great Britain football team for next year’s Olympics and England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid.
Calling for a cull of the generation of FIFA officials led by President Sepp Blatter, he said:
“If you have an organisation in which there are deep-seated problems, the most critical thing is that its culture changes. You can tinker with the mechanisms, but that will never change the thing itself unless the culture changes, fundamentally. Culture will always win out. That generation, including some of the very good people, should stand aside and see a complete clean sweep, right through the organisation.”
The event also featured the annual Norwood Property Awards, which recognises excellence and achievement within the industry.
• The Newcomer of the Year award was presented to Almacantar which, since its foundation in February last year, has acquired some of the most high profile sites in London, including Centre Point and the Marble Arch Tower, and is also involved in the ongoing redevelopment of Lord’s cricket ground.
• The Residential Developer of the Year award was presented to the Manhattan Loft Corporation, which has been responsible for the regeneration of inner city areas like King’s Cross and whose current projects include 1 West India Quay in Docklands and the refurbishment of the Grade 1 listed St Pancras Chambers.
• The Deal of the Year award was presented to The Crown Estate, in recognition of the £1.8billion Regent Street Property Partnership with Norges Bank Investment Management.
• The Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Investec, one of the world’s biggest specialist banks and asset management companies, for philanthropy, property banking and growth in the property Industry.
Following the event, Lord Triesman described Norwood as a ‘remarkable’ charity and, referring to services such as Life Long Learning, added:
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“Providing opportunities to continue to learn and opportunities to mix socially through sport and other activities is absolutely critical. It’s not only that it fosters a sense of independence in people, it also opens doorways which mean they can work, get around, see friends and are in every sense embedded in their communities.
“If we think about our own lives and what they would be like if this was stripped out from us, we understand just how important it is to do that work with people. Norwood does that exceptionally and I think is known for it.”
Mark Pollack, Co-Chair of the Norwood Property Lunch Committee, said:
“I am delighted with the success of this year’s Property Lunch and I’d like to thank Lord Triesman and Matt Barbet for their incredibly entertaining and interesting discussion.
“I would also like to thank the event’s sponsors, Amlin, Derwent London, Savills, Earlcrown, and Property Week, all the brochure advertisers and, most importantly, our guests. Without their generous support, Norwood would not be able to provide the services which the children, families and adults who use them expect and deserve.”
The fundraising total was achieved through ticket sales, sponsorship, brochure advertising, and an auction, raffle and fundraising appeal on the day. The appeal was made by Mark Pollack and David Freedman, whose son Marc has physical and learning disabilities and is supported by Norwood to live independently in the community.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.