SEGRO Centenary Fund delivers vital support to over 25,000 people impacted by COVID-19 within a month of launching
SEGRO has enabled 51 charities to deliver vital projects which will support over 25,000 vulnerable people across the UK and Continental Europe through its Centenary Fund, just one month after its initial launch.
The fund, which was established to mark SEGRO’s 100th anniversary on 19 May, will see £10 million awarded to local community projects in the UK and Continental Europe over the next decade. Its launch was brought forward and the plans revised to enable the majority for the first year’s funding to provide urgent support to members of the community who are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19.
In the UK, SEGRO has partnered with Community Foundations in London, Berkshire, Coventry and Warwickshire, North West Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire to identify charities which are delivering immediate and meaningful support projects to those disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. So far across all the company’s geographic regions, 51 charities have been allocated funding, helping more than 25,000 vulnerable people. These include:
- Citizens Advice Bureau Camden and Hounslow – Providing advice to vulnerable individuals whilst social distancing in place
- Tiny Toes Tiny Feet – Delivering free baby essentials, such as nappies, wipes and baby formula during the pandemic to families who have escaped domestic violence or suffer severe financial difficulty
- SHOC (Slough Homeless Our Concern), Berkshire – Cooking of meals and delivery of supplies to rough sleepers
- Vineyard Community Church, Northamptonshire – Provision of food for children who normally receive free school lunches
- CHEXS, Hertfordshire – Creation of a new food bank to help families in need
- Hospice Hope, Leicestershire – Support for people with life-limiting conditions unable to receive visits from their usual carers
- The Enterprise Club for Disabled People, Warwickshire – Provision of a telephone befriending service for individuals experiencing isolation
- Franziskanische Sozialwerke Düsseldorf – Providing a warm meal, clothes and a place to take a wash and stay for the night for homeless people in Düsseldorf
The emphasis of the Centenary Fund moving forward will focus on local community projects which help and inspire disadvantaged people into education, training and employment. Charities and community organisations which are interested in accessing the fund to deliver projects that fit this criteria are encouraged to visit www.segro.com/centenaryfund to find out more details about how to apply.
David Sleath, Chief Executive Officer, SEGRO said:
“When we launched the Centenary Fund last month our priority was to address the immediate needs of people disproportionality affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In only a few short weeks, with the help of our Community Foundation partners, we’re proud to have been able to identify and offer funding to more than 50 charities, and perhaps more importantly make a real difference to the lives of tens of thousands of vulnerable people during these unprecedented times.”
Kate Markey, CEO, London Community Foundation said:
"SEGRO has now committed almost £90k to supporting grassroots organisations responding to COVID-19 from its Centenary Fund in London. And more funds are being committed to support the Capital’s frontline response. From food banks to supporting vulnerable families online - the fund is demonstrating the value of local connections."
Jon Yates, Chief Operating Officer, Berkshire Community Foundation said:
“The SEGRO Centenary Fund is an example where a business with its roots in its local community can really make a difference to those most in need when they need it most.”
Samantha Negbenebor, CEO, Tiny Toes Tiny Feet said:
"Due to COVID-19 our office space was closed down which meant we weren't able to receive donations or get access to our donations in order and help our families. Thanks to the SEGRO Centenary Fund we are now able to buy essential items such as nappies, baby food and baby formula and continue supporting our clients."
Sue Serret, Head of Partnerships, Slough Homeless Our Concern said:
"The SEGRO Centenary Fund has enabled our doors to stay open, allowing us to supply food parcels and deliver laundry facilities to those staying in hotels and on the streets."
The Centenary Fund builds on SEGRO’s long-standing and well-established approach to community engagement and support, providing training and help into employment to improve the lives of tens of thousands of people.
Notes to editors:
For 100 years SEGRO has been creating the space that enables extraordinary things to happen.
SEGRO started its journey in 1920 as The Slough Trading Company, the owners of a vast industrial site in Berkshire used to repair 17,000 military vehicles from World War 1.
By 1925 the last remaining vehicles were repaired and sold, and the company’s focus switched to renting its buildings to a variety of other businesses. In 1926 the company changed its name to Slough Estates Ltd.
Over the course of the 20th century Slough Trading Estate has played an unlikely role in British manufacturing and popular culture. In 1932, Mars established a production facility on the estate, where it subsequently invented the Mars Bar; in 1964 iconic television programme Thunderbirds was created here by Gerry Anderson and between 1964 - 1969 it was the manufacturing hub for the famous Ford GT40 which won the Le Mans 24-hour race an unprecedented four times.
Despite its origins in Slough, Slough Estates expanded far beyond the Berkshire town through the 20th century making acquisitions across the UK and moving into Canada and Australia in the 1950s, the USA and France and Germany in the 1970s, and from the 1990s established a footprint in The Netherlands, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland.
In 2007 the company changed its name to SEGRO plc and became a UK Real Estate Investment Trust, making the bold decision in 2011 to sell its retail and office assets to focus solely on industrial property, anticipating that the growth of ecommerce would lead to huge demand for warehouse space.
Today SEGRO has a £12.2 billion portfolio of industrial property across the UK and Continental Europe, comprised of urban logistics space – essential for ‘last mile’ delivery of goods – and ‘big-box’ logistics space, which are larger regional or national distribution hubs.
ABOUT SEGRO
SEGRO is a UK Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and listed on the London Stock Exchange in the FTSE 100 index. It is a leading owner, manager and developer of modern warehouses and light industrial property with a portfolio comprising 8 million square metres of space (86 million square feet), valued at £12.2 billion. Its assets are positioned strategically at locations in the UK across London and the South-East and Midlands regions, while in Continental Europe it has developments in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, The Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
For 100 years SEGRO has been creating the space that enables extraordinary things to happen. From modern big box warehouses, used primarily for regional, national and international distribution hubs, to urban warehousing located close to major population centres and business districts, it provides high-quality assets that allow its customers to thrive.