Clearbell and The Riverwalk commit £10,000 to support fight against poverty in County Durham.

The donation will be matched by County Durham Community Foundation and will be committed to fighting poverty and enriching lives in County Durham all year round.

Poverty is a harsh reality for more and more families and individuals in County Durham. The impact of poverty is felt across all aspects of life – limiting the hopes, opportunities, and potential of thousands across the county.

The County Durham Community Foundation Poverty Hurts Appeal brings businesses and communities together to alleviate poverty across the country. In the last year alone, the Poverty Hurts Appeal has helped an estimated 34,650 children and adults facing hardship by awarding £618,594 in grants to small but vital charities at the heart of helping local communities.

The donation follows another successful year for the Lumiere Festival, installations for which were hosted at The Riverwalk. The festival brings art and culture to all and the pledged support for Poverty Hurts will see Lumiere’s legacy continue to enrich lives throughout the year.  

At the heart of Clearbell’s mission is an ambition to better engage with communities in the locations we operate in, and ultimately drive long-lasting social value for them.  The work that Poverty Hurts do is vital in supporting some of the most vulnerable members of the community around The Riverwalk, and so we’re very proud to be able to support them in their cause, and to  be part of Lumiere, an event that continues to go from strength to strength and increase footfall for our occupiers”.

Toby Saul, Associate Director at Clearbell Capital LLP

Chophouse Blacklock to debut in Manchester as Clearbell announces first letting at Freetrade.

Blacklock, a London-based chophouse, will open its first branch outside of the capital having agreed a lease for the lower ground floor of Freetrade in the heart of Manchester city centre.

Inspired by the traditional London Chophouse, which was established in the seventeenth century, Blacklock serves the very best British produce with a focus on affordability and quality.  

Centrally located close to the Town Hall and St Peter’s Square, the 36,000 sq ft Freetrade has undergone a significant period of refurbishment that has not only modernised the building, but also focused on increasing its sustainability credentials in keeping with Clearbell’s commitment to delivering high environmental and social value.

The Grade II listed building underwent extensive retrofitting to achieve an EPC A rating, with the five floors of contemporary workspace now heated by air source heat pumps, renewable energy sources and benefiting from rooftop solar panels. The reception area is also home to a living wall, enhancing air quality and customer wellbeing.

Office tenants will also have access to a wealth of amenities focused on encouraging wellbeing, including a roof terrace, gym, yoga studio, sauna and bike storage.

Blacklock, which has B Corp status and is a Best Companies Top 100 Employer is due to open its doors in September 2024.

Blacklock is an ideal first occupier at Freetrade settling in amongst some of Manchester’s most popular hotels, bars and eateries. We have no doubt that it will be able to replicate the huge success it has seen in London in its first venture outside of the capital, and we are really pleased that they have chosen Freetrade to do so. Our redevelopment of Freetrade has been an incredibly rewarding project, injecting new life into a heritage building, maintaining its Victorian features while also bringing it into the 21^st century by incorporating best-in-class wellbeing and sustainability credentials. Given Blacklock’s own impressive ESG values, they are a fitting partner for us as we give Freetrade a new, greener future.”

Alex Alban-Moore, Associate Director at Clearbell Capital

Powering the future of the property industry

The property industry has come under fire in recent years for being opaque and old fashioned. We’re seeing welcome momentum, industry wide, to change this. Yet one area, where we have much further to go, is diversity.

From agents to investors, to funds and property managers, there is plenty of job diversity within the property sector. Yet there’s so little diversity among the individuals that tend to be attracted to and who ultimately take on these jobs.   

One of the biggest challenges for the property industry in the coming years will be ensuring we have the best talent. Diversity of talent will be crucial to achieving this.

Often when we go about our day-to-day it’s easy to forget that for many, the property industry is something of a mystery. However, when we take a step back, it is clear one of the biggest barriers to entry, for a more diverse pool of talent, is a lack of understanding of the opportunities on offer. This, coupled with a lack of knowledge of the skills required to pursue opportunities, is holding people back.

It’s well documented that fewer women, fewer minority groups and fewer candidates from lower socio demographic backgrounds choose to study for future roles in property. 

Those with connections in the industry and a prior understanding can be at an advantage. But in many cases students and graduates just don’t know their options. Or don’t think the industry is for them. How can we open doors for a broader pool of new talent?

At Clearbell, we wanted to play our part in addressing this challenge. 

To address this, we are collaborating with Power2, a charity offering young people experiential learning and skills-based development. We have just hosted our first work experience candidate through Power2 at Clearbell, providing them with a solid overview of the property industry and of Clearbell’s role within this. Our first candidate spent time talking to each of our Partners in the business to understand their role and supported our asset management team on a daily basis.

It’s a small step in the right direction. Going forward we will be hosting additional candidates at our offices and taking the Clearbell team to meet groups of students, to educate them on opportunities in the sector.

The property industry is too often unexplored in students’ earlier years. This prevents us from welcoming the most diverse and ultimately best people into the industry. We will continue to find ways to support and open doors for future talent.

Our industry is only as good as the people in it.