This month’s Partner Spotlight is another 40 Stories of Impact special, as we shine a light on Savills – one of LandAid’s longest standing partners.
Savills has truly gone above and beyond to play their part in ending youth homelessness.
Savills is an international real estate advisor, committed to helping people thrive through places and spaces.
Homelessness is a key societal issue, and Savills is committed to supporting LandAid in its work to end youth homelessness.
Last year alone, Savills provided £88,000 in support through a combination of corporate donations and employee‑led fundraising, which sustained support for 35 young people to build brighter futures.
Savills is one of our most active partner in our Pro Bono Programme.
Since 2024, Savills has been matched to 20 new pro bono projects, supporting up to 225 young people with safe, secure and supportive emergency accommodation.
In 2025 alone, Savills supported nine ongoing pro bono projects, including a major extension for New Horizon Youth Centre (NHYC), helping to expand vital services for young people experiencing homelessness in London.
NHYC had received a LandAid grant, and Savills visited the centre to help colleagues see how Savills’s fundraising supports LandAid’s mission. Attendees included staff involved in pro bono work or fundraising, as well as the Savills UK Managing Director, who is also a LandAid Trustee.
Following the visit, Savills began two pro bono projects for NHYC, leasing advice and support with redesigning and fitting out their premises, donating over 100 hours of support to date.
From HR advice, to surveying, and more, Savills has truly embraced the opportunity to support charities needing urgent help with specialist skills and expertise.
I have been supporting Caysh, a youth homelessness charity focusing on delivering services for 16-25-year-olds, and their senior leadership team, for the past 6 months, drawing on both my third sector and real estate experience. Being able to help Caysh shape their purpose and narrative in the language more commonly used in the real estate sector is vital to help them communicate the impact they create through their initiatives. With ESG reporting becoming more and more prevalent in real estate, it is important that organisations that seek to raise funding demonstrate their value to society and are capable of reporting on that impact, back to the source of funds.Wesley Ankrah, Director, Social Value at Savills.
After an increase in demand for support for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, LandAid’s Pro Bono Programme matched Savills to the Justlife Foundation, embarking on a two-year journey of impact.
A specialist team of architects, sustainability advisors, project consultants and engineers was assembled by Savills free of charge, helping the charity transform their Manchester Centre into a fit for purpose and environmentally friendly space, creating a welcoming, supporting environment for people affected by homelessness.
The redevelopment of the Centre converted one multi-purpose room into a dividable, private and sound proofed, more flexible spaces to accommodate small group activities and individual support. This will allow the charity to provide a safer, more supportive space for individuals experiencing loneliness during the pandemic.
Savills supported the project from design, through to furnishing. Without LandAid’s network of supporters, and Savills’s expertise and generosity, this project would not have been possible.
Read more about the project here.
People across Savills continue to support the LandAid SleepOut, with national participation year after year. In 2025, 147 employees took part across seven locations, raising £39,000—enough to support 16 young people.
Participation spans all levels of the business, from junior colleagues to senior leadership. Several members of the UK Board have taken part over the years, including Savills’s Managing Director, who has both slept out and volunteered in the running of the event. Their involvement sets a powerful example, not only within Savills but across the wider industry.
Savills also champions our wider fundraising efforts, raising a further £6,000 in 2025 through Race for LandAid, the Trek, and our Gala Dinner, while regularly launching their own initiatives to help drive our mission to end youth homelessness.
We are very grateful to have several Savills employees advocating and supporting LandAid in a number of networks.
Richard Rees, Savills Managing Director and Head of National Development Services sits on LandAid’s Board of trustees. He brings a wealth of industry knowledge and key understanding of the benefits and social impact of housing and development to the table advocating for LandAid amongst the industry’s most influential voices. Read more about Richard’s involvement with our board here.
Nick Sanderson, Savills Group Chief Financial Officer also sits on LandAid’s Board of Trustees. Nick has a deep leadership track record of driving strategic change, business & cultural transformation and capital markets execution. He is passionate about purpose, places, people, performance and progress. Read more about Nick’s involvement with the Board here.
Ted Harding-Brown, Savills Associate Director is an active South West Board Member, helping LandAid create impact in the region. Sarah Gregory, a Savills Director sits on our Midlands Board, and a SleepOut 2026 Sub-Group member, helping us increase the events impact and reach. Read more about Sarah’s involvement with LandAid and the 2026 SleepOut here. We recently had a chat with Sarah about all things SleepOut, read it here.
Rebecca Smith and Gemma Kilford, who work on Savills’s sustainability team lead on our partnership from the businesses side and allow our collaboration to be managed professionally and efficiently to create the biggest impact.
Lastly, Amelia Khan and Irfan Reza currently volunteer as LandAid Ambassadors, helping raise the profile of LandAid and associated fundraisers within the industry.
As we celebrate 40 years of LandAid, we recognise the important role that partners like Savills have played in creating impact throughout our history.
Savills has been a LandAid partner for as far back as our records go, being a core part of LandAid history.
Throughout the years Savills has been an incredible supporter. From attending Gala Dinners, to our latest SleepOut in March, Savills continues to raise vital funds to help us allocate grants to frontline charities.
We’re incredibly proud to support LandAid and play a part in helping young people find safety, stability, and a brighter future. As a business, we believe it’s our responsibility to go beyond words and provide meaningful, measurable support to tackle youth homelessness. By bringing the skills and expertise from across our organisation, we can help create transformative impactRebecca Smith, UK Sustainability Director at Savills.
Take action, like Savills has, and become a LandAid Partner. You too can help us end youth homelessness.
