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Property's rising stars were yesterday recognised for their contributions to charity at the annual LandAid Ambassadors' Awards.

It started with a mischievous suggestion from a friend. Justin Brand and his wife, Jo Allen (of Frogmore), were planning for Jo's 50th birthday with friends when one of them suggested that to mark the occasion, she could aim to take on the London Marathon. 'You git,' Justin remembers thinking, knowing that Jo never backs away from a challenge and he'd be dragged into training as well.

It is often said that the health of an economy can be measured by the numbers of cranes that appear in the skyline of a city. Well, I want to propose to you tonight that the health of the nation can also be measured by the way in which your sense of social responsibility as an industry is brought to bear on the subject of youth homelessness.

It’s a view close to our hearts here at LandAid. A year ago we set out to achieve lasting change with a clear goal in mind: to end youth homelessness. This in itself had us concentrating our efforts on one pressing issue. But over the year, we recognised the need to focus even further.

LandAid yesterday raised £266,000 for youth homelessness projects at a gala dinner to celebrate our 30th anniversary. The event, held at London's Guildhall and supported by Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, was attended by HRH The Duke of Cambridge and 500 of the industry's senior figures.

In the most recent Housing White Paper, the government announced plans to provide public money and land for new modular housing in the quest for solutions to the housing crisis. To find out more about how alternative housing solutions can help young people with nowhere safe to live, I visited QED Property at the Bordars Walk site, where they are working on a scheme, designed to deliver emergency accommodation for local people who have been, or are about to be made homeless.

LandAid has hit the ground running in 2017. For the first time, we will be holding two LandAid 10Ks in the same year.

LandAid has announced a £100,000 grant for Depaul UK to help create a new day centre for young homeless people in South London. With youth homelessness on the rise, daytime support and shelter are urgently needed in the area.

Where does my money go? It's a question anyone donating to charity has a right to ask. Being careful, accountable and transparent in the use of our supporters' donations is one of LandAid's core values. That is why, as part of its drive to improve transparency, LandAid has published its grants data on 360Giving.