The Norwood Property Lunch is the industry’s largest charity fundraising and networking event – an absolute must in the diary for anyone who’s anyone in the property business.
The 18th lunch took place in June 2017 at the London Hilton Park Lane, and was notable for the rare public appearance of the distinguished – and usually extremely secretive – keynote guest speaker: former Director General of the MI5 Security Service Dame Stella Rimington.
With over 750 property industry leaders in attendance, the event raised more than £600,000 for the thousands of vulnerable young people, families and adults with learning disabilities that Norwood helps every year.
The proceedings were opened by Mark Pollack, director of Aston Chase and co-chair of the Property Lunch, who announced that since its inception the Property Lunch had raised over £6m for charitable causes.
Over the course of the afternoon, awards were handed out in recognition of excellence in the property industry. However, for many the highlight was the speech by Rebecca – a former beneficiary of Norwood services – who recounted the experience of recovering from being forced out of her home at 14 to ultimately embark on a PhD in chemistry at Imperial College London.
“Norwood was there for me my whole life,” she said. “During my difficult childhood, they helped me like a normal child. Then they helped me achieve my dream of going to university. Norwood’s counsellors, carers and whole team never gave up on me.”
Rebecca’s speech received a standing ovation, and was a testament to why Residential Land is proud to be one of many supporters of the Norwood Property Lunch. For more information and to find out how you can get involved with Norwood’s fundraising events click here.