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Community

Working with our local communities

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As a responsible, long-term investor in London’s West End, Shaftesbury Capital is committed to being a good neighbour, contributing to the success of our local communities. 

Underpinned by the purpose and values of our business, our approach recognises the communities that make our destinations thrive. Through collaboration with our stakeholders, including local partners, charities, and community groups, we focus on creating meaningful, long-term benefits to the lives of people across Westminster and Camden.

In 2025, our community investments and activities delivered £5.9 million in social value. We commenced our three-year community strategy, prioritising support for helping local people into employment as the area with the greatest potential to deliver lasting impact through partnership. We have worked with the Social Value Portal to improve our reporting by adopting the Themes, Outcomes, and Measures ("TOMs") framework to quantify the wider impact of our community investment activities.

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Our community impact

Our Community Impact Report highlights the key activities, programmes, and partnerships we supported throughout 2025. In addition to maintaining many long-standing relationships with our community partners, we have used the flexibility of our Community Grants Fund to provide funding towards the cost of projects and events delivered by local charities and organisations. 

We are proud to invest in programmes supporting local employment, addressing our communities’ needs. Our colleagues actively participate in community initiatives each year, sharing their skills through volunteering programmes, fundraising events and supporting our interns. 

Discover our Community Impact Report 2025 

Our impact in action

Case studies

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Donmar Warehouse

The Donmar Warehouse is a not-for-profit theatre in Seven Dials, recognised as where the world’s leading artists make world-class theatre. The Catalyst talent development programme seeks to invest in the next generation of excellent theatre makers by providing bespoke, in-depth training opportunities. 

In 2025, we provided financial assistance to the Catalyst programme, which offers paid traineeships to emerging designers and aspiring administrators who are from backgrounds that are underrepresented at the Donmar and in the wider creative industries. Our funding has supported a cohort of 12 trainees to work across several administrative and creative roles. These included set and lighting design, costume, participation, and development, learning from experienced professional creatives and Donmar employees. Upon completion of the programme, Donmar Warehouse supports trainees to find employment within the sector as freelancers or at other London or major regional theatres, promoting diversity in the wider industry workforce. 

a group of people in a room with a woman in a wheelchair

Young Westminster and Young Camden Foundations

The Young Westminster and Young Camden Foundations are cross-sector charities that support local youth clubs and children’s organisations through grants, training and networking. By bringing together businesses, public sector partners, individuals and major funders, they help strengthen services for young people across Westminster and Camden. Our support for the charities’ Brighter Futures Funds helps increase long-term funding for youth provision in both boroughs. Organisations in Westminster and Camden can apply for grants to deliver projects that support young people’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

In Westminster, Brighter Futures Fund support enabled the Canal Story Explorers Club, where children from North Westminster spent eight weeks aboard The Floating Classroom, exploring Paddington’s canals through hands-on learning and storytelling activities. In Camden, funding for icandance helped empower young adults aged 18–25 through free employability workshops. Participants developed professional skills, co-facilitated community arts sessions, and built confidence as creative leaders, leading to opportunities within icandance and beyond.

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London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London

Since 2019, we have partnered with London College of Fashion ("LCF"), University of the Arts London, to support the next generation of young talent in the British tailoring industry. Every two years, we host a competition providing an opportunity for graduates from the BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring course to pitch their business idea to a panel of experts. The judges review competition applicants’ business models and designs based on sustainability, quality and innovation. Two winners receive two years of rent-free studio space in the iconic Carnaby Street area, providing a platform to scale their brands. 

2025 marked the fourth round of the competition, with representatives from LCF and Shaftesbury Capital judging alongside iconic British bespoke tailor Mark Powell. Following presentations by five finalists, the judges selected Tilda Jonathan and Johanna Boone as the competition winners. Tilda’s work is centred on designing and crafting the highest-quality bespoke womenswear. Johanna crafts one-of-a-kind garments and accessories rooted in her own designs, extending them through continuous collaboration with her clients. 

Community investments

Delivering social value

In 2025, our community investments and activities delivered £5,870,000 in social value. 
This is reported under three themes:

Social value delivered through initiatives resulting in local employment

This includes initiatives that have directly enabled residents living within a London borough to secure employment within Westminster or Camden

Social value delivered through contributions to charities, community groups and organisations

This includes our cash donations, free or subsidised "in-kind" space and employee volunteer time

Social value delivered through stewardship, estate investment and marketing initiatives

This includes programmes such as the Westminster City Inspectors, cleaning and greening initiatives, public realm improvements and marketing initiatives such as Christmas and cultural activations

Testimonials

a woman in a black sweater

The experience I gained through Catalyst enriched my portfolio and gave me the confidence to take the next step in my career. This year, I have started working at the National Theatre as a production design assistant, and the Catalyst experience played an important role in making that possible. I am deeply grateful to Shaftesbury Capital for its generous support, and I hope more emerging designers will be able to benefit from this programme and continue to move forward in the industry.

Joy Chen – Assistant Set Designer on The Fear of 13
Young Camden Foundation and Young Westminster Foundation logos

We are really proud of our partnership with Shaftesbury Capital. The vital funding to our Brighter Futures Fund fosters opportunities for so many young people. The commitment of the Shaftesbury Capital team is a great example of how supporting local projects is at the heart of building a community of support for children and young people.

Helen Mann and Daisy Srblin – Young Westminster and Young Camden Foundation CEOs
a woman measuring a jacket on a mannequin

Winning the competition with Shaftesbury Capital has helped to elevate my practice immensely. Having a dedicated workspace in the heart of Soho is really exciting and it enables me to push myself and my craft to the next level. Thank you Shaftesbury Capital and LCF for this opportunity.

Tilda Jonathan – LCF 2025 competition winner

What we have achieved

Community engagement highlights

  • Partnering with the Young Westminster and Young Camden Foundations to support their Brighter Futures Funds
  • Collaborating with the Department for Work and Pensions to host employability events, supporting local employment
  • Providing financial assistance to employability programmes delivered by homelessness charities, including Single Homeless Project and Only A Pavement Away
  • Funding arts-based educational and employment initiatives with organisations such as Go Live Theatre, Stage One, and Donmar LOCAL
  • Sponsoring our sixth scholar at the University of Westminster, committing tuition fees and a living bursary for an undergraduate on the Real Estate BSc (Hons) course
  • Supporting local community groups and events, including the London Chinese Community Centre, Covent Garden Community Centre, and Soho Food Feast
  • Tackling local food insecurity by supporting The Abbey Centre Community Pantry in Westminster and the We Make Camden Kit “Access to Food for All” initiative
  • Supporting ex-service personnel by hosting an Armistice Day commemoration event in Covent Garden and funding a Blind Veterans UK employability programme

For 2025–2028, our primary strategy focus remains supporting local employment, the area identified as most relevant to our local communities and where, through partnerships and collaboration, we have an opportunity to create the greatest impact.

a man standing in front of a pink food truck

£390,000

Social value delivered through initiatives resulting in local employment

£1,108,000

Social value delivered through contributions to charities, community groups and organisations

£4,371,000

Social value delivered through stewardship, estate investment and marketing initiatives

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