BRITISH LAND: A 20-YEAR PARTNERSHIP

“I’m Anna Devlet, Head of Social Sustainability at British Land, and I’ve been in this role for 14 years. British Land is a listed real estate company and we own, manage and develop properties across the UK. Our company purpose is to create places that people prefer, and we do that on a long-term sustainable basis.

What is British Land’s strategic vision behind the partnership with Create?

At British Land, we focus on how we can maximise our social impact and use that to create thriving places. By working with Create, we’ve been able to leverage our strengths and our resources to achieve this. It’s the strength of the partnership that has enabled us to do that.

Why do you think the partnership between British Land and Create works so well?

We’ve been working with Create for 20 years. There isn’t anyone else we’ve worked with for that long. What underpins the success of our 20-year partnership is how consistently professional it has been all the way through, and genuine too. We didn’t enter the relationship thinking we wanted a long-term partnership, but it’s worked for us because we’ve been on a journey together. As our approach to our places has evolved, we’ve been able to work with Create in really thinking about how our programmes can maximise social impact and Create has been a fantastic organisation to help us on that journey.

THE CREATIVE ARTS ARE WHAT BRING JOY TO LIFE. CREATIVITY PROVIDES AN OUTLET FOR ME, IN MY EVERYDAY LIFE, IN MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE, IN MY FRIENDSHIPS, IN ALL ASPECTS, IT’S THAT OUTLET.

How has the partnership developed?

Together we developed art:space, an incredible programme that engages with young carers in the communities in which we operate. It gives them a place to grow and feel confident and it enhances their wellbeing, using creativity as a means to engage with communities in our places.

The art:space partnership is place-based and therefore tailored to local needs. It allows for grassroots interaction, so while it’s something that we can apply to different places in our portfolio as a business, we have the confidence that it’s responding to local needs and maximising social impact in the communities in which we operate too.

Staff from different British Land sites have taken part in Create projects over the years. What does volunteering bring to the company and staff who work at British Land?

We’ve always promoted and encouraged volunteering. Our partnership with Create has provided volunteering opportunities for our own people, and we’ve had really strong and positive feedback about how rewarding it’s been for staff and how much it’s assisted them in their roles and their personal lives too.

What has been your experience of working with Create?

I love working with Nicky (CEO), she’s brilliant to work with. The Create team know what they’re focused on. They have a very clear mission, clear aims, and they are also very mindful and open as to how they can work with businesses to support those aims. It’s always been an extremely clear and easy relationship. 

Why do you think the creative arts are so important for the groups Create works with and the British Land sites where projects are delivered? 

The arts sector, in this challenging external environment, always seems to be the first to see cuts. We’ve all seen the well-established links between productivity and engagement in the arts. As a business, we would argue that the focus on arts needs to be maintained and continued.

The art:space partnership uses the arts as a way to engage with learning and employment and gives participants the chance to think about themselves as individuals. The project enables and encourages this and that’s very important for us, because we can see the link to productivity, wellbeing and improvements in education and employment outcomes. The arts are the engagement mechanism to achieving improved social outcomes later in life.

Why do you think the creative arts are important to society?

Why aren’t the creative arts important? The creative arts in all forms are what bring joy to life. On a personal note, creativity provides an outlet for me, in my everyday life, in my professional life, in my friendships, in all aspects, it’s that outlet.