Built to Rock: Build-to-Rent sector unites to rock and raise funds for charity

Professionals across the Build-to-Rent sector, who are usually more accustomed to building cities with bricks and mortar than on rock and roll, will be taking to the stage to help raise money for The Listening Place, a mental health charity.
The band has been assembled by Andrew Yates, a Real Estate Partner at DLA Piper, with a specialism in Build-to-Rent. The group comprises ten professionals who will be performing a set of 16 classic rock covers in the Flamingo Room in Soho, London, on Wednesday 3 July.

Tickets cost £20 per person, with all funds raised donated to The Listening Place, a charity providing ongoing, face-to-face support to people in London who feel that life is no longer worth living.
Research shows that in the UK someone dies by suicide every 80 minutes and it is the most common cause of death in men under the age of 50 and in all adults under 35. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, workers in construction are also nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than in any other sector.
Despite this, effective and responsive support can be hard to find. The Listening Place seeks to meet this need by providing free, ongoing and in-person support to people who are feeling this way, giving them the opportunity to be listened to by one of the charity’s volunteers at fortnightly appointments.

Band members ready to rock and raise money for this cause include:
• Andrew Yates from DLA Piper on lead guitar
• Mike Butler from Acre Capital Real Estate on the drums
• Lesley Chen Davison from Telford Homes on the keyboard and violin
• Ed Crockett from Europa Capital, James Hart from LGIM and Sophie White from Aviva Capital Partners with the vocals
• Rick de Blaby from Get Living on the bass guitar
• Simon Marshall from Aviva Capital Partners on guitar and vocals
• Alex Matthews from Harris Associates on the saxophone
• Nick Hurn from Realstar playing the bagpipes

Rick de Blaby, CEO of Get Living and bass guitarist, said:
“Courtesy of Andrew Yates, a group of us came together to discuss rock and roll rather than planning regimes and decided to show a new side to build-to-rent with a one-off performance in aid of a really important mental health charity, The Listening Place.

“We’ve been rehearsing hard over the last few months and we’re looking forward to bringing the noise on 3 July with an eclectic rock set list. From The Stereophonics to Miley Cyrus, there’s something for everyone and we hope that our colleagues and friends across the industry come out to support The Listening Place and the band.”

If you want to come and feel the noise, and spend an evening listening to classics from The Stereophonics, The Commitments, U2, The Killers and Miley Cyrus.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Doors open from 7.00pm on 3 July at the Flamingo Room in O’Neill’s Wardour Street, London.