NRLA member continues charity crusade
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Landlord and letting agent Michelle Walker-Smith has been raising money for charity again.
The Newcastle-based business owner has taken part in a sponsored sleepout along with other business leaders to raise much needed money for the homeless and under-privileged.
CEO Sleepout is a charity which sees professionals from different sectors secure sponsorship and then sleep rough for the night, with the money raised used to fight homelessness.
This sleepout took place on 16 May, at the Alnwick Garden in Newcastle, with Michelle joined by 75 other fundraisers.
We profiled Michelle and her inspiring deeds in a previous issue of NRLA members’ magazine Property and her tireless fundraising work has seen her become an ambassador for the charity.
She previously slept out at St James' Park, home of Newcastle United Football Club, raising hundreds of pounds.
She has worked within the property business as a landlord for 23 years and has been running Aqua Lettings for the last nine. She has seen many people fall on hard times and said that being part of the sleepouts is a way of drawing attention to the severity of homelessness problem in the area, as well as raising money to tackle it.
“People have misconceptions about people they might see on the street,” says Michelle.“However, they’re often there because things just haven’t gone very well.
“My lettings agency has always looked past what you may see on paper with potential tenants and delved a bit deeper. I’m not a qualified social worker but it’s amazing what comes back when you give people a chance.”
That is the motivation for Michelle to keep raising money for those less fortunate than herself.
“This last event we did in Alnwick Garden raised around £16,500,” says Michelle.
On 25 June, as ambassador, she presented a cheque for that amount to Bianca Robinson, Chief Executive of CEO Sleepout. That is not the end of her mission, however.
The Red Sky Foundation will be the beneficiary of money raised at a charity ball at Morpeth Rugby Club, on 16 November. Red Sky performs vital work for babies, children, and adults with heart issues.
You can learn more about this fundraiser by clicking this link.
Aside from her charity work, Michelle continues to work with property investors around the area and is inviting those from the sector to attend a networking event on the 4 July, at the Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
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Have you gone above or beyond to volunteer or raise money in your local area? We are keen to talk to more landlords doing good work for our members magazine Property as well as the news pages of our website. Get in touch at [email protected]
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To find out more about CEO Sleepout visit ceosleepout.co.uk
