A charity which helps disabled and disadvantaged people into employment and independent living will be expanding into Leicester, following a deal overseen by commercial property agency Innes England.
Shaw Trust was set up in 1982 in Wiltshire. The organisation now aims to support more than 50,000 people a year to live independent and inclusive lives across its 200 centres in the UK.
The charity will be moving into the recently redeveloped 5 Horsefair House, in Leicester city centre, taking 3,785 sq ft of space, which will be used for the company’s work and health programme.
Around 20 jobs have been created as part of Shaw Trust’s expansion and the ground floor office has been transformed to include a coffee lounge-style area, hot desking for staff and soft seating meeting spaces.
Jon Smith, head of work and health programme at Shaw Trust, said: “The programme is designed to provide individually tailored support for people with disabilities and health conditions, in order to remove barriers and enable them to gain sustainable employment that’s right for them. We see Leicester as the ideal location for our East Midlands work and wellbeing hub as it is a vibrant city with excellent transport links to the east of the region.”
The building was formally a Halifax bank and has stood empty for nine months while a refurbishment was carried out to make the space more modern and contemporary. It is also occupied by the likes of Kanoo Travel, Cartwright King Solicitors and Ghost nightclub.
Ashley Stevenson, director at family-run L&M Investment, which owns the property, said: “It’s fantastic to have Shaw Trust move into Horsefair House, located in a thriving area based in Leicester city centre. The office space is in a great city location, modern and spacious. We have various industries in the building and as a family-owned local business, we are eager to support similar companies looking to expand into Leicestershire.”
Jenny Clarke, associate director at Innes England, said: “It has been great to welcome Shaw Trust – a charity that provides services such as employment, skills, apprenticeships and community-led social enterprise projects – to Leicester.”
