International Day of Charity: Creating Positive Change Together

International Day of Charity, marked on 5 September each year, recognises the charities, organisations, businesses and individuals who give their time and resources to creating positive change in their communities.

At Global Guardians, we believe our impact should extend beyond protecting and managing vacant properties. Creating social value in the places we operate is part of how we work, and it is something we measure rather than just talk about.

Community impact in Barnet

At Douglas Bader Park in Barnet, our partnership with community organisation My Yard and Home Group supported 53 households and 154 individuals in its most recent year, with food provision, debt advice, employment support, wellbeing services and safeguarding. Independent HACT assessment put the social value generated at £585,000, a return of £19 for every £1 invested. Read more in More Than Food: Creating Lasting Community Impact Through Partnership.

Challenging stigma in social housing

We are a supporting partner of the Stop Social Housing Stigma campaign, working alongside the University of Durham, Sheffield Hallam University, the Chartered Institute of Housing and TPAS to change how social housing and the people who live in it are seen. Our CEO Stuart Woolgar has committed us to working with landlords, councils and contractors to create a positive environment for residents.

How guardianship plays its part

Property guardianship contributes to this wider purpose. By bringing vacant buildings back into use, we help protect valuable assets while providing affordable living spaces for working professionals and adding a visible, positive presence to the surrounding community. As Alex Berry of JLL put it, empty properties are “being used for something socially useful”.

This International Day of Charity, we celebrate everyone working to make a difference, and we remain committed to creating social value wherever we operate.