Aksia Helps Centrepoint Raise £89,000 at Auction
On June 24, 2019, the original letters from London’s iconic Centre Point tower were auctioned at an event hosted by Almacantar, the developer which owns the building, with the proceeds donated to Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity.
Alternative investment research and portfolio advisory firm Aksia participated in the auction, which helped raise £89,000 for its charity partner, Centrepoint. Aksia is officially the proud owner of the “R” and its employees hope that by installing the letter in Aksia’s London office, they will be able to further spread the word of Centrepoint’s essential work. Last year, the Aksia team supported Centrepoint by raising over £70,000 in sponsorship for the charity’s Sleep Out event, braving the elements to spend a cold November night sleeping outside. This was the highest amount raised of any of the 120 teams that took part in the event.
The “R” is one of the 11 letters that formerly stood on the tower, and which were transformed by different artists with distinct styles. The sky-high lettering spelling out the building’s name has been a unique feature of Centre Point and Soho since the Sixties.
Artist Charlie Fegan worked on the “R”, and said “This ‘R’ has witnessed every sunset since the Sixties, so I want it to become a repository of these.”
All funds raised from the sale of the letters will go to Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity. Centrepoint was founded in 1969 as a night shelter in Soho. Fifty years later it is a national charity supporting 10,000 homeless young people every year. Centrepoint’s work is about more than just a bed for the night. The charity helps young people to turn their lives around by gaining essential life skills; tackling their physical and mental health issues and moving into education or employment.
Faye Edmonson, Head of Corporate and Regional Fundraising at Centrepoint said: “We are incredibly grateful to Aksia for their amazing support of Centrepoint and we are delighted they were able to take a letter home from the auction. All of the money raised will be used to tackle youth homelessness, which in our 50th year when action is desperately needed, could not have come at a better moment.”
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