I CAN CHILDRENS CHARITY

CLIENT BRIEF AND OUR RESPONSE

I CAN is the children's communication charity, experts in helping children develop their sppech, language and communication skills, so no child is left behind. At I CAN the work and people are spread across three main locations in the UK. The two outstanding schools for children with language disorder are in Ottershaw, Surrey and Rainworth, Nottinghamshire and the charity's head office is in Angel Gate, Islington, London.

After 13 years at Angel Gate, I CAN enlisted the help of Ask-re, following previous consultancy and specialist cost savings advice, to try and shrink their head office real estate footprint. They were locked into an exisiting lease with onerous terms with an imminent rent review in a time where the market was on the rise; even if they shrank the footprint their property costs would go up. However, with the help and skills of Ask-re we found a way to dispose of the existing space with a back-to-back acquisition of new space within the estate, dropped the annual rent below passing, avoided the forthcoming rent review, obtained rent-free for several months and avoided their lease-end dilapidations on a reinstatement basis; so a pretty big package of benefits which we managed to get accepted by the Landlord by careful negotitions.

Having set up this very succesful outcome, we ran into COVID with the 1st lockdown. This put all that negotiations we had achieved at risk of loss. However, we worked out way through into 2021 and here we are today 25 March 2021 completing the disposal and acquisition, deals done! Winners all round, with low rents, rent-free allowances, various other financial benefits and everyone happy, I CAN were not left behind after all despite the initially difficult brief and the COVID emergency.

I CAN is one of the many charities Ask-re support. Please check it on our about us page and learn more about the wonderful things charities like I CAN and others do.

*"The Ask-re team did a great job in very tight and unprecedented conditions"*Steven Williams - I CAN Director of Corporate Services

As part of its statutory obligation to foster its business relationships with clients, suppliers and others, the company through its directors has established and contributes a share of its profits to a fund to the trustees, delegated managers or administrators of which the company’s clients, suppliers and others are welcome to write to seek a discretionary award. The fund is wholly independent of the company and the unfettered exercise of discretion in respect of the award or non-award of monies is a matter wholly for the trustees of that fund. If you wish to contact the trustees, you may do so at Griffin Trustees Limited, Ground Floor, Abbott Building-B, Main Street, P.O. Box 2247, Road Town, Tortola, VG1110 British Virgin Islands.