Canada Water is home to many organisations working to support the community, in areas ranging from health and wellbeing, to business and leadership, to protecting and enhancing the natural environment. Partnering with these organisations is one way in which British Land works to foster a sustainable community at Canada Water. This includes facilitating expert volunteering from within our supply chain, so groups working to help people in the area can benefit from the wealth of skills and experience we’re fortunate to be connected with.
Mallard & Claret, the digital experience agency who built the website for the Canada Water development, recently volunteered their expert services with a rebrand and rebuild of the website for our community partners Tree Shepherd. The agency provided their services free of charge to create a design-led, information-packed and user-friendly site that showcases the breadth of Tree Shepherd’s work supporting local start-ups and entrepreneurs with growing their businesses.
With the community Tree Shepherd serves growing fast, the organisation needed a website to truly reflect the energy, ambition and diversity of the people they work with. With help from British Land and the team at Mallard & Claret, they launched a dynamic online space that celebrates local entrepreneurs’ success stories through blogs and case studies designed to inspire and provide practical insights. The new site helps them reach new audiences, build trust and expand their networks.
Mallard & Claret brought technical expertise to the project, along with a deep understanding of Tree Shepherd’s values and goals. This helped them design a website that’s both visually engaging and highly functional, making it easier than ever for users to explore the businesses Tree Shepherd support.
Sandra Ferguson, Tree Shepherd’s CEO, says that the redesigned website is a powerful tool for growth: “This website marks a new chapter for Tree Shepherd. It’s more than a digital upgrade – it’s a reflection of our commitment to the entrepreneurs we serve. We now have a platform that truly tells their stories, connects them with new opportunities, and strengthens our community. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built with Mallard & Claret, and even more excited about what it will help our clients achieve.”
Sean Croucher, Mallard and Claret’s Senior Project Manager, said: “It was a real pleasure to support Tree Shepherd on the website design. Their work helping local businesses in South East London and Canada Water is incredibly important, and we were proud to play a small part by creating a website that helps amplify their impact. As fellow South East Londoners, giving back to the community wherever we can is something we truly believe in.”
The new site includes a directory of local businesses who work with Tree Shepherd, including Strongman’s Tipple, whose pre-mixed cocktails are stocked at Harrods, MamaSia, who create natural skincare products that can be found at John Lewis, and Only Old School Goods’ range of toys, games and comics that are a treasure trove of nostalgic geekery.
Tree Shepherd’s affordable workspace Thrive, hosted in a space in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre provided by British Land, serves as a launch pad for the kind of entrepreneurs Canada Water needs to build a thriving economy that meets local requirements. As well as a spacious and well-lit spaces in which to grow their operations, Thrive businesses benefit from expert mentoring services, and the chance to put their wares in front of the public at the monthly Thrive markets hosted in the shopping centre.
Visit the new and improved Tree Shepherd website: www.treeshepherd.org.uk
