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Almost 400 professionals from across the property industry gathered at St Mary’s Church in Marylebone on Thursday 1st October for Legacy 2026, a Black History Month event celebrating black culture, creativity and community.
Spearheaded by Savills, the event was themed ‘Honouring Our Communities’ and brought together people from across the sector to celebrate, learn from one another and build new connections. Savills invited organisations from across the property industry to collaborate on the event, including Grosvenor, CBRE, Knight Frank, RICS, Montagu Evans, JLL, British Land and Cushman & Wakefield.
This year’s theme encouraged attendees to recognise and celebrate the individuals, cultures and experiences that enrich workplaces and the wider industry.
Ahead of the main event, senior leaders from across the participating organisations attended a roundtable discussion. The session provided an opportunity for an open conversation about how the property industry can continue to drive progress and work more collaboratively in this space.
The evening was hosted by Radio 1Xtra DJ Richie Brave and featured a varied programme of live entertainment and storytelling. Guests were welcomed with a performance by Mangrove Steelband as they arrived and enjoyed reception drinks. The main programme began with a welcome address from Andrew Perratt, Savills UK Executive Director and Head of UK Residential. This was followed by a specially commissioned play, ‘Deposited’, written and performed by Jermaine Wong; moving spoken word poetry from Broken Pen; and a musical performance by singer-songwriter Lore.
The event was a powerful reminder of what is possible when we create space for connection, celebration and learning. What started as several individual events in recognition of Black History Month became ‘Legacy’, an opportunity for us to come together as an industry and create something with even greater reach and impact. “This year’s theme, ‘Honouring Our Communities’, encouraged us to recognise the individuals, cultures and experiences that enrich our workplaces and our industry. The senior leaders’ roundtable held ahead of the event was also an important opportunity to have an open and honest conversation about how we can continue to drive progress and work more collaboratively in this space.
Chanelle Gray, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Savills
What made the evening so special was seeing so many people come together to celebrate black culture, share experiences and make new connections. There was a real warmth and energy in the room and a strong sense of community, which is exactly what we had hoped to create. I was genuinely blown away by the talent, creativity and powerful stories shared throughout the evening.
Serena Phillips, Chair of the Savills Ethnicity Group
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