In normal circumstances (remember them?), approximately 45,000 people would be lining up in Greenwich Park awaiting the start of the London Marathon. Sadly, for obvious reasons, the event has been rescheduled for early October. This was going to be the 40th London Marathon, an event that each year brings together the greatest athletes in the world (like Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei) and a vast number of ‘idiots’ who want to dress up and run 26.2 miles as Big Ben or a large rhino. Every year for the past thirteen years, the marathon has set a world record for an annual one-day fundraiser, with more than £1 billion raised since the first race back in 1981. Last year the Marathon raised £66.4m for charities. And while today’s race is not taking place, its organisers are still hoping that thousands of people will spend the day raising and donating money for charities as part of a nationwide 2.6 Challenge – in which people tackle something related to the numbers two and six. Run 2.6km? Host a Zoom quiz with 26 people? Drink two pints and six glasses of wine? It is estimated charities will lose £4bn in income as a result of the pandemic. Whilst the Government has recently announced a £750 million package of support to ensure they can continue their vital work during the coronavirus outbreak, why not do your bit today? What else is there to do? The Weekly will make a donation to Boost Charitable Trust for every accomplished 2.6 challenge we receive, with the best challenge winning a bottle of champagne. Good luck!

Is it just us or are we receiving more research on the real estate industry than ever before? Reams of the stuff, all extremely high in quality and content and covering a vast array of topics. CPD hours won’t be a problem in 2020. For example, on Friday alone we received an update on UK investment transactions in Q1 (courtesy of LSH’s UKIT), the performance of the main UK office markets (Avison Young’s Big Nine), as well as a note from Knight Frank on the impact on the global healthcare sector. Keeping up to date with everything going on is a big ask, especially with anything that isn’t tagged with the C-word. One such news story was this week's announcement that Parliament’s spending watchdog has launched an inquiry into the purchases of commercial property by local authorities, amid fears that the coronavirus pandemic will expose them to a significant drop in income from their investments. Apparently, the committee is going to be looking into whether local government officials have the commercial skills required for such transactions, which have skyrocketed over the past four years. A recent report from the National Audit Office found that local authorities spent an estimated £6.6bn on commercial property from 2016-17 to 2018-19, compared with £460m during the preceding three years. Whilst the questions, of course, need answering, the timing could be better, surely? The pandemic is creating a massive hole in council budgets due to shortfalls in council tax income, along with lost revenues from missed parking and leisure fees. At a time when they have been spending millions extra on providing social care and on housing rough sleepers, questioning whether they should have acquired a fully occupied multi-let industrial estate in Leeds feels rather inappropriate.

For many, the 8pm clap on a Thursday evening is a highlight of the week. Whilst it offers us the chance to make our appreciation heard for the key workers and carers, it is also having a dramatic impact on the spirits of the country, with many citing how they’ve never felt more connected to their local community, despite the fact we’re all locked inside! The residents of Belper, in Derbyshire, have, however, taken matters one step further to try and raise spirits during these difficult times. Every evening from 6.30pm to 6.32pm the residents are invited to fight the lockdown loneliness and boredom by mooing from a window or doorway. Residents are encouraged to use household implements, dubbed mega-moo phones -such as hosepipes, watering can funnels and traffic cones to make the moos louder. Yup, you have read all this right. Such is the power of the moo-vement, it has now spread to different parts of the UK, including Essex and Lancashire, and there are even reports of international moos in the USA, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. Whilst this all sounds udderly unbelievable, perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised. Belper, after all, is already known for being rather eccentric. Do you know of any other towns with a statue of Mr Potato Head!