Independent agent marks 25 year anniversary with charity pledge

Oakfield Estate Agents is marking a quarter-century in business with a major rebrand and a pledge to donate £50 to a local charity for every house sold.

Neil Newstead launched the East Sussex-based firm in 1996 with business partner Stephen Ruxton-Cocker from a small office in Hastings. 

Today there is a head office in St Leonards and branches in Eastbourne and Bexhill-on-Sea.

The rebrand includes a new logo, website and boards.

A cornerstone of the Oakfield brand philosophy is taking pride in its part of the world and its strong commitment to being a good neighbour. 

This is outlined in the Oakfield Community Pledge, launched with the new branding on 1 June, which promises to share income from all property transactions to nearby good causes which sellers themselves have chosen.

For every house sold, the agency will donate £50 to a local charity of the customer’s choice, chosen from a pre-selected list of six local charities. 

Oakfield also sponsors a number of East Sussex football teams, school fetes and similar events. 

Additionally, individual staff members have thrown themselves into fundraising with bungee jumps and marathon running.

Newstead said: “We have handpicked six organisations who we feel really support our community.

“The team will remain involved in helping and volunteering in the community in other ways. 

“We’ve come a long way but there’s still so much we want to do. It feels wonderful to celebrate 25 years in business, but we’re very much looking forward to the next 25.”