20 years in the making: AtkinsRéalis looks back ahead of Nottingham Hot Property 2024

Neil Walker, Midlands regional managing director at AtkinsRéalis, has been attending Nottingham Hot Property since its launch in 2004 and has seen hundreds of performances over the years, and participated in the majority of those events himself. Here, he shares his thoughts on this year’s event.

How many years have you supported/attended Hot Property?

It’s been 20 years and I even performed at the very first one!

Why is Hot Property so important to you? Why did you want to sponsor the event?

It’s an incredible event, with fantastic people raising huge amounts of money for charity. What isn’t there to like?

What’s your favourite Hot Property memory or performance from over the years and why?

There are too many to mention but ‘Summer of ‘69’, a rendition of The Blues Brothers and ‘Suspicious Minds’ performed by Dave Chapman are just a few notable mentions.

My most memorable performance would be the opportunity to sing ‘My Hero’ with Tom Brogan and a few others in Colin Walker’s memory.

What are you looking forward to most about Hot Property this year?

I’m really looking forward to the new outdoor venue and the fact that more people will hopefully be coming along. I’ve also chosen a song that lets me jump around the stage and scream, so I am quite excited about that. Hopefully there is some new and exciting talents coming along too.

Can you give us a sneaky clue about what we can expect from your performance this year?

I have probably given that away already in the responses to some of the questions above!

It isn’t a ballad and its best played loud. Hopefully the crowd will bring their friends, pogo along and get involved.