Lord Mayor’s Appeal launches scheme to build a city that is inclusive, healthy, skilled and fair

The Lord Mayor’s Appeal will tonight announce new plans in a bid to change one million lives by supporting three charities over three years rather than an annual partnership.

The Appeal is set to reveal new collaborations with charities Place2Be, OnSide Youth Zones and Samaritans as part of its new strategy A Better City For All, working with current and future Lord Mayors of the City of London.

The charity hopes to transform one million lives through businesses, communities, employees and charities working together to find solutions to some of London’s most pressing issues.

The strategy will be launched at The Mansion House by Lord Mayor Charles Bowman and Aldermen Peter Estlin and William Russell, to an audience of hundreds of CEOs and senior leaders from the City of London.

This is the first time three charities have come together over three years in a partnership to work with the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. All funds raised will go towards helping tackle disadvantage and inequality across the capital over the next three years.

The Appeal will work on four key areas to build a city that is inclusive, healthy, skilled and fair, with the overall aim of making the capital a better place to work and live.

To create the new strategy, over 200 organisations, charities and thought leaders from across the City  of London have been consulted, and have identified key issues to tackle to create A Better City For All.

The funding will enable Place2Be, a national children’s mental health charity, to help 180 schools in London to meet the needs of their most vulnerable children by equipping school leaders with the skills and knowledge to develop their school’s mental health strategy and to support their pupils’ emotional wellbeing, reaching 81,000 children. The partnership will also help Place2Be to support the recruitment and training of volunteer mental health professionals who will work with 20,000 children and young people in schools over a five-year period.

The partnership with the Lord Mayor’s Appeal will support charity OnSide Youth to introduce new ‘Youth Zones’ in London, supporting the capital’s young people in 2018. OnSide Youth Zones will offer high quality mentoring, personal development and employability skills training to ensure young Londoners are equipped for the future, partnering with local voluntary organisations to provide a range of inspirational and developmental activities. The first five Youth Zones will be in Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Croydon, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Haringey.

Funds raised for Samaritans will be put towards developing a revolutionary online programme for the City workforce to encourage employees to take care of themselves and to listen and be there for others – supporting people when they feel isolated and alone, and saving lives. It will also create new volunteering opportunities in the City of London.

Lord Mayor Charles Bowman said:

“This multi-year programme is unique. I am very excited to be the first Lord Mayor involved and I look forward to seeing the positive impact our new partnerships will make.

“We have thoroughly researched the issues which need to be tackled by speaking with hundreds of organisations in the Square Mile. It’s about working together and exchanging ideas to really make London a better city for all.

“All the charities we are supporting are leading on such important causes, helping people locally and nationally, which I will fully support in my year in office.”

Caroline Wright, Lord Mayor’s Appeal Director, said:

“We aim to have a transformational impact on people’s lives by working on three groundbreaking projects with fantastic charities, as well as running our own initiatives, such as thought leadership programmes, to find the solutions to some of London’s most pressing societal issues.”

Ruth Sutherland, Samaritans CEO, commented:

“Life can be very tough sometimes and it’s easy for people to feel alone with nowhere to turn. This partnership will raise awareness of Samaritans’ service, and provide City workers with the knowledge to look after their own wellbeing and support those around them. We look forward to working together over the coming months.”

Charles Mindenhall, OnSide Youth Zones’ London champion, said:

“This special collaboration will help OnSide Youth Zones and the City create brighter futures for young people across the capital. This will be achieved by providing safe and inspiring places to spend their leisure time, with many wonderful activities and opportunities on offer.”

Catherine Roche, Chief Executive of Place2Be, added:

“Through this unique partnership with the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, we will work with more London schools so that children facing mental health difficulties can thrive and reach their potential. Every child or young person who needs it should have access to high quality support, so we are thrilled that thanks to the Lord Mayor’s Appeal, we will have the opportunity to train the next generation of mental health professionals.”

The Lord Mayor’s Appeal works with the City of London Corporation, which aims to encourage, support and celebrate responsible City businesses, residents and workers to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners.

The City Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, is London’s biggest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital.

The Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards, run by the City of London Corporation, celebrates the UK’s responsible businesses, and Heart of the City, a charity it funds, supports London’s companies in setting up and running their own responsible business programmes.