Welcome
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal
Impact Report 2025
Introduction
From the Lord Mayor
Alderman Alastair King DL
The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor
of the City of London
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s strategic aim is to create A Better City for All that is Inclusive, Healthy, Skilled and Fair. We deliver an impact in the City that transforms lives. During 2024 in addition to funds raised for its partner charities, The Appeal’s thought leadership initiatives Power of Inclusion, This is Me, We Can Be and City Giving Day have continued to offer excellent learning, development and engagement opportunities for employees across the Square Mile and beyond.
The Appeal has just come to the end of its three-year partnership with National Numeracy and we are delighted to share the impact of that support in this report. The work has been transformational for many people and their level of confidence with numeracy. We wish them well for the future.
Through funds, collaboration and connection The Appeal will continue to support Homewards, a programme launched by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2023. Working in partnership with six flagship locations across the United Kingdom, Homewards is supporting these locations to form locally led coalitions, and providing them with the space, tools and expertise to show how this can be done thus demonstrating that homelessness is not inevitable but in fact a solvable issue.
MQ Mental Health Research is the only UK charity that exclusively invests in mental health research. MQ works to create a world where mental illness is understood, effectively treated, and ultimately prevented. Our partnership with MQ has already enabled several new research programmes from the mental health impact of the cost-of-living crisis to the use of virtual reality in mental health therapies. Support continues to help enable the pioneering GALENOS project, which aims to speed up the search for better mental health treatments. The Lord Mayor’s Appeal is also helping to support MQ’s new Scholarships programme, aimed at the best and brightest early career researchers and funding their work to create the next generation of sector leaders.
I very much look forward to seeing what more we can achieve with these two inspirational charities and look forward to working with them in 2025.
Finally, the Trustees and I are extremely grateful for all the support we have received from corporate partners, livery companies and individuals. We all look forward to continuing to work towards a City that is more inclusive, healthy, skilled and fair.
Our Strategy
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal strategy works on four key pillars, to create a City that is Inclusive, Healthy, Skilled and Fair.
Our Programmes
Our four flagship initiatives continue to grow alongside delivering ground-breaking programmes with our charity partners.
The Power of Inclusion series breaks down societal and workplace barriers, to help empower and educate organisations to create inclusive and diverse workplace cultures.
Change Starts Together
This is Me is a pioneering mental health initiative, aiming to change attitudes and reduce stigma around mental health in the workplace.
End the Stigma
We Can Be empowers young women to see the City as a viable career option, providing them with skills and confidence through exposure to participating businesses.
Empower Young Women
City Giving Day is the one day in the year which enables businesses to come together to celebrate and showcase their charitable and volunteering achievements.
Celebrate Philanthropy
UN SDGs
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal has aligned its programme strategy with the SDGs to provide a framework for both business and the City of London to work in partnership to further develop the sustainable businesses agenda, thereby creating A Better and more sustainable City for All.
An Inclusive City
We want to create a city where everyone feels they belong.
We collaborate with businesses across sectors to implement effective practice to address social mobility, take an intersectional approach to social mobility and build inclusive cultures within hybrid working models.
Participating in the Social Mobility Workshop Series helps us to promote collaboration and raise awareness of social mobility across the City. The speakers and roundtable discussions give us opportunities to learn about evidence-driven initiatives taking place in other organisations, as well as the varied ways they are tackling key challenges within the space.
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Watch
The impact of our work
23,313
The Power of Inclusion initiative reached 23,313 people across our digital channels in 2024
Supporting future mental health researchers
Support from The Lord Mayor’s Appeal has helped MQ to launch the first cohort of Scholars. They will work to find the answers to some of society’s most pressing questions - from understanding the influence of physical health on mental health in older adults to improving the efficacy of mental health treatments for displaced refugees.
MQ Mental Health Research: Scholarship programme
The extent to which MQ funding has helped my career development cannot be overstated. The knowledge, expertise and reputation that I have gained because of MQ’s support contributed to me being recruited to several positions.
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Business and community impact
One of London's most economically diverse boroughs, Tower Hamlets, has dedicated significant efforts to boosting number confidence among its residents; recognising numeracy as a key driver for social mobility and financial independence. The borough's involvement highlights how local councils can lead by example in tackling low numeracy levels through focused interventions. Tower Hamlets’ efforts have included delivering workshops and events in libraries and community centres and focusing on practical math skills for daily life, such as budgeting, shopping and managing household expenses.
National Numeracy: Numeracy for work
Tower Hamlets Council is grateful for the continued support. Through this rewarding partnership, we have empowered our residents to improve their numeracy skills, trained staff as Numeracy Champions and used the resources to support our delivery of maths, financial inclusion and family learning.
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A Healthy City
To create a healthy city, we must end the stigma around mental health in the workplace.
This is Me is comprises of three unique tools to support organisations, raise awareness, talk openly, build skills and help end the stigma around mental health in the workplace.
Tools to open up the conversation
75%
75% felt managers were more likely to encourage staff to engage in mental health initiatives as a result of storytelling in their workplace.
A workforce with the confidence to listen
93%
After completing the Wellbeing in the Workplace training, 93% participants said they felt more able to recognise emotional distress in others.
A national and international movement to #endthestigma
286,000
286,000 Green Ribbons distributed worldwide.
Watch
The impact of our work
80%
80% increase in confidence talking to employees about mental health as a result of working with This is Me
We Can End Homelessness
After a successful first release on ITV, ITVX, as well as STV and STV Player in Scotland, the documentary was also released globally on Disney+ to help ensure that Homewards is helping to change the narrative around homelessness across the world. Publicity around the documentary reached Good Morning America, This Morning, BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 4 Today to name but a few.
Homewards: First year in Lambeth
It brings about the human side of homelessness and the reasons why people can end up homeless. It’s never straight forward.
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Accelerating mental health research
The Appeal’s support helped launch the Global Alliance for Living Evidence on anxiety, depression and pSychosis, to create a continuously updated catalogue of the best scientific literature. GALENOS, a state-of-the-art online resource, allows the mental health community to better identify the questions that most urgently need to be answered; accelerating discovery science into effective new solutions for the 1 in 4 of us impacted by mental illness.
MQ Mental Health Research: GALENOS
To better understand what works and what doesn’t and to find treatments, we need common ground based on the best available data. GALENOS co-produces recommendations and priorities for future research through equal partnerships with people with lived experience, helping to accelerate the treatment and prevention of anxiety, depression and psychosis.
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35
Collaborators from 35 countries coming together to deliver the GALENOS project
A Skilled City
We Can Be helps to empower young women to make informed decisions about their careers.
We Can Be is our annual event that helps young women see the City as a viable career option. The initiative helps develop skills, ambitions and gives exposure to other women in the City.
For young people who don’t have a network in place, We Can Be provides a foot in the door by helping them find connections in the industry. This can turn out to be invaluable if they want a future in the City.
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Watch
The impact of our work
87% of young women will consider a role in the City after the event.
Creating Numeracy Champions
Volunteer Champions learn how to support members of their community to develop their maths skills and boost their confidence. This peer-led model has been incredibly effective because it creates a supportive environment where learning is encouraged without judgment.
The Champions also play a key role in promoting the National Numeracy Challenge, an online tool designed to help adults reflect on their feelings towards maths, assess their numeracy levels and access free learning resources.
National Numeracy: Numeracy Champions
Our Numeracy Champion classes are 70-80% women. They don’t realise they’re using maths and the power they have with it. That’s what the training has allowed everyone to understand.
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500+
The ‘Every Londoner Counts’ initiative has trained over 500 Numeracy Champions across the capital.
70-80%
Numeracy Champion classes are 70-80% women.
Homelessness reframed
Featuring works from renowned artists Marc Quinn and Rankin, graffiti artist Opake and spoken word poet Surfing Sofas, the exhibition offered a powerful platform for those directly affected by homelessness to share their stories through art. This included Open Doors - pieces created by young people at a series of creative workshops led by local artists held across the six flagship Homewards locations: Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Lambeth in London, Newport, Northern Ireland, Sheffield.
Homewards: Homelessness Reframed
I came to see the artwork but ended up learning so much about the experience of homelessness in the UK.
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47,000
47,000 people visited Homelessness: Reframed in just over 6 weeks.
A Fair City
A fair city means equal access to opportunities.
Since its launch in 2015, City Giving Day has ballooned, with 605 signed up this year, taking part in everything from a static Wattbike challenge to cupcake decorating.
In 2025, we aim to inspire even more organisations to get involved, not only in London but across the UK.
A great way to thank employees for all of their philanthropic efforts throughout the year, engaging in fun activities whilst supporting our charity partners.
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Watch
The impact of our work
73%
73% City Giving Day participants said it inspired employees to become more involved in charitable activity.
Photos from the day
We are proud to have hosted an array of events including our Bavarian Ball which celebrated the heritage of the Lady Mayoress and our annual Abseil Challenge which hit new heights this year, raising an amazing £115,000 to support our charity partners. Thank you to everyone who supported our fundraisers and partner events in 2024, we couldn’t do it without you.
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal organises a wide range of imaginative and enjoyable fundraising events, year after year. We know from first-hand experience how much work and preparation goes into giving the guests a memorable evening. Please do join us in 2025!
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Corporate partnership opportunities
We offer your company the opportunity to engage with a variety of initiatives and events, tailored to align with your business’ strategy and purpose:
A Year of Activity
In the past 12 months, Schroders maximised their partnership with The Appeal to widen their philanthropic reach and to engage their employee network.
November 2023
Lead speaker at the Impact Reception
February 2024
Host Power of Inclusion Senior Leadership event
March 2024
Host George Green’s School at We Can Be 2024
April 2024
Host We Can Be Thank You event
May 2024
Receive 1,000 green ribbons for This is Me Mental Health Awareness Week campaign
September 2024
Lead speaker at We Can Be recruitment event
At Roc, it is important to us that we make a positive impact on the communities around where we work, and this partnership allows us to do just that.
”“Acknowledging our supporters for change
We would like to extend an enormous thank you to our 2024 corporate partners
Our founding patrons
Aon
Bloomberg
Phoenix Group
TP ICAP
Our partners
Bank of China
Brit Insurance
DLA Piper UK LLP
Fidelity International
Freshfields
London Stock Exchange Group Foundation
PwC
Standard Chartered Bank
Our champions
Anthemis
Barclays
City HR Association
The Company of Human Resource Professionals
The Distillers' Company
The Girdlers’ Company
The Goldsmiths’ Company
The Insurers’ Company
The Mercers' Company
Janus Henderson Investors
Liberty Specialty Markets
Linklaters LLP
Northcross Capital LLP
Payden & Rygel Global Ltd
Roc Technologies
Schroders
The Hut Group
Our collaborators
Bank of Montreal, London Branch
Boodles
The Carpenters' Company
The Drapers' Company
Elston Consulting
The Fishmongers' Company
The Grocers' Company
The Horners' Company
The Plaisterers' Company
The Tallow Chandlers' Company
The Woolmen's Company
The Worshipful Company of Actuaries' Charity
Our champion sponsorship gives our team members opportunities to be involved in multiple areas of The Appeal’s work that really resonate with them. Our senior leadership team benefits from the allyship and learning roundtables in the Power of Inclusion, our entire office works together for our We Can Be annual event and we gain from our membership of This is Me, looking after our employees’ mental health.
”“Getting Involved
There are many ways you can get involved and support us
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Corporate partnership
Become a corporate partner or sign up to our thought leadership initiatives
