Record 300+ businesses take part in City Giving Day
Melanie May | 25 September 2018 | News
More than 300 City businesses have taken part in today’s (25 September) City Giving Day: a record number according to organiser The Lord Mayor’s Appeal.
City Giving Day celebrates the value of the City to society, and champions the activities, including CSR, philanthropy, and volunteering, that companies do to support charity, society, their local communities and the environment in which they work.
This year, thousands of City workers, clients, suppliers and supporters participating in the event have worn red for the day while Charles Bowman, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, along with the Lady Mayoress, Sheriffs and Aldermen, have been visiting more than 50 participating companies across the Square Mile. Activities throughout the day included a CIBC World Markets’ bus, which toured the City for seven hours raising money for Lord Mayor’s Appeal charities, sessions from Hewlett Packard teaching children how to build a laptop, and a fundraising static bike competition.
Last year’s City Giving Day raised over £400,000 for charities and community groups, with over 5,000 volunteers recruited.
This year, the Lord Mayor’s Appeal‘s charities are Place2Be, OnSide Youth Zones, and Samaritans. Place2Be will use the funds raised to provide children in 180 schools across London with access to mental health and emotional support, OnSide Youth Zones will create five centres in areas of deprivation, providing access to a safe space and programme of activities ranging from sport and music to mentoring, and Samaritans’ new initiative Wellbeing in the City will use the funds raised for its online platform, giving employees the skills to manage wellbeing in the workplace.
Charles Bowman, Lord Mayor of the City of London, said:
“There is really valuable work being done by City firms, benefitting society through business volunteering, fundraising events and philanthropic work. City Giving Day is a chance to shout out about this vital work, whilst at the same time encouraging others to get involved.
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“It’s clear to see that many firms are now making responsible business programmes and philanthropic activity a core part of their purpose, a rising trend which looks set to increase.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.