Foreword

Introduction from the Lord Mayor

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.

Alderman Alastair King DL
The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City of London