Businesses of all sizes and sectors who go the extra mile to regenerate London’s communities are being called upon to enter the 30^th anniversary Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards – the UK’s oldest and most distinguished responsible business gongs.

The City of London Corporation, which runs the awards, wants to hear from firms who run community programmes – from schemes creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged Londoners to projects providing free advice which help local organisations to grow. Applications are open from Monday 20^th February.

Firms shortlisted for last year’s Dragon Awards supported nearly 500,000 Londoners, creating over 14,500 jobs and investing over £10 million in their local communities and local enterprises.

They mobilised 21,528 business volunteers who contributed over 110,000 hours to community groups, schools and disadvantaged Londoners.

They also reported winning new contracts, improved internal relationships, stronger reputations and profile-raising PR as a result of taking part in the scheme.

All applicants will be invited to The Mansion House in September where the winners will receive a prestigious ‘Dragon’ from Andrew Parmley, Lord Mayor of the City of London.

The Lord Mayor said:

“Responsible businesses are stronger, more attractive and more relevant to society, giving them an edge over their competitors.

“Research shows that Millennials want to work in a responsible organisation. They want to know what businesses are doing to benefit society and the community.

“There is a lot of great work being done by organisations to tackle social issues which often goes unnoticed, so it is great that we have the opportunity to promote their good work.

“These awards are an excellent opportunity for businesses to showcase their community work and to encourage others to follow in their footsteps.”

This year, to celebrate the 30^th year of the Awards, two new categories have been added - one of which now enables national companies to apply and another that celebrates innovation.

Since they were founded in 1987, the Awards have attracted high quality applications from a variety of organisations across London.

The Awards form one part of the City of London Corporation’s commitment to working in partnership with business, charities and neighbouring boroughs to contribute to economic and social regeneration in London.

As part of this drive, the Corporation funds Heart of the City, a charity which supports London’s companies in running their own Responsible Business programmes – and the Corporation’s City of London Business Traineeship programme helps state school students from the City’s neighbouring boroughs to develop the skills needed for a successful career.

Its charitable arm, City Bridge Trust, gives £20m every year to charitable and community organisations across London.

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Notes to editors

TO ENTER:

Applications for the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards 2017 are now open and can be submitted against each award category (below) at www.dragonawards.org.uk. The closing date is the Monday 24 April and winners will be announced at the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards ceremony at Mansion House in the City of London on Tuesday 26 September.

AWARD CATEGORIES:

1/ The Community Partners Award is for community organisations (charities, schools, community groups, social enterprises) in Greater London that have created strategic partnerships with businesses for the benefit of Greater London.

2/ The Heart of the City Award recognises companies that have implemented a strategic approach to community engagement for the first time in the last 3 years (Since February 2014).

3/ The Accelerator Award is for companies benefitting Greater London communities through initiatives that support SMEs, Social Enterprises or charities to start up, grow, become more sustainable and access opportunities.

4/ The Inclusive Employment Award is for companies removing barriers to employment and progression for disadvantaged, underrepresented or minority groups, creating a more diverse and inclusive London workforce.

5/ The Regional Impact Award is for Greater London headquartered businesses that are using their influence and resources to strengthen regional communities.

6/ The Innovation Award is for companies developing new ways to benefit Greater London communities, by addressing an issue rarely supported by business, challenging the way businesses think about an issue or pioneering new ways to achieve impact.

7/ The Lord Mayor’s Award is for businesses that have shown a long-term (at least 5 years), sustainable commitment to community engagement in London, characterised by outstanding levels of staff involvement at all levels of the organisation, strong evidence of leadership from the top and a commitment to the integration of community involvement into organisational life.

More information on the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards

• http://www.dragonawards.org.uk/index.html

Media Enquiries

Kristina Drake

Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Kristina.Drake@cityoflondon.gov.uk

07710860884 / 020 7332 1125