Lord Mayor of the City of London Alan Yarrow yesterday welcomed around 100 guests from the British Hindu and Indian community working in the City to the inaugural Mansion House celebration of the Diwali festival. The Lord Mayor gave a speech highlighting how the Hindu community add to the makeup of the City and then took part in the traditional lighting of a diya.

The Lord Mayor praised the contribution of Hindu, Sikh and Jain employees in the Square Mile, adding that while Hindus made up one percent of the UK population, they accounted for nine per cent of the City’s workforce. He also highlighted that in a report by international recruitment firm Astbury Marsden in 2012, it showed that from an ethnic diversity perspective, the City is more diverse than the UK as a whole.

As part of his programme of overseas visits representing the City, the Lord Mayor went to India in December 2014, taking with him a wide selection of financial and professional services firms from the Square Mile. The Lord Mayor was looking to build on the strong commercial links between the UK and India that already exists, particularly when considering that India invests more into the UK than the rest of Europe, and the UK is the third biggest investor in India globally.

Lord Mayor Alan Yarrow said:

“It is a fantastic occasion to hold the inaugural Diwali celebration in the heart of the Square Mile at the Mansion House. The Hindu community brings so much to the fabric, energy and competitiveness of the Square Mile so it is great to be able to mark their contribution with this celebration today.”

Common Councilman and Chairman of Community and Children’s Services for the City of London Corporation, Dhruv Patel said:

“The impact of the Hindu community to the UK professional and financial services industry is clear. The role that can be played in developing Britain’s business relationship with India is already being demonstrated. I am delighted that the Lord Mayor has held this very special celebration of Diwali at the Mansion House for the first time ever. It is a wonderful recognition of the important contribution that the British Hindu community, of which I am a proud member, makes to the City.”

Notes to editors

About the City of London Corporation

The City of London Corporation provides local government and policing services for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the 'Square Mile'. In addition, the City Corporation has three roles:

• We support London’s communities by working in partnership with neighbouring boroughs on economic regeneration, education and skills projects. In addition, the City of London Corporation’s charity City Bridge Trust makes grants of more than £15 million annually to charitable projects across London and we also support education with three independent schools, three City Academies, a primary school and the world-renowned Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

• We also help look after key London’s heritage and green spaces including Tower Bridge, Museum of London, Barbican Arts Centre, City gardens, Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches, and important ‘commons’ in south London.

• We also support and promote the ‘City’ as a world-leading financial and business hub, with outward and inward business delegations, high-profile civic events and research-driven policies all reflecting a long-term approach.

About the Lord Mayor of the City of London

• The Lord Mayor is head of the Square Mile’s City of London authority for one year and the position is unpaid and apolitical. It is an exceptionally demanding role. The Lord Mayor spends some 90 days abroad and addresses some 10,000 people face-to-face each month (making around 800 speeches a year).

• The Lord Mayor represents City businesses and helps the City Corporation advise the Government of the day on what is needed to help the financial services sector to function well. The Lord Mayor frequently travels to represent the City and travels overseas with the status of a Cabinet Minister.

• The Lord Mayor meets several international Heads of Government and Business each month to discuss financial services, often in conjunction with senior City business representatives. The Lord Mayor lives in the Mansion House for the Mayoral year.

See www.cityoflondon.gov.uk for more details.