18 May 2009
Dragons roar as City Lord Mayor launches 2009 Awards for London
firms who get involved with their communities
On Monday 18 May 2009, The Lord Mayor of the City of
London Ian Luder officially opened the prestigious Lord Mayor’s
Dragon Awards 2009. The Awards celebrate those businesses and
public bodies in Greater London which, even in tough times, get
involved with their communities.
In the 22nd year of the Awards the Lord Mayor Ian Luder said:
“In an economic downturn it is easy to narrow your thinking to just
your own needs – but society recovers faster, and communities
continue to grow and thrive if we keep reaching out and the
Dragon Awards encourage firms to do just that.
“There has never been a time when that which the Dragon Awards
celebrate has been more relevant and, thankfully, it looks like
many firms agree with me and are determined to keep up their strong
community-involvement work.’’
‘’This year the awards process is even easier with a new online
application.’’
The Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards is the longest established and
most prestigious award scheme to reward London businesses and
public offices for their corporate community involvement schemes.
By sharing their knowledge, expertise and time through their CCI
programmes, these London businesses and public offices have taken
an active role in promoting greater social inclusion and physical
regeneration in local communities.
The Awards celebrate the achievements of those businesses which
continue to recognise the social, physical and economic benefits of
corporate community involvement. These schemes also enable
volunteer employees to engage with their local community, develop
their personal and professional skills, and improve job
prospects.
In order to support the City’s existing corporate community
involvement commitments and to communicate the awards more widely,
the City of London Corporation have launched a new online
application service as part of a new site dedicated entirely to the
awards www.dragonawards.org.uk. Prospective
applicants, who will be directed to the site via email and post,
will be provided with an overview of the awards scheme, guidelines
for application and details about past winners.
The Lord Mayor Ian Luder said: “We have targeted
numerous businesses and public bodies this year with
our new online application initiative, which aims to reach a wider
audience and give businesses a more cost and time effective method
for application. The Dragon Awards are about recognising those
businesses whose employees have gone beyond their daily work, to
aid the regeneration of their local communities.”
The Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards established by the then Lord
Mayor Sir David Rowe-Ham in 1987, reveal that competitive
compassion can both be good for the bottom line and for the
community, as leading London corporations and their employees work
with their neighbours, whether through large-scale corporate
projects or on an individual volunteer basis.
Winners will be announced at an annual celebratory awards
ceremony, hosted by the Lord Mayor Ian Luder at the Mansion House
on Thursday 15 October 2009.
Ends
Notes to editors
The 2009 entry categories are as follows:
1. Social Inclusion
For companies working on projects that aim to decrease social
exclusion and/or help improve the quality of life for socially
excluded groups of people. Examples could include working with:
- Young people in transition
- Homeless people
- Substance mis-users
- Older people
- Young offenders
- Lone parents
- People on low income
2. Education
For companies working with educational establishments. Examples
of work could include:
- Mentoring
- Learning Partnerships
- CV workshops
- Work Experience
3. Economic Regeneration
For companies that are contributing to the economic regeneration
of an area. Examples could include:
- Local procurement of goods and services
- Helping local people to become more employable e.g. through
mentoring, CV advice, offering work experience
- Providing professional skills and expertise to local
micro-businesses, SMEs, social enterprises or community
organizations through employee volunteering
4. Heart of the City
This award is for companies who have set up an effective
Corporate Community Involvement programme for the first time in the
last three years. Heart of the City is a City of London Corporation
initiative which provides free support for companies that are
interested in Corporate Community Involvement and the wider area of
Corporate Social Responsibility.
5. Volunteer of the Year
Schools, charities and community organizations are invited to
submit nominations for a business volunteer who has made an
outstanding contribution to their organisation in 2008.
The City of London Corporation
The City of London Corporation is committed to maintaining and
enhancing the status of the business City as a world leading
international financial and business centre and is engaged in many
partnership and regeneration projects across wider London, working
with national and other local government – as well as business and
the not-for-profit sector. The Lord Mayor is the City’s
elected Head and works worldwide establishing links between
fast-growing markets and the UK-based financial services
industry.
Press contact
For further informaton, case studies or quotes, please contact
Rain UK – Lizzie Boylan Ward 00 44 (0)20 7222
4345 or email
LIZZIE.BOYLANWARD@RAINCOMMUNICATIONS.CO.UK