25 September 2009
Corporate community involvement proves resilient in tough
times, says Lord Mayor on eve of prestigious Dragon Awards
On Tuesday 22 September, judges decided the winners of the 2009
Lord Mayor's Dragon Awards.
Winners will be announced at the annual celebratory awards
ceremony at Mansion House on Thursday 15 October 2009. To highlight
the continued commitment of City firms to their community, Lord
Mayor Ian Luder visited Mace Group, winner of the 2008 Economic
Regeneration Dragon Award on Monday 21 September.
The Lord Mayor made a ‘hard hat’ visit to The Shard at London
Bridge, part of the London Bridge Quarter by developer Sellar
Property Group. The Shard is a 1.4m sq ft mixed-use development,
which, at 310m, will be Europe’s tallest building designed by the
internationally-acclaimed Italian architect Renzo Piano.
Mace Group is due to deliver the construction contract on the
Shard by May 2012. Mace Group is currently delivering a local
employment and training programme across the Borough, engaging,
supporting and finding employment opportunities for local people
across four south London sites.
Mace Group is currently in discussions with developer LBQ and
Southwark Council to deliver a local community programme at the
Shard of Glass which would be funded by the developer as part of
its S106 commitments. Mace Group’s community regeneration and
inclusion programme provides construction employment and training
opportunities for local residents in the communities that Mace
Group operate in. The project focuses primarily on those
individuals facing barriers to employment: from those with few or
no skills, to lone parents and people from minority groups. Over
2,000 local residents have been engaged onto the programme, 75% of
all those residents have gained a construction related
qualification and over 500 have entered full-time employment
through the scheme.
In the 22nd year of the Awards, the Lord Mayor Ian Luder says,
“It is gratifying to see that in the tough times, City firms are
still maintaining their strong Corporate Social Responsibility
programmes. It is these firms and their commitment to the
surrounding community that should be held as examples of excellence
for other firms to follow.”
The Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards is the oldest and most
prestigious award scheme to celebrate excellence amongst London
businesses and public offices who, by sharing their knowledge,
expertise and time through their corporate community involvement
programmes, have taken an active role in promoting greater social
inclusion and physical regeneration in local communities.
Ends
For further information, studies or quotes, please conatct Rain
UK – Lizzie Boylan Ward on 00 44 (0)20 7222 4345 or email
lizzie.boylanward@raincommunications.co.uk
Notes to editors
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.
Sellar Group
A privately-owned UK property
investment, development and management company, Sellar Group
collaborates with eminent architects and property professionals to
create environments of exceptional quality and to regenerate urban
districts. Through an integrated investment, development and
management approach, Sellar has built an investment portfolio of
£500m and a development portfolio in excess of £3bn. Current
projects include The Shard and London Bridge Place designed by
Renzo Piano; Portsmouth Football Stadium, Horsea Island by Herzog
& de Meuron; Seal House by David Chipperfield.
LBQ Ltd
The London Bridge Quarter development is owned by LBQ Ltd. LBQ Ltd
is an international joint venture owned equally by Qatar Islamic
Bank, Qinvest, Qatar National Bank, Barwa International and Sellar
Group. LBQ Ltd brings an impressive track record of world-class
developments and a range of skills that ensure that the quality of
the London Bridge Quarter development is of the highest
quality.
About Mace Group
Mace Group is a global consultancy and construction firm, employing
2,900 people across 36 countries. The group’s core business is
project management and construction but it is truly
multi-disciplinary with services spanning the entire property life
cycle.
For more information visit: http://www.macegroup.com/
Mace Group media contacts: Catherine Button, Head of Marketing
& Communications, catherine.button@macegroup.com, +44(0)20 7068
6094, +44 (0)7766 305 178
Leah Heimour, Marketing Communications Coordinator,
leah.heimour@macegroup.com,
+44(0)20 7068 6312