Tesco was among the 424 London businesses that came together to celebrate their charitable and volunteering efforts for this year’s City Giving Day 2019 – a record number for organisers The Lord Mayor’s Appeal.
The firms, who supported hundreds of charities over the past year, showcased their philanthropic efforts with thousands of City and Canary Wharf workers, clients, suppliers and supporters wearing red for the day.
For Tesco, this was an opportunity to give back.
The retailer offered special Bags of Help Centenary Grants, totalling up to £100,000 across the capital. Its employees customer engagement events in store to encourage more people to get involved. One of the projects it supported was Champions 4 Change, a community initiative that inspires young carers through boxing training.
“Thanks to Bags of Help, we have been able to offer young carers weekly boot camps, enabling them to make new friends, develop their skills and feel happier,” says Scott O’Connor, Champions 4 Change founder
City Giving Day is one day a year which is set aside to celebrate the value of the City and Canary Wharf to society.
It champions the activities, whether it is corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, or volunteering initiatives, that companies do to support charity, society, their local communities, and the environment in which they work.
The annual event is a chance for employers to talk to staff, recognise achievements and plan even better community engagement in the future, whether in the form of mentoring, fundraising or volunteering vital expertise.
Alderman Peter Estlin, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, as well as the Lady Mayoress, Sheriffs and Aldermen visited more than 50 companies across the Square Mile who took part in the celebration through a variety of awareness and fundraising events.
“City firms are doing some really valuable work, benefitting society through business volunteering, fundraising events and philanthropic work,” he said. “City Giving Day 2019 was a great chance to spread the word about this amazing work, as so many businesses look to extend their philanthropic work and corporate social responsibility.
“I really enjoyed seeing everyone come to gather to celebrate the impact that they are having on people in the Square Mile and beyond.”
Activities throughout the day included a quiz, treasure hunt, and a fundraising static bike competition.
The Lord Mayor took part in Tour de Canary Wharf and Tour de City, pedalling for charity. Organisations took part by hosting bake sales, a rickshaw challenge, coffee mornings, visiting local charities, and more.
All across London, from the West End to Canary Wharf, employees wore red to show their support.
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s three chosen charities, which will be supported through City Giving Day, are Place2Be, OnSide Youth Zones and Samaritans.
Place2Be will use the funds to provide children in 180 schools across London with access to mental health and emotional support, tackling the 75% of mental health issues that start in childhood.
OnSide Youth Zones is creating five state-of-the-art centres in areas of deprivation, providing access to a safe space and programme of activities ranging from sport and music to mentoring, transforming lives in communities for those that need it most. They have already opened centres in Barking & Dagenham and Barnet.
Samaritans’ new initiative Wellbeing in the City will use the funds raised for its ground-breaking online platform, giving employees the skills they need to manage wellbeing in the workplace.
