Posted on 7th April 2011
The Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards to encourage London organisations to increase their in-kind giving as a means of engagement with local communities is now open for nominations.
Run by the City of London Corporation, the awards are named after the mythical guardians of the City, and are open to any business, community group or public authority, of any size. Community projects can be nominated in six categories: education, social inclusion, economic regeneration, community partnerships working with corporates, the Heart of the City award for new projects, and the Lord Mayor’s Award for longstanding community programmes.
“The aim is to recognise and celebrate those businesses that are doing well at engaging local communities, and to inspire others to get involved,”says Anish Shah, corporate responsibility officer at the Corporation. “It is about changing business models to embed giving into the organisation. There are clear business benefits for doing so, including staff engagement, customer attitudes and attracting new talent, as well as becoming closer to the communities that surround them.”
Lord Mayor Michael Bear says: “There are nearly 400,000 small businesses in London. With so many small businesses now supporting their local communities through innovative partnerships involving skill sharing and mentoring, the potential societal value to London is immense. I am calling upon local businesses to step forward and apply for a prestigious Dragon Award, to not only gain the recognition that they deserve but to bring corporate responsibility to the forefront and encourage other businesses, big and small, to engage with their local communities.”
Last year’s 61 entrants helped 30,116 school pupils, provided 43,036 people with free legal advice and created 498 jobs.
A recent Federation of Small Businesses member survey showed that nationwide 33% donate goods and services to charities and voluntary organisations and 10% actively encourage their employees to undertake voluntary roles; 17% work on projects with local schools/colleges and 13% are involved in business/individual mentoring.
Applications to the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards can be submitted online at www.dragonawards.org.uk. The closing date is 13th June 2011, and winners will be announced at the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards ceremony at Mansion House in the City of London on 20th September 2011.
