Businesses of all sizes and sectors who go the extra mile to regenerate London’s communities are being called upon to enter the 30th anniversary Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards – the UK’s oldest and most distinguished responsible business gongs.
The City of London Corporation, which runs the awards, wants to hear from firms who run community programmes – from schemes creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged Londoners to projects providing free advice which help local organisations to grow. Applications are open from Monday 20th February.
Applications for the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards 2017 are now open and can be submitted against each award category (below) at www.dragonawards.org.uk. The closing date is the Monday 24 April and winners will be announced at the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards ceremony at Mansion House in the City of London on Tuesday 26 September.
A little History -
The Dragon Awards were founded in 1987 by the then Lord Mayor, Sir David Rowe-Ham.
A press release for the launch of the Awards in 1987 noted that, 'The City has recently been charged with a lack of care, and for not becoming involved in the problems of inner cities existing on its door step.' The Dragon Awards were designed to show not only how much work has already been done, but also to encourage more companies and financial institutions to become involved in their local communities. Both of these factors still form an integral part of the Dragon Awards' brief today.
The Awards were the first of their kind in the UK, and remain the only London-wide scheme that recognises Corporate Community Involvement. Since the first Awards, over 130 Dragon Awards have been given to companies ranging from small local enterprises, to large multi-national businesses.
The name and the Award statuettes are based on the dragons that have guarded to gates to the City of London for centuries. These dragons can also be found on the City of London's coat of arms.