I always find the City of London is at its very best when it is pulling all of its talent and resource together to help a common cause. That is why City Giving Day is so important. It isn’t just another day about raising money. It’s about education people about the work that is taking place within an enormous range of organisations, supporting good causes all over the world. It’s about generating ideas and innovating together to do things which could have an even greater impact. It’s about showcasing how rewarding volunteering can be and encouraging others to participate.
The event this year has had to reflect the challenging times we are living through. There is a desire to continue to engage with City workers and residents who are working differently – spending some days working from home. Therefore there was a hybrid of virtual and in-person events which took place to celebrate all the great achievements of our Square Mile.
I had the honour of joining the East London Business Alliance (ELBA) which was co-founded by UBS over 30 years ago. The organisation works as a broker between businesses and local communities in East London, to help provide volunteering opportunities and build capacity in local communities, supporting young people in education and place people into employment.
I joined City of London Alderman Vincent Keavney in a virtual panel session titled: ‘Self-care as a leader’. It was an open discussion about how corporate leaders can optimize their ability to look after themselves in times of crisis whilst juggling management and team responsibilities. As we all know, mental and physical health has been significantly damaged by the national lockdowns caused by Covid-19. For many charities, the demand for help increased exponentially, whilst the resources to provide support contracted, creating meaningful pressure points for third sector organisations. As we build back better, charity leaders need to reinvigorate their volunteers to recommit their support, to avoid leaving those most in need of help behind.
The sessions talked about real-life experiences, coping strategies (like sleeping, exercise and talking to someone) and what happens when we fail to take time to care for ourselves.
My congratulations to the team at the Lord Mayor’s Appeal for another great day and I look forward to next year!
