Lord Mayor's Appeal
The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress with RedR staff at the Lord Mayor's Show @ Chris Sidell
Lord Mayor’s Appeal raises £350,000 to support vital aid worker training
After twelve action-packed months, the Lord Mayor’s Appeal drew to a close on 11 November 2011, raising a total of more than £350,000 for RedR’s work to improve disaster relief worldwide.
The Appeal, ‘Bear Necessities – Building Better Lives’, was part of the Lord Mayor of the City of London’s charitable activities during his mayoral year and included a number of unprecedented events.
From the first ever rock concert at London’s Guildhall to the first Africa Gala held at the Lord Mayor’s residence, Mansion House, supporters up and down the UK rallied together to raise funds for RedR and children’s charity Coram.
The Appeal has already had a profound impact, helping RedR expand its work in East Africa through the establishment of a regional training centre in Nairobi. The new centre is now providing local and international aid workers with vital humanitarian skills and ensuring improved response to ongoing disasters in the region, such as the devastating drought and famine which continues to unfold in the Horn of Africa.
In addition, the former Lord Mayor, Alderman Michael Bear, has helped RedR to strengthen links between the humanitarian and commercial sectors, facilitating a series of meetings at Mansion House between senior private sector individuals and the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) – as well as helping RedR to significantly increase its profile.
RedR’s Chief Executive Martin McCann said: “We are very grateful to the Lord Mayor for choosing RedR as a beneficiary of his Appeal and for the extraordinary energy he has put into supporting us at home and on his international visits. As a civil engineer, rebuilding lives has always been important to Michael Bear and we very much look forward to working with him in his continuing role as a RedR Vice President.”
Find out more about the Lord Mayor's Appeal 2010-11.
Find out more about the Lord Mayor’s Show
