The Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch

The Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch raises funds to support veterans of His Majesty's Armed Forces. Since the inception of the Lunch in 2008, we have raised over £4.2 million to support veterans.

History of Support

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The Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch (LMBCL) first took place in April 2008, hosted by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress at Guildhall, the centre of the City of London’s governance, ceremonial and philanthropy.

It would be a Civic and Guildhall event but with a difference; a fixed price allowing guests unlimited curries and accompanying drinks, no seating plan, and everyone would serve themselves – and go back for seconds as often as they wished – and everyone would sit on benches.

From the outset, the Lunch had a number of purposes.

To raise funds to support veterans of all the services, both Regulars and Reservists, and their families.
To raise awareness in the City community of the role of the Armed Forces of the Crown. Particularly among a younger generation of City folk.
To build awareness of the three national service charities that work ceaselessly to support all members of His Majesty's Armed Forces.
To emphasise to City workers the breadth and depth of the City’s philanthropy in support of those in society who need help in a variety of ways.

From 2019 onwards, the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch has aligned with the employment and employability strand of the Civic and Mayoral strategy ‘A Better City For All’, by providing financial support for veterans to take part in two programmes to help veterans in to work.

For further information on the history of the Lunch, please take a look at our 'History of the Lunch' tab.

Lifeworks

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Since 2022 the Curry Lunch has also supported Lifeworks. Lifeworks’ sole focus is to find employment, education, and training for veterans from all the Services and their families.

This support service offers practical advice, guidance, and support regardless of the length of service and is available nationwide, wherever veterans live.

The Lifeworks team is made up of highly experienced career coaches and vocational assessors who work across the UK.

They help veterans identify their strengths and help decide on potential career and training opportunities.

They help veterans develop the skills they need to job search and write a CV.

They build confidence by helping veterans manage the impact of a major change in situation after leaving the Armed Forces.

They enable veterans to approach working in the civilian workplace with increased confidence and motivation.

Each course run by Lifeworks costs £1,500 but is always free of charge to the veterans taking part. This means that Lifeworks is entirely dependent on public donations and grants from charities and trusts.

The Co-Chairmen and the Committee of the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch are of the view that Lifeworks dovetails well with our support for the Pain Management Programme which we have supported since 2019, adding another dimension to our work of helping veterans into sustainable employment.

Through the 2025 Lunch, we hope to fund 65 veterans through a Lifeworks course.

The Three National Service Charities

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The Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch supports all members of His Majesty's Armed Forces.

By attending the Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch, you will be raising funds for:

Royal Navy & Marines Charity

Army Benevolent Fund

Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund