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
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.
Pain Management Programme
From the April 2019 Lunch, part of the proceeds will fund veterans of His Majesty’s Armed Forces to take part in the Pain Management Programme (PMP) at the King Edward VII Hospital's (KEVII) new Centre for Veterans’ Health (CVH).
CVH's PMP is unique in that it is designed solely for veterans. The purpose is to address the individual issues, both physical and psychological, involving pain that prevents a veteran from leading a full life. The CVH team has found that chronic pain is the most significant barrier to a veteran being able to find and sustain meaningful employment, which is the 'backbone' of their future wellbeing and impacts on every other aspect of their personal lives and their families.
It costs £6,500 to fund one veteran through the PMP. In 2026, we hope to fund 16 veterans through the PMP.
Lifeworks
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.
The Three National Service Charities
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
