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.
Through the generosity of our sponsors, the Committee is able to give the entire proceeds of the Lunch to our charitable purposes.
For further information on the history of the Lunch, please take a look at our 'History of the Lunch' tab.
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.
Warrior Programme
The Warrior The Warrior Programme is an intensive personal, motivation and training course for veterans and their families, designed to build mental strength,resilience and emotion management skills.
Delivered over the course of 12 months through a 3 day residential or online course, workshops and ongoing aftercare, the Warrior Programme aims to relieve the emotional pain suffffered by individuals arising from stress, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Warrior Programme was developed fififteen years ago by mental health professionals and has been supported by the three national single service charities in recent years. Over the last year there has been a signifificant increase in demand for places on the Warrior Programme, across all three services.
Testimonials from veterans and their partners describe the programme as life-changing, helping individuals reduce stress, regain clarity, rebuild relationships and move forward confidently in civilian employment.
Our plan for Year One of our relationship with Warrior is to fund up to 40 veterans from the Armed Forces and/or their partners through the Warrior Programme at a cost of £2,500 an individual.
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
