Over 1500 people gathered at London’s Guildhall on Thursday 10th April for the 18th Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch, hosted by The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Alastair King DL.
The Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch brings together hundreds of leaders and decision makers from across all sectors of the City of London and beyond. Guests had the opportunity to meet veterans and beneficiaries of all three services, including those who have been supported through the programmes directly funded by the Lunch, as well as sponsors, the teams running the Livery Stalls, and volunteers.
We were delighted that some beneficiaries supported by the Army Benevolent Fund also attended as our special guests: former soldier Lee with his wife Natalie and his son, Henry, Afghanistan veteran Mark Harding with his partner Lauren, and Lynsey, formerly of the Royal Corps of Signals. We provided Lee’s family with a grant for essential adaptions to their home after Henry’s diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Since 2019, the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch has aligned with the employability strand of the Lord Mayor’s “A Better City for All” strategy, with the money raised helping Armed Forces veterans into rewarding employment. This year the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch Committee hopes to fund a number of veterans through the Pain Management Programme at the King Edward VII Hospital’s Centre for Veterans’ Health, and other veterans through the Lifeworks programme, which help to prepare former soldiers for employment in the civilian world.
The three single Service charities (the Army Benevolent Fund, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund) are very grateful to The Lord Mayor of London for hosting the Lunch. We also thank the principal sponsor, Azad Ayub, the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch Committee chaired by Michael Hockney MBE, a former ABF trustee and Committee Chairman and all our generous commercial, Livery, Ward Club, City Club, and private supporters, and over 350 military and civilian volunteers and guests who again made this year’s event such a memorable occasion.
Since the first Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch in 2008, we have distributed over £3.7 million to support the veterans of His Majesty’s Armed Forces. We expect to add significantly to this amount given the high attendance at this year’s event.
Prize draw still open to win unique timepiece and support Armed Forces veterans
While this year’s event is now over, there’s still time to show your support for veterans by entering our prize draw to win the unique Trafalgar Watch. This is a a beautiful bespoke timepiece in a limited edition of one, designed and made by Pinchbeck and presented within a wooden box containing two carved miniature cannons crafted from a fragment of HMS Victory by a master woodturner.
For the opportunity to win this unique prize, enter our prize draw and bid £20 (if you are over 18). 100% of the money raised from the draw will go towards supporting veterans into employment. The draw closes on 14th May at 5.55pm and the winning ticket will be drawn by The Lady Mayoress at The Mansion House.