Youth Zone members take part in the Lord Mayor’s Show

Young people from Legacy Youth Zone represented OnSide in the spectacular 2021 Lord Mayor’s Show.

Over 120 floats and 6,500 participants took to the City of London streets to welcome new Lord Mayor Vincent Keaveny into his role.

OnSide was once again part of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal entry, and as in previous years we were joined by Samaritans and Place2Be. The three charities have been involved with the Appeal since 2017 and were this year joined by the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The Lord Mayor’s Show is the world’s oldest and longest civic procession which celebrates the election of the City’s new Lord Mayor. The thousands who take part parade the three-mile route through the streets of London with eye-catching floats and a joyous atmosphere.

Many more lined the streets to take in the procession while millions watched on from their homes with it broadcast live on BBC. The Show is the longest running live broadcast on television. The Covid-19 pandemic meant that it was cancelled in 2020 f0r just the second time in its 806-year history.

The Lord Mayor’s Appeal entry was slightly different from previous years, with the four charities carrying giant inflatables displaying impact quotes. OnSide’s proudly showed a quote from Unitas Youth Zone member Ines Lopes, which read:

All the youth workers at my OnSide Youth Zone are so supportive. I have never had anything like this in my life.

Funding generated from the partnership with the Lord Mayor’s Appeal has enabled OnSide to provide a range of skills such as high-quality mentoring, personal development and employability skills across our three open London Youth Zones as well as supporting the development of WEST Youth Zone in Hammersmith and Fulham.

The Show was another huge success and young people from Croydon’s Legacy Youth Zone had an incredible day, making friends and memories along the way.

See our photo gallery below: