Mayor launches new campaign to unite and celebrate Londoners
Ansar Ahmed Ullah
Contributing Editor,Shottobani
London: The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a package of almost £1million funding to support communities across London, as he launched a major new campaign to show that the capital is, and always will be, a place for everyone.
The funding announcement came as the Mayor launched a major new campaign to send a strong message to all of the capital’s communities that they are loved and wanted in London.
The Loved and Wanted campaign brings together a broad range of organisations and community groups to show the world that diversity is London’s greatest strength and that people from all backgrounds are celebrated and welcomed. The campaign comes six months after disorder took place across towns and cities in the UK and at a time when fear and division is being spread in the UK and around the world. Since October 2023, the capital has seen a rise in antisemitism and islamophobia, and a rise in extreme right-wing activity has also left many fearful for their safety.
The Mayor officially launched the campaign on Valentine’s Day at Outernet London, the largest digital exhibition space in Europe, which is hosting a ‘Loved and Wanted’ digital immersive experience. He was joined by faith leaders and representatives from London’s communities, including LGBTQI+, migrant and deaf and disabled Londoners, soul singer and activist Mica Paris and Ukrainian chef and digital artist Alisa Cooper to send a powerful message of unity to Londoners.
The campaign will feature a series of adverts across the capital, in community centres, cultural organisations, libraries, faith buildings, volunteering centres and online over the coming months. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “London is the greatest city in the world because of the incredible people who live here. Londoners come from every walk of life, from every religious, ethnic and social background and from all over the world to make this fantastic city. Sadly, we are living in increasingly uncertain and unsettling times and I know the worry and concern that this is having in our communities. That’s why we’re bringing together organisations and community groups across the capital to send a clear message that all Londoners are loved and wanted in our great city. London is, and always be, a place for everyone.”
Shabna Begum, Chief Executive Officer at Runnymede Trust, “The Loved and Wanted campaign speaks to a social contract that moves beyond terms like ‘tolerance’ and ‘cohesion’, it celebrates the beauty of a city that is a rich tapestry of multiracial, multicultural and mixed class communities that live, work – and often struggle together. “We welcome the package of investment in communities that the campaign promises, supporting organisations and infrastructures that enable togetherness, when we know that so many of our most vulnerable continue to face unprecedented levels of economic distress. “At a time when our political conversation is saturated with narratives of hate and division and London is subjected to hyper-hostility by far-right actors who smear our diversity and difference, this campaign could not be more important. Loved and Wanted isn’t a romantic, aspirational statement, it is an account of our city that remembers the incredible archive of solidarity and anti-racist activism that shapes us and is a reminder that these histories are underpinned by the everyday rhythm of living and struggling together in our complex, convivial communities.