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2016 GMC Community Activities

December – GMC recognised two worthy community champions at the St Lucia National Day celebration event at Newham Town Hall. P.C. Darren Farr was presented with a GMC Community Champion Award for his 15 years of service to the Metropolitan Police. A GMC Community Champion Award was also presented to Trini Evans for her many years of work at Green Light Youth Club in East London. GMC CEO Prem Goyal was also delighted to present Justin Moore MBE JP the Freedom of the City of London.
December – GMC CEO Prem Goyal was invited to sit at the President’s table at the Television for the Environment (TVE) Global Film Sustainability Awards. Prem cited ‘Eye Mitra: Friends of the Eyes’ by Essilor International as his favorite film, which won the Transforming Society Award. The Global Film Sustainability Awards celebrate companies that make their films showcasing their innovations which have a positive transformative impact on society and the environment.
November – GMC CEO Prem Goyal was invited as a VIP guest to the Coventry University winter graduation ceremony at Guildhall. Overall, Prem witnessed over 1,000 students receive their degree diploma in front of their families and lecturers. Prem is scheduled to meet with the Coventry University Executive Management team to discuss how GMC can form a lasting partnership with the university.
November – GMC CEO Prem Goyal and Business Manager Aaron D’Souza attended the grand reopening of Brunel Museum’s Grand Entrance Hall in Southwark. The reopening was graced by HRH Price Edward as well as 100 other community leaders from the Borough.
October – GMC CEO Prem Goyal attended the Treloar Trust Gala at Mansion House alongside The Lord Mayor and 200 other esteemed guests. The event was graced by the Countess of Wessex, the charity’s Patron, and raised a remarkable £51,000. The Treloar Trust provides educational and therapy support to young people with physical disabilities to help them lead an independent life. Prem will be visting the Treloar’s School next year.
October –  GMC CEO Prem Goyal attended the 13th annual Basic Business Initiative (BBI) Enterprise Minds Awards at the Hilton London Tower Bridge. The Enterprise Minds Awards are staged every year to recognise non-for-profit ventures by businesses and individuals that make a positive social impact in their community. As Patron of BBI, Prem said: “So many deserving and inspiring young people were recognised this evening. Their success here will hopefully encourage other young people to aim higher.”
September – GMC CEO Prem Goyal participated in a highly successful City Giving Day, with the goal of raising thousands of pounds for JDRF and the Sea Cadets. Prem was specially invited to the Lord Mayor’s opening of the London Stock Exchange. He then joined former Lord Mayor Dame Fiona Woolf at the traditional Charles Heidseick Long Lunch. Reflecting on the day, Prem said: “I’m thrilled that over 200 companies participated to raise funds and awareness for this hugely important day in the City’s calendar.”
September – GMC sponsored the Third Sector Awards for the second year in a row, recognising the most outstanding achievements of organisations and individuals in the charity sector. GMC CEO Prem Goyal presented the Rising Chief Executive Award to Vision for Nation Foundation’s Tom Rosewall, the Fundraising Team of the Year Award to Arthritis Care and the Small Charity, Big Achiever Award to Growing Support.
September – GMC sponsored a special celebratory meal for the organisers of the 2016 Southwark Eid Festival in Burgess Park. Attending the event, GMC CEO Prem Goyal praised Musharraf Chaudhury, Festival Manager, and his team for orchestrating the event which attracted over 10,000 attendees from all over London.
August – GMC sponsored a special Springs of Hope UK funday in Walworth, which saw over 100 people from the local community attend. Distinguished individuals that attended the event included Althea Smith (former Mayor of Southwark), Tony Stevens (Founder of the Daneford Trust) and Sir Simon Hughes (former MP Bermondsey & Old Southwark). The event was held to raise vital funds so that the charity can complete their school extension project in Jamaica.
August – GMC sponsored a thank you dinner for volunteers, trustees and staff of Pecan’s Foodbank in Peckham. GMC CEO Prem Goyal and Business Manager Aaron D’Souza attended the dinner to congratulate everyone associated with Pecan on the incredible service they provide to Southwark. In a speech, Aaron said: “We are proud of your efforts and the difference you make to the lives of struggling Londoners. We would like to make this an annual event.”
August – GMC CEO Prem Goyal was invited as a keynote speaker to Kiwanis UK’s 7th Annual Convention & Gala Dinner at the Union Jack Club. Speaking to 70 community champions and friends of Kiwanis from across Europe, Prem explained the virtues of volunteering and the importance of giving back to your community after achieving your dreams.
July – GMC CEO Prem Goyal was invited to participate in the 2016 Third Sector Awards Judging Day alongside distinguished figures from the charity sector. The other judge’s were impressed with Prem’s analytical insights whilst judging the shortlisted charities in the Charity Partnership Award category and the Enterprise Award category. In 2015, GMC signed a three-year deal to sponsor the Third Sector Awards until 2017.
July – GMC CEO Prem Goyal and Business Manager Aaron D’Souza were invited as guest speakers to Breaking Bread with the Professionals at Spotlight in East London. The event was attended by over 150 young people, eager to learn tips and advice on how to excel in the world of business. In his keynote speech, Prem stressed the importance of setting ambitious goals and making sacrifices to achieve them.
July – GMC CEO Prem Goyal and Business Manager Aaron D’Souza attended the launch of Orbis UK’s new ‘Third Generation’ MD-10 flying eye hospital at the Royal Airforce Club. The new plane was converted into a world class training facility and will make initial sight-saving trips to China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cameroon. Prem and Aaron both learned more about the charity’s ambitious vision and explored ways for GMC to help support their mission.
July – GMC CEO Prem Goyal attended Spartak 78 Youth Club’s annual end of season awards presentation in Essex. As Patron of the youth club, Prem presented awards to the club’s standout football players for the 2015/16 season, as well as special recognition awards for the selfless volunteers who committed so much time to the club during the season. Prem also presented Keith Mullins, Secretary of Spartak 78 Youth Club, with a 2016 GMC Community Champion Award for his 10 years of service to the club.
June – GMC Business Manager Aaron D’Souza attended the graduation ceremony of 45 global leaders on the Three Faiths Forum’s (3FF) Parliamentor programme. Aaron was incredibly proud that his own mentee, Mounir Haddad, won the prize for best project with Camden Cares, a initiative created to help refugees and their families settle in to the Borough of Camden. GMC CEO Prem Goyal, who was recently made a Champion of 3FF, was also invited to the event and is seeking further ways to support the charity.
June – GMC CEO Prem Goyal and Business Manager Catherine Ching attended the 2016 Charity Awards ceremony at the Mermaid Theatre. On top of GMC sponsoring the awards, Prem was also invited to be a part of the judging panel, alongside distinguished CEOs and executives from the charity sector. The Overall Winner Award was presented to the Trussell Trust, who manage a foodbank network across the UK.
June – Prem Goyal and his GMC team attended the 2016 Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch Reception at Guildhall. During his speech, the Lord Mayor announced that the 2016 lunch had raised around £217,000 for ABF The Soldier’s Charity. The Lord Mayor also gave a huge thank you to the event’s sponsors, including GMC.
June – GMC CEO Prem Goyal was invited to a garden party at Lambeth Palace to support the Ronald McDonald House Charity. Prem was invited to the event by Eddie Wilcox, who has for many years contributed so much time and effort to the charity. The event raised a stunning total of £3000 for the charity’s activities.
May – GMC CEO Prem Goyal was invited to give a keynote speech to over 200 aspiring entrepreneurs at StartUp Brixton. Delivering the speech entitled ‘Three Secrets to Business Success’, Prem drew upon his own experience to advise his audience to make substantial savings, acquire top business skills and create a global profile in order to successfully grow their business. Prem received a warm reception from the audience and personally spoke and gave advice to some of the aspiring young entrepreneurs afterwards.
May – GMC CEO Prem Goyal attended the Mayor’s of Southwark’s Charity Ball 2016 to raise money for her two charities: the British Red Cross and Guy’s Hospital’s new cancer treatment centre. Prem extended invitations to Althea Smith, former Mayor of Southwark, and Eddie Wilcox, a longstanding supproter of Ronald McDonald House charity. Reflecting on the event, Prem said: “I’m ecstatic that so much money was raised for the Mayor’s two charities tonight.”
April – GMC CEO Prem Goyal helped in raising over £2000 for the Southwark Mayor’s Common Good Trust at the St George’s Day Luncheon at the Den. The Common Good Trust is a charity dedicated to proving support to impoverished and vulnerable people in the Borough of Southwark and help thousands of people every year. Thank you to Althea Smith and the Trustee team for organising this event.
April – GMC CEO Prem Goyal was officially admitted as a Liveryman to the Worshipful Company of Plumbers at a ceremony held at Carpenters’ Hall. In his speech to the Master, Wardens and the members of the Court of Assistants, Prem said: “I’m delighted to be here. I am very much looking forward to serving the Worshipful Company of Plumbers together.”
April – GMC sponsored two runners in the 2016 London Marathon, Apinya Medina, who was running for the NSPCC, and Leila Hobday, who was running for Time & Talent. Leila raised a total of £2000 and Apinya met her fundraising target of £1500. GMC would like to congratulate both runners for their efforts.
April – GMC sponsored the Sheila McKechine Foundation(SMK) Campaigner Awards at the House of Lords. GMC CEO Prem Goyal attended the event to present the SMK People’s Choice Award to Sam Jefferies, a disability campaigner at the forefront of the Hear My Voice Campaign. Speaking at the awards, Prem said: “I am very proud to present this award to Sam Jefferies for his important work in representing people with learning difficulties. He has advocated on their behalf against policy changes and benefits cuts.”
April – GMC proudly sponsored the ninth annual Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch at Guildhall, to raise funds for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity. GMC staff and their guest enjoyed some fabulous curry and were also afforded the opportunity to thank British Military Personnel for their sacrifices for their country. GMC CEO Prem Goyal is exploring ways with the charity’s Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board of Trustees, Brigadier Robin Bacon on how he can support the charity again in the future.
April – GMC CEO Prem Goyal and Business Manager Aaron D’Souza were invited to the Shakespeare 400 service at Southwark Cathedral to commomorate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death.The service blended liturgy and theatre, with a sermon being read by the Bishop of London and actors from the Globe’s winter season performing scenes from the Bard’s work. Thanks to the Bishop of Southwark, The Rt. Reverend Christopher Chessun for inviting us.
March – GMC CEO Prem Goyal and Business Manager Aaron D’Souza were invited to a reception hosted by the Motor Neurone Disease Association with HRH Princess Royal and 50 other supproters and volunteers. At the event, Prem spoke to MND Association Trustees and Executive Team members to explore ways in which GMC could support the charity and raise awareness for them.
March – GMC sponsored the launch of the Côte d’Ivoire Chamber in Great Britain (CICCGB) at the Hilton London Tower Bridge Hotel. The CICCGB was set up to encourage more business links between firms in the Uk and the Côte d’Ivoire. GMC CEO Prem Goyal, who was invited to speak at the launch, encouraged the CICCGB to build build their credentials, develop sustainable revenue streams and forge a global reach in order to create an effective business network between the two countries.
March – GMC recognised the heroes behind the Camden Cares project, an initiative which helps refugees from a range of countries settle in the UK. The Young Leader Awards were given at a special presentation at Arsenal Football Club by GMC’s Prem Goyal and Aaron D’Souza. The awards were presented to Mounir Haddad, Nazgol Kafai-Golahmady, Raphael Gregorian, Ramie Farag and Emmanuel Etuh.
March – GMC CEO Prem Goyal was invited to give a keynote speech at the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch Cocktail Party, in support of ABF The Soldier’s Charity. The theme of the evening was ‘celebrating the success of women’, and Prem galvanised those in attendance to keep on investing in their communities and encourage their peers to do the same.
February – GMC employees joined the Chinese Ambassador to the UK to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Monkey at a concert at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Maestro Long Yu and the Philharmonia Orchestra showcased their talents, performing classics such as Huanzhi’s Spring Festival Overture and a traditional Peking Opera.
February – GMC Business Manager Catherine Ching and community champion Apinya Medina walked the London Marathon route to raise money for the Time & Talents Charity. With their combined effort, they raised £100 for the charity. lex Evans, Director of Time & Talents, said: “This is great news. I thank both Catherine and Apinya for their efforts.”
January – GMC CEO Prem Goyal was selected to be one of the 11 independent judges of the 2016 Charity Awards. On being selected, Prem said: “it is a honoured to be a member of this panel and will make sure The Charity Awards winners really deserve the accolade.”
January – GMC Business Manager Catherine Ching participated in the 2016 Hong Kong Marathon, passing the finish line after an impressive 6 hours and 15 minutes. This was the second marathon that Catherine Ching has run in her lifetime, having competed in a team of six people in the London Marathon in 2010.