Community Shines at Lady Mayor’s Show

Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust were honoured to have a float in the Lady Mayor’s Show 2025 at the special invitation of Dame Susan Langley DBE, this year’s Lady Mayor. A former Havering student herself, Dame Susan has deep personal ties to the area and a lasting admiration for its community.  

On Saturday, 8th November 2025, fifty participants from the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust community - including alumni, staff, and current Drapers’ Academy pupils and students - proudly took part in the Lady Mayor’s Show procession, travelling three miles through the City of London. Members of the public, alongside representatives of the Drapers’ Company and pupils from the Trust’s primary schools - Drapers’ Brookside, Drapers’ Maylands, and Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory - lined the streets to enthusiastically cheer on the Drapers’ community and celebrate their involvement in this historic event. 

The Lord Mayor’s Show - rebranded as the Lady Mayor’s Show this year - is the oldest, longest, best loved and least-rehearsed civic procession in the world. It dates back to 1215, when King John granted a charter allowing the citizens of London to elect their own mayor. The newly elected Lord Mayor was required to travel to Westminster to swear loyalty to the Crown - a tradition that evolved into the annual procession known today as the Lord Mayor’s Show.  

The 697th Lord Mayor of London is Dame Susan Langley DBE. She is only the third woman to hold the post in over 800 years, and the first ever to be titled the ‘Lady Mayor of London’. 

Dame Susan Langley DBE invited Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust to take part in the iconic parade to showcase the ambition, talent, and potential of young people from the very borough that shaped her own journey. This collaboration represents a celebration not only of Dame Susan’s roots, but also of the bright futures being built every day in Havering. 

A trailblazer for women in business, Dame Susan has received numerous awards for her leadership and influence. Her journey - from her education in Havering to one of the most prestigious civic roles in the country - serves as a powerful reminder of what ambition, resilience, and education can achieve. For Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust, her success is an inspiring example for pupils and students, demonstrating that with confidence and opportunity, anything is possible. 

The Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust float proudly showcased the community of Harold Hill, placing it firmly on the map. The float’s theme, “Opportunities in Harold Hill,” was vibrant and uplifting – to celebrate the area’s heritage and the opportunities education brings for the future.  

Dame Susan Langley DBE said: “As a child I never thought I’d have the opportunity of such an amazing career. That’s what education and great teachers give you. And that’s why I really wanted Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust to be part of the Show. Because without doubt that’s what their schools create - confidence and opportunity.” 

One pupil said of the day “This is the best day of my life”.  

Read more about our participation in the Lady Mayor's Show here