Lady Mayor's Show

Opportunities in Harold Hill

Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust is proud to take part in the Lord Mayor’s Show 2025 at the special invitation of Dame Susan Langley, 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. She invited Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust to join the iconic parade to showcase the ambition, talent, and potential of young people from the very borough that shaped her own journey. This is a celebration not just of her roots, but of the bright futures being built every day in Havering - proof that with the right support and aspirations, success can start anywhere.

Sue Langley – From Havering to the Heart of the City

Dame Susan’s story is one that deeply resonates with our communities: born in the East End, with family roots in Stratford and Forest Gate, she grew up in Havering, attending Ardleigh Green and Redden Court schools, and knows our local area inside out.

From these beginnings, she went on to study Geography at Southampton University, travel the world, and build an outstanding career in business and public service. Today, she is Chair of one of the UK’s largest insurance brokers, Gallagher, and her career has spanned senior leadership roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Home Office, the Department for Trade and Investment, Lloyd’s of London, and several major charities. A trailblazer for women in business, she has been recognised with numerous awards for her leadership and influence.

Dame Susan is also a proud Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Drapers, the founding sponsor of Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust. This year, she will make history as only the third woman since 1189 to hold the office of Lord Mayor of London – and the first ever to be called the Lady Mayor.

For our Trust, her journey from Havering to one of the most prestigious civic roles in the country is a powerful reminder of what ambition, resilience, and education can achieve. We are proud to celebrate her achievements and to walk alongside her in this year’s Lord Mayor’s Show.

Celebrating Harold Hill – A Unique Community at the Edge of London

As part of our involvement in the Lord Mayor’s Show, Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust are proud to celebrate Harold Hill - a community like no other, where London meets the Essex countryside. With its unique blend of urban energy and rural beauty, Harold Hill is a place shaped by history, nature, and a strong spirit of togetherness.

The area was developed in the 1950s, its name chosen to reflect a much older legacy: the story of King Harold, who once hunted in the surrounding lands. That link to heritage is still alive today. A large part of the original Dagnam Park Estate was preserved and remains at the heart of the community as a public nature reserve known as the Manor. Here, fallow deer roam freely across the parkland and often through local streets – a living reminder of Harold Hill’s history and continuity.

But Harold Hill is more than its past. It is a proud, close-knit community with its eyes firmly on the future. Rooted in tradition yet ambitious in outlook, it is a place where families come together, where resilience and aspiration run deep, and where education and opportunity help build brighter futures for the next generation.

At the Lord Mayor’s Show, Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust are representing Harold Hill’s story through the people who make it thrive – a young community that embodies both heritage and hope at the very edge of London.

Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust – Driving Educational Opportunity

In 2010, The Drapers’ Company, together with co-sponsor Queen Mary University of London, embarked on the creation of Drapers’ Academy – a new secondary school and Sixth Form in Harold Hill, established to provide a fresh start for education in the area. Guided by a clear vision, the Drapers’ Company set out to raise educational standards, broaden horizons, and inspire higher aspirations, creating new opportunities for the young people of Harold Hill.

In 2012, this vision became a reality when Drapers’ Academy was officially opened in a brand-new, purpose-built building by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The opening marked the beginning of a new chapter for education in Harold Hill and laid the foundations for the growth of what would become the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust.

Over the years, the Trust has expanded to include Drapers’ Maylands Primary School, Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School, and Drapers’ Brookside Infant and Junior Schools, creating a strong family of schools working together at the heart of the community.

Today, the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust is a central force in shaping aspiration and achievement for local children, working in partnership with families and the wider community. We are proud to offer an all-through education pathway, from early years to Sixth Form, providing stability, strong relationships, and a consistent commitment to raising potential throughout every stage of a child’s educational journey.

Our unique partnership with The Worshipful Company of Drapers and Queen Mary University of London means that children within our Trust benefit from opportunities unavailable anywhere else. From inspiring experiences and academic enrichment to pathways into higher education and beyond, we are committed to ensuring that every child in our care is equipped to thrive, achieve, and build brighter futures.

The Float – A Celebration of Heritage and Hope

For this year’s Lord Mayor’s Show, the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust is proud to unveil its very own float – a vibrant celebration of heritage and the opportunities education brings for the future.

The float has been designed to reflect the unique story of our Trust, rooted in the historic identity of Harold Hill and driven by a commitment to aspiration, growth, and achievement. It tells the story of a community where history, nature, and resilience shape a powerful vision of what is possible for generations to come.

At the heart of the float are our people – pupils, staff, and alumni from across the Trust. Together, they represent the different stages of opportunity along the educational journey: from early years to primary school, through secondary and sixth form, and onwards into adulthood. Their presence symbolises the growth, progress, and community pride that define our schools.

The design incorporates imagery of pupils past and present, blending Harold Hill’s history with the promise of the future. In this way, the float becomes more than a moving display: it is a living story of heritage and hope.

By bringing together the past, present, and future of education in Harold Hill, the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust float proudly shares our message with the City of London – that through education, community, and opportunity, brighter futures can always be built.

Celebrtating our Alumni

This year’s Lady Mayor’s Show is a special moment for us -  a chance to celebrate the journeys of our own people. Our alumni are taking pride of place on the Trust’s float because they are the living proof of what our schools stand for: ambition, community, and opportunity.

Each of them has their own story - of where they started, what inspired them, and how their time at our schools has helped shape their path. Seeing them represent us at such a historic London event is a reminder that our impact doesn’t end at the school gates; it continues through the achievements and contributions of our former students.

A few of our former students proudly representing the Trust on the day include:

Ellie Ingle - Ellie is a former Drapers’ Academy student and now a proud member of the Drapers’ Company. Since leaving Drapers’ Academy, she has graduated from University College London with First Class Honours in Applied Medical Science, achieving the highest overall degree score in her faculty cohort. She is one of the youngest members of the Drapers’ Company and is eager to contribute to its continued success.

Anthony Nash - Anthony is a former Drapers’ Academy student and the very first alumnus to become a member of the Drapers’ Company. After completing Sixth Form at Drapers’ Academy, he began his career as an Apprentice Product Analyst at Schroders. Today, he is a successful Investment Specialist at M&G Investments and an active member of the Drapers’ Company.

Together, Anthony and Ellie’s journeys stand as powerful examples of the opportunities that can be unlocked for pupils and students who attend a school within the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust.

Behind the scenes – Preparing for the Lord Mayor’s Show

Creating the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust float for the Lord Mayor’s Show has been a true community effort, bringing together pupils, staff, alumni, and our wider partners in a celebration of identity, creativity, and ambition.

From the very beginning, pupils and students across the Trust played a central role in shaping ideas. Workshops and discussions gave young people the chance to share their vision of what the float should represent and look like. Their imagination and insight helped shape the design that will proudly travel through the City of London.

Research also played an important part in the preparation. To ensure the float truly reflected Harold Hill’s story, the team worked closely with local historians drawing on their knowledge of the Manor and its history, including the iconic grounds and fallow deer that remain a symbol of the area.

Behind the scenes, regular committee meetings brought everything together. With valuable input from Dame Susan Langley DBE, the Drapers’ Company, and Queen Mary University of London, the float became a project that combined local pride with the support of esteemed organisations.

An exciting part of the preparation was the Trust-wide hand-waving flag design competition. Primary pupils across our schools were invited to submit their ideas, celebrating Harold Hill and the Trust. Shortlisting the entries was a tough task, but the final designs were judged by Dame Susan Langley herself. The winning flag, created by a Year 6 pupil from Drapers’ Pyrgo, will be proudly displayed in the form of hand-waving flags at the Lord Mayor’s Show – a symbol of creativity, pride, and achievement.

When the big day arrives, photos of the float and the celebrations will be shared here so that the whole community can relive this exciting journey.

The Lord Mayor’s Show is more than a single day – it is the result of months of imagination, collaboration, and dedication. For the Drapers’ Multi-Academy Trust, the process of preparing has been as important as the event itself, uniting our community and showcasing the spirit of Harold Hill.