That same year the LSL launched its three new community programmes. The first, a Drug Awareness programme, provided a folio of information and the film “Reading, Writing and Reefer” for loan to schools. This was a one-year programme.

That same year, the LSL also introduced a programme with Delaware Home, providing tea, chats, a sundries trolley, and holiday parties for elderly residents, as well as a programme with the Chelsea Pensioners, through which LSL members included Chelsea Pensioners in their own family activities. These programmes were active between 1979 and 1982.

Also in 1981, the first edition of Cues newsletter was published. This news and feature-led publication for the membership is also a key external tool to keep our community partners informed of the League’s activities.

1981 also saw the LSL launch its Choral Group, performing for elderly residents of local retirement homes. This was a one-year programme.

Also in 1983, LSL volunteers staffed the information desk at Sutton Place and worked with the Therapeutic Activities Programme to establish a library, as well as partnering with the Friends of Holland Park to produce the Holland Park Nature Trail, a guide to the flora and fauna and points of interest within Holland Park. These were all one-year projects. The LSL was also honoured with a personal visit from US First Lady (and fellow Junior League member) Barbara Bush to recognise our community work in London.

The first new programme marked the beginning of a major collaboration with theRoyal Academy. Between 1984 and 1992, the League staffed the Royal Academy’s Schools/Information desk in the main lobby, fielding general and art-related enquiries from the public.

Also in 1984, the LSL developed Project Dyslexia, compiling comprehensive resource files which were distributed to 200 schools and teaching centres throughout the UK; providing assistance to parents on the legal rights of dyslexic children; and providing transport to special lessons for dyslexic children. That same year, the LSL instituted its Weybridge Museum Programme, routing and maintaining school loans materials; cataloguing photographs; and copying documents relating to the loans programme. Project Dyslexia and the Weybridge Museum Programme were active between 1984 and 1987.

The final new programme begun in 1984 was the partnership with the Disabled Living Foundation, which involved League volunteers maintaining and circulating literature files and periodicals, providing support for open days and special projects, and recording and distributing minutes for the Advisory Panel on Visual Impairment Project. This programme was active between 1984 and 1989.

The three new one-year community projects developed in 1984 included a collaboration with the John Judkyn Memorial, distributing educational boxes of artefacts from the American Museum to London area schools; a partnership withBenjamin Franklin House, helping to fundraise, publishing and distributing the Craven Street Gazette, and updating their brochure; and an association with thePaddington Integration Project, teaching life skills to children with learning difficulties.

1984 was also the first year that the London League was invited to send delegates to the Association of Junior Leagues International Annual Conference. Since then, the JLL has sent over 100 women to attend best-in-class voluntary and leadership skills trainings sponsored by the Association.

Also in 1985, the JLL began an initiative with Brooklands Museum, researching and writing a site tour to be used in their brochure; securing items for refurbishing the Club House; assisting in organising fundraising efforts; staffing open days; and interviewing local residents, former employees and others about their memories of the museum as part of an oral history project. This programme was active between 1985 and 1987.

The same year, the JLL began its collaboration with St Mary Abbot’s Hospital, supplying volunteers to visit geriatric patients in the Nightingale Ward, conducting reminiscence sessions, and organising birthday and holiday parties. This programme was active between 1986 and 1991.

1986 also marked the occasion of a major fundraising and profile-raising event for the JLL: a luncheon with the theme of “Celebrating Volunteers” to raise funds for the JLL and Save the Children, with HRH Princess Anne as the keynote speaker.

Also in 1986, the JLL began its Community Grants programme. Over the 20-year life of this initiative, the JLL provided over £150,000 in direct support to over 30 London charities, including the Disabled Living Foundation, the Guy Fox History Project, the Zimbabwe Community Association, and Sixty Plus.

Also in 1987, JLL was honoured to have one of its members, Rosemary Robertson, elected to serve on the Board of the Association of Junior Leagues International, a first for our League. Since then we have had several members serve the Association, including Past Presidents Anne Green (AJLI Area I Council nominee); Leesa Wilson-Goldmuntz; Liz Murley (AJLI Board of Directors); Sarah Wilson (AJLI Resolutions Committee); Ingrid Jacobson-Pinter (AJLI Nominating Committee); Zena Martin (AJLI Board of Directors) and Melissa Allen (AJLI Board of Directors).

Another exciting development in the 1988-9 League year was the beginning of our external Training Programme. Following a request from the NSPCC, JLL volunteers developed training programmes to be delivered to other voluntary organisations. In the first year of this initiative, JLL volunteers trained over 700 members of NSPCC staff and volunteers in 12 cities across the UK; in the second year, the JLL continued to train NSPCC volunteers and also provided marketing seminars in 10 regional venues to nearly 200 participants in coordination with the National Association of Volunteer Bureaux, just some of the highlights of this remarkable venture.

Also in 1991, JLL moved its Headquarters to its current home after the Lansdowne Club, where it remained for the next 23 years.

The second programme launched in 1992 was the JLL’s Environmental Project. During its six-year history, this programme was effective in educating and inspiring people within the JLL and the community to improve the local environment. Within the League, volunteers provided information and advice on environmental issues via regular articles in Cues and compiled a chapter entitled “Living Green in London” for the seventh edition of Living in London. In the Colville community, JLL volunteers worked in partnership with local residents as members of a community environmental sub-committee that allowed for the exchange of ideas and progress. Volunteers also organised can recycling drives and “Tidy Up Colville” days, as well as preparing a Tree Map, a legal document integral to establishing Tree Preservation Orders in Colville. The Environmental Project was active between 1992 and 1998.

The JLL was recognised in 1992 as a winner in the Regional Round of the Royal Anniversary Trust’s Challenge for England, highlighting the impact of our community work.

In 1993, JLL members voted to adopt a new community focus: the development of the Colville area of Notting Hill. At the time, Colville was one of the most deprived areas in London, and the JLL felt that it could make the greatest impact by concentrating its efforts in this particular neighbourhood. Urban and cultural consultant Gerald Lemos featured JLL in his 1999 book Urban Village, Global City,which focused on the physical and social regeneration of Colville, writing: “The Junior League of London is an example of altruism…women committed to voluntary service…They offer support to enhance the lives and capabilities of residents and to enable them to take an active role in their neighbourhood and future.” Colville remained the primary focus of JLL’s community efforts until 2002 when a new focus was adopted; however, our work in this neighbourhood continues today through programmes such as Learning Club.

Also in 1995, the JLL developed the Colville Help Service programme in partnership with Notting Hill Housing Trust. The goal was to provide elderly individuals and those with special needs tailored services including help with errands, household tasks, shopping, or simply visits or conversation partners through flexibly scheduled one-on-one weekly or biweekly helping sessions. The programme was active between 1995 and 2003.

In addition, 1995 saw the kick-off of the Toy Library scheme in partnership with the Tabernacle community centre in Colville. The Toy Library provided a friendly and supportive safe place for parents and caregivers to come with their children to borrow high quality toys, books and videos to enjoy at home. The Toy Library specialised in lending toys to children aged 0-7 that encourage play, interaction with parents, and that were educational as well as fun. In addition, the Toy Library provided a Parent Resource Section with up-to-date books and reference materials on child rearing, early child development and parenting. JLL volunteers also offered workshops and training to encourage parents/caregivers on issues of interest such as Basic First Aid. Over time, the Toy Library expanded its hours to include up to 24 hours per week of service provision, and the programme was successfully transitioned to West London Action for Children in 2002.

Also in 1996, the JLL delivered its first complement of Holiday Hampers to 100 families in need. Adopted as an official programme by the JLL membership in 1998, Holiday Hampers are now delivered to over 1,000 recipients annually through 14 community partners.

Also in 1996, the JLL launched a programme to support victims of domestic violence in coordination with the North Kensington Women’s Aid Refuge. Initially, JLL volunteers worked with North Kensington Women’s Aid (NKWA) to help the Refuge obtain and establish additional Refuge space. Over time, the programme evolved to provide volunteers to assist women with the practical problems associated with moving into permanent accommodation. JLL volunteers also developed marketing materials for the Refuge, set up a database of potential sources of grant funding for the Refuge, and funded space at the Refuge for women without recourse to public funds. The programme was active between 1996 and 2000.

Also in 2006, the JLL began its collaboration with Rugby Portobello Trust (RPT),providing arts-based workshops and mentoring to the young people supported by RPT through its Young Art programme. Using arts as a tool to engage these economically disadvantaged young people who are making the transition to independent living, JLL volunteers planned and executed workshops exploring diverse media including graffiti art, rap music, hip-hop dance, and film-making. In 2009, JLL members voted to transition the project into the new Running Startprogramme, putting increased emphasis on providing skills that will help the young people at RPT develop their prospects for employment.

Also in 2008, the JLL membership, following a year-long research initiative incorporating an analysis of community needs and member preferences, adopted the elimination of poverty and its effects in London as its new community focus.

The second new programme will be delivered in coordination with Centrepoint and will involve JLL volunteers delivering life skills workshops, mentoring, and other enrichment activities to the homeless young people supported by Centrepoint.

Also in 2010, we were proud to receive an Honourable Mention award from AJLI for our recent initiatives in Membership Development.

Also in 2011, JLL nearly doubled its past Done in a Day activities, delivering nearly 2,000 hours of hands-on support to 17 community partners throughout the year.

In April 2012 we also held our first All Service Day with nearly 100 women coming together across London for volunteer work with 7 community partners in a single day. All Service Day remains a key initiative on our volunteer calendar each spring.

In August 2013, JLL also launched the Kindle Edition of Living in London: A Practical Guide, thus enabling a more modern approach and access to a wider international audience.

We also deepened our ties to London with a well-attended Masquerade Charity Ball at Shakespeare’s Globe, and were also delighted to have members of JLL invited to open trading at the London Stock Exchange.

Also in 2014, the Board and membership approved a robust Strategic Plan, incorporating the recommendations of the Strategic Review Committee (SRC) and designed to remove structural impediments that hindered progress while preserving the traditions and elements that define the JLL and motivate its members.

We launched our first ever JLL Conference, bringing together more than 100 women for collective discussion and development. It was fitting that the Conference was held at the offices of Brown Brothers Harriman, whose co-founder was the brother of Junior League founder Mary Harriman. Conference remains a signature programme of JLL today.

We also moved our offices from the Landsdowne Club to the charity-focused CAN Mezzanine, marking our integration as a charity in London.

In 2015, the Board led a review of our community focus as outlined in our charity’s governing documents. After much research, it was agreed to maintain our current focus on poverty through 2024. Although progress has been made in London, poverty remains a critical issue in the community and an issue important to our members. By maintaining poverty as our focus, we were also able to restructure our programme-based committees into issues-based Community Action Teams (CATs) as recommended by the SRC. This new CAT structure has helped to increase our members’ knowledge of the issues around poverty, better develop our partnerships in the community, and improve the volunteering experience and impact.

Also in 2015, the Junior League of Atlanta launched the first non-JLL Little Black Dress Initiative with a feature on CNN highlighting LBDI’s origins in London and the effects of poverty more widely in Atlanta. Today, LBDI has been implemented by over 100 Junior Leagues internationally and continues as a key advocacy and fundraising campaign for JLL.

Also, in 2016, the JLL began a new partnership with Restart, an organisation working to support London’s homeless. Restart drop-in centres remain a popular and rewarding volunteer shift for members.

The JLL deepened its London connection once again with its 1st Spring Soirée at Lords Cricket Ground and was recognised with AJLI’s Communications & Marketing Award for the Little Black Dress Initiative, which provided an important platform for the JLL and other Leagues to showcase their work in the community.

Also in 2017, we were honoured to have AJLI President Carol Scott visit JLL, join our members to volunteer with our community partner SmartWorks, and serve as the keynote speaker at our Annual General Meeting.

We continued to strengthen our charity’s sustainability by developing a robust Risk Management Plan for the Board and Management Teams. We also moved our offices to a more flexible working space at WeWork to better meet the needs of our volunteers and our work.

We were also delighted to be shortlisted for the 2018 Outstanding Organisation Award by Westminster City Council.

JLL further strengthened its focus on leadership development in 2018 and launched the first Leadership Summit, providing tailored mid-year training to women serving in leadership positions as well as training for the wider membership. In addition, we formalised our organisation’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

We also launched the 12th edition of Living in London, moving to a fully online platform including a print-on-demand option as well as a Kindle edition available in both the US and the UK.

JLL’s focus on developing our members continued with a theme of ‘Servant Leadership’, including an engaging speaker series, regular ‘knowledge bytes’, and a well-attended Annual Conference.

In November 2019 we celebrated our 40th and final Boutique de Noel. Over its 40 years, this signature JLL event has left a legacy that has not only impacted our members but our community, vendors and other charitable organisations. At the conclusion of this final celebration, we had surpassed a cumulative target of over £3 million raised for service to the London community.

Sadly, 2020 also brought Covid-19 to the UK and worldwide. In response, JLL launched the LBDI Covid-19 Poverty Appeal, a campaign raising awareness of the impact of Covid-19 on poverty in London, and dedicating 100% of the funds raised to fight those effects. We also established Neighbourhood Community Action Teams (NCATs) to connect volunteers in their local area. In addition, we launched a Scholarship Fund to provide financial support for members.

Although meeting in person was constrained for much of 2020, our focus on connecting and developing our members was not. We held well-attended virtual General Meetings, an engaging virtual Conference and a series of virtual training events throughout the year. This new virtual format proved rewarding for our members and our charity, and enabled us to not only develop our skills and our connections, but also to set out a new Strategic Plan and updated Values for our organisation going forward.

We also assisted our community partners to manage through the strains of the pandemic by using funds raised through our COVID-19 LBDI appeal to provide much needed supplies, including books, laptops and remote learning items at Colville Primary School; furnishings for a counselling space at a Hestia centre; and PPE for volunteers as well as powerbanks for homeless individuals at Restart Lives.

In 2021 we continued our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, building on work done in previous years, and strengthening our resolve to embed an inclusive culture withing our league and the London community we serve. Our Task Force provided educational opportunities, and we hosted a well-attended speaker series and Conference with the theme of ‘Better Together’

2021 also marked the 25th year of Holiday Hampers, and we were delighted to be able to expand our reach to two new London boroughs, both of which face poverty challenges.  Throughout the programme’s history, volunteers have worked tirelessly to secure customised content and assemble hampers filled with food, essentials, books and gifts which now reach over 1,000 vulnerable Londoners annually.