Interview: Ryan Kohn and Laura Fraser, co-founders of London for London

Interview: Ryan Kohn and Laura Fraser, co-founders of London for London

02 October, 2009
by: SpoonfedMeg

London for London, the city-wide charity knees-up that takes place on 3 October, promises to go a long way towards getting Londoners out and about for a good cause. But what about the people behind the event? We had a chat with Ryan Khon and Laura Fraser to hear about the inspiration for the event and how the whole thing is going to go down.

Where did the idea for London for London come from?
Our friendship was founded pretty much on going to the Electric Cinema on Portobello Road to watch films. We had just been to see The Diving Bell and The Butterfly and went for a drink afterwards feeling 100% inspired. We then started brainstorming ways in which we could unite people and in doing so, show that the ability to make change lies in each of us. Not the governments, but in the people who make up the cities we live in. We wanted to find something that everyone already does anyway but which would also be something we could put a twist on. “What about going out with friends in the evening?”

How is it going to work?
On 3rd October 2009 London for London is working with the capital’s major bars, clubs and pubs who will be inviting everyone who walks through their door that night to give just £1. Absolutely every penny of every pound raised will then go towards 3 organisations whose work addresses violence amongst young people – Kids Company, Volunteer Police Cadets and Help A London Child.

Why did you pick the charities (Kids Company and Volunteer Cadets among others) who will be involved this year?
We both wanted to work organisations that we felt were genuinely making a difference to young people’s lives in the capital. Laura had been hoping to work with Kids Co having seen their fantastic work previously with her company Bonding For Good and with an outreach of over 11,000 kids across London, they also offered a very real portal to work with young people who had been affected by violence. The VPC have a presence right across London and open up opportunities to the Capital’s young people from all walks of life. We were blown away when we visited the Westminster Academy to see the cadets first hand! Young people coming together from all over London is practically the London For London bible so it wasn’t long before we added their name to the list!

You’ve managed to get some really big names excited about the event, including Boris Johnson. Was it a challenge to get London for London off the ground and get people and companies involved?
Part of the magic of London For London has been the way that people have all responded. Without doubt, L4L is the product of many people’s contributions. Our media partners have all been fantastic and came on board quickly, both through cold calls and personal connections. Similarly having the support of Boris Johnson and Prince William has also been a fantastic coup and we really appreciate their backing.

For us, this is all testament of the spirit of the campaign: creating a space for people to do whatever comes most naturally to them, to support the campaign.

Which venues have signed up so far? Do you have any favourite London venues you’d really like to have on board?
We have over 700 venues signed up. From major chains like Mitchells & Butlers and Late Night London, to bars like 93 Feet East, Beach Blanket Babylon, Electricity Showrooms, Big Chill bars to clubs as diverse as Ministry of Sound, Fabric, Boujis and Whisky Mist. The clubs we would love to get on board are G-A-Y and Heaven, but they haven't been so keen to respond to us at present. Groups wise we have our fingers tightly crossed with The Soho House Group, as we would love to have their venues on board too.

What would you consider a successful outcome of this year’s London for London event?
Volunteer door hosts collecting bucket loads of £1s off Londoners as they enter all the venues on board, people really connecting to the campaign and uniting to support the city we love. We want to raise enough money to be able to say we have made a difference to the organisations we are supporting. Likewise, we want Londoners talking about the issues these charities focus on and we hope that they feel part of the campaign whether it be through volunteering on the night, getting their local pub involved or by simply giving a £1 on Saturday night.

Where and how will you be celebrating London for London on 3 October?
All over! The L4L team will be manning doors along with the rest of the volunteers team on the night, with the two of us making sure that all our door hosts are happy, that everything is going well and on call in case we are needed.  No doubt we will be pumping with an incredible amount of adrenalin as we see the whole thing happening! We can’t wait!

And neither can we! Get involved by finding out which venues near you are involved in London for London on their official website.

Check out everything you can do as part of London for London on 3 October
Check out all things to do in London

SpoonfedMeg