Recognising the challenge in ensuring the Capital’s high-quality Arts institutions are accessible, Arts & Science is the largest area of the Charity’s giving, representing 17.5% (£20 million) of its expenditure to date. Heath Robinson Museum commemorates the life and work of William Heath Robinson, a well-known 19th century cartoonist and illustrator.

Lumina is a free course for Year 12 students from state schools in northwest London who are considering studying at Oxbridge or other Russell Group universities. It is run and managed by Harrow School and funded by John Lyon’s Charity.

The Primary Shakespeare Company works in primary schools, raising attainment and achievement by working through Shakespeare. It is supported by John Lyon’s Charity to work across London. Support from Harrow School has enabled its work to extend to five primary schools in Harrow.

London Academy of Excellence Tottenham is a new, academically selective 16-19 free school based in north London. The Academy aims to provide a leading A-Level curriculum and university entrance success, and benefits from partnership work with a number of independent schools, including John Lyon.

Spear helps 16-24 year olds get into work or training in partnership with employers. It is supported by John Lyon’s Charity. Students at Harrow School volunteer at the project, which is also supported financially by the School.

Music Junction brings together young people from very different social and economic backgrounds to promote confidence, nurture self-esteem and encourage participants to develop empathy and respect for themselves and others within the wider community through music making.

In commemoration of the World War One centenary, Old Harrovians (Harrow School Alumni) Ben Uttley (Moretons 1991³) and Benjamin Hollway (The Knoll 1988³) released an original classical music single to raise money for Remembered – the charity behind the ‘There But Not There’ campaign, which has so far raised over £4 million for military and mental health charities.

Recognising that children from more disadvantaged families are often less able to access reading materials, Doorstep Library Network (DLN) was founded to bring the library to the children and instill and life-long love of reading. Since 2007, John Lyon’s Charity has funded DLN to work in Hammersmith & Fulham and the City of Westminster.

As part of Shaftesbury Enterprise, Harrovian artists put together a five-week course in drawing and painting for senior citizens who live in the area around the School. The hour-long mid-afternoon classes started in January 2019 and take place in the Art School every Wednesday until mid-February.

Many of the youth clubs in John Lyon’s Charity’s Beneficial Area were founded in response to local need. Funded by the Charity since 2008, SYDRC’s youth-led work aims to tackle the attainment gap between Somali and BAME students in Camden and their peers.

The Bridge Day Services in Harrow supports people with enduring mental health problems to build sustainable coping strategies, break social isolation, and promote social inclusion through meaningful activities that build networks and training that may lead to employment. In November 2019, nine Harrovians visited the centre to work in the garden and paint some of the rooms.

The Volunteer Films project run by Media Trust is a communications capacity building initiative, that has been funded by the Charity since 2015.  Over the last three years, this initiative has provided 30 organisations supported by John Lyon’s Charity the opportunity to have a powerful three-minute film made by volunteer professional film makers.

Harrow School has a long-standing connection with Sri Lanka, perhaps most strongly felt in relation to the Boxing Day tsunamis of 2004, when the Harrow cricket team was visiting the country. Extensive fundraising to support the relief effort followed.