LAVA has been announced as the headline sponsor of Place2Be's Arts & Minds Gala Dinner 2026, marking the firm's first headline sponsorship and the launch of its new, multi-year approach to charitable partnerships. Place2Be's Arts & Minds Gala Dinner will take place on Thursday, 18 June 2026 at Smith Square Hall, London. The evening will bring together business leaders, creatives, and other supporters to raise vital funds for children and young people's mental health, while shining a light on the vital role that art plays in developing children's resilience and their connections with each other.
In 2020, during a period of unprecedented challenge for young people, LAVA established its Positive Change initiative with a commitment of 2.5% of annual revenue to supporting youth mental health and wellbeing. Five years on, and having donated over £500,000 to charitable causes, the firm is now evolving that commitment through longer-term partnerships that give charities funding certainty and scope to plan for greater impact.
LAVA's sponsorship of Place2Be's Arts & Minds event forms part of a 2-3-year bespoke partnership model, to be tailored and agreed with each charity partner to deliver maximum impact. Transparent, guaranteed funding levels reduce reliance on short-term fundraising and enable more ambitious and sustainable programming.
The biennial gala dinner was created in 2022 to shine a light on the vital role that the arts play in developing children's resilience and their connections with each other and features a champagne reception, three-course dinner, fine art, entertainment, and live and silent auctions.
Place2Be is a leading children's mental health charity providing school-based support and in-depth training programmes to improve the emotional wellbeing of pupils, families, teachers and school staff, enabling children and young people to thrive. The charity currently provides an embedded mental health service in 650 UK primary and secondary schools, supporting a school community of around 350,000 children and young people.