Mrs Charley Teale was admitted as a Young Freeman in January 2025, having first come into contact with the Guild of Young Freemen at the Lord Mayor’s Show in 2024, where the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths was celebrating the appointment of Alderman Alastair King DL, the first Lord Mayor whose mother company was the Blacksmiths — just as the Guild was there to celebrate the Lord Mayor, Patron and Honorary President of the Guild, and the Lady Mayoress Florence, who had joined the Guild a few months prior.
She is the Head of Finance Operations for UK Health & Talent at Aon and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, following in her family’s footsteps.
Charley has recently took part in the Lady Mayoress Sleep Out and has raised over £1,500 for charities. 50% of the net proceeds from the event went to The Lord Mayor’s Appeal partner charity Homewards, a five-year Royal Foundation programme bringing together organisations and individuals to find local solutions to homelessness. The remaining balance of the net proceeds was donated to The Pret Foundation who tackle hunger, poverty and homelessness in communities local to Pret shops in the UK and around the world.
In her free time, Charley is a competitive weightlifter and took part in the World Master Weightlifting Championship in 2023 as part of the Masters GB Squad, coming 6th in her class. She is looking to return to the Championship this year. In addition to her passion for weightlifting, Charley is also Director of the Women and Girls group of the Guildford Cricket Club, a section which she founded to promote inclusive and empowering training. Her work has been recognised by the wider community and she received the “Inspired to play” award at the Surrey Cricket Foundation’s Grassroots Cricket Awards for her impact on women’s sports.
