Women of Scotland’s Lunch are back for their 61st year of charity fundraising.
In an annual bid to celebrate the women of Scotland’s achievements, a fundraising lunch is organised in Glasgow and has been running since its inception in 1957.
The61st lunch of its kind is due to take place at the end of this month, on April 27 in the Glasgow Radisson.
With the chosen charity of Bloodwise being at the centre of the 2018 event, the blood cancer charity is dedicated to funding research into all blood cancer patients.
The money raised from the Women of Scotland’s lunch will be directly donated to fund a research project here in Scotland.
Ann Garvie, the longest serving committee member of forty years, said that, ‘It all began in 1957 by a women called Mary Hamp-Hamilton and she was a elocutionist and wanted to promote skilled women. She researched prominent women and interviewed them and if she thought they were suitable she’d invite them to the lunch, can you image that happening now? Initially it was 6 then 12 then 50 then finally she ended up with 500 women.’
Elaine C Smith spoke at a previous Women of Scotland’s Lunch
Every year there is a number of guest speakers, this year; Jackie Kay, the Scottish Makar, poet and novelist; Laura Boyd the STV presenter who herself had a five year battle with leukaemia; and the real Calendar Girls (Angela Knowles, Tricia Stewart and Christine Clancy) who inspired the popular production after raising funds for leukaemia, after putting together a naked calendar.
Ann said: ‘What’s really good about it is raising awareness of a particular issue, last year it was Alzheimer Scotland, the speaker was very passionate and it really was rather tear-jerking. But it really highlighted the “Alzheimer tsunami” which is about to happen. The charities are key.’
An important aspect of the lunch is the chance to make connections with other interesting people. The seating plan is designed randomly to encourage mingling throughout the day.
Ann added: “A lot of people travel for it throughout Scotland, we usually have quite a diverse group like Inverness, Aberdeen, Perth, Dumfries and Galloway. It’s a fairly reasonable reflection on Scottish society.”
With a theme of ‘is blood thicker than water?’ it is up to the guests how they wish to interpret this!
More information can be found at: http://www.wosl.co.uk/
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