Over 350 women from throughout the North-East of Scotland will attend this year's fully subscribed University of Aberdeen Ladies' Luncheon to be held tomorrow (Thursday, September 11) at The Marcliffe at Pitfodels.
This year's guest speaker will be Jack Webster who has had a long and distinguished career as a journalist, author, columnist and public speaker. He joins a cast of illustrious previous speakers: Lady Clare Macdonald (1995), Liz Lochhead (1996), Iain Cuthbertson (1997), Lady Howe (1998), University Rector, Clarissa Dickson Wright (1999), Fiona Kennedy (2000), Susan Rice (2001) and Sandy Gall (2002).
Jack Webster is one of Scotland's best known journalists, which has taken him from his roots in rural Aberdeenshire, to meetings with the rich and famous around the world. In 1996 he was voted UK Speaker of the Year by the Speakers Club of Great Britain, and Columnist of the Year in the Bank of Scotland Press Awards. To date he has published 14 books, from autobiographical tales of the North-East to biographies of the rich and famous, to a definitive history of Aberdeen Football Club. Copies of his books will be available for sale in a personal book signing session following the Lunch.
This annual event, now in its ninth year, was introduced in the University's Quincentenary year. Proceeds from the event will be used to assist individual students to carry out projects of direct benefit to women around the world in subjects as diverse as landmine victim support in Cambodia, obstetrics in Bangladesh and, closer to home, the representation of women in the Holyrood and Westminster parliaments.