Princess Anne to meet business chiefs at charity event

Published on Wednesday 6 December 2006 11:53

PRINCESS Anne will address some of the top names in Scottish business at a fundraising event in Edinburgh later this month.

The Princess Royal is due to speak at microfinance charity Opportunity International's first Scottish event at Edinburgh's Sheraton Hotel on December 13.

She is patron of the charity, which provides financial advice, savings accounts and loans to people in some of the world's poorest countries.

The Princess Royal is due to talk about Opportunity International's work in Malawi and other countries affected by severe poverty.

The event came about after an invitation by Edinburgh entrepreneur Sean Spillane, who saw the charity on television and decided to get involved with fundraising. He said: "I liked the idea of helping people to help themselves through their own enterprise."

The event will also hear from Francis Pelekamoyo, chairman of the Opportunity International Bank of Malawi, and His Excellency Dr Francis Moto, the Malawian High Commissioner.

John Ford, chairman of Opportunity International, said: "We are delighted The Princess Royal can attend our first fundraising event in Scotland. We aim to raise the profile of Opportunity International as well as raising money."

The evening will also see an auction of Malawian items and a trip to Africa to see how the money is spent.