Edinburgh business networking club marks fifth anniversary with cancer charity tie-up

An Edinburgh business networking club is celebrating its fifth anniversary after agreeing a new partnership with a volunteer group that helps to support cancer patients.

Michelle Brown, founder of the eponymous PR agency, established Love Your Business to help firms build connections, get advice, meet new people and open doors to new opportunities. The networking club has attracted more than 160 guest speakers since it began, both online during the pandemic and in person, including Scott Hastings, Alice Thompson, co-founder of Social Bite, and Chris van der Kuyl, the chairman and co-founder of games developer 4J Studios.

The mission over the last four years has also been to support a charity or organisation by helping to raise awareness for a year and donating funds from ticket sales. The first charity was secondary breast cancer charity, Make 2nds Count, with the others over the years being Support in Mind Scotland, Epilepsy Scotland and social enterprise Invisible Cities. Now in its fifth year, Love Your Business is partnering with Fighting Against Cancer Edinburgh (Face), which is part of NHS Lothian Charity. It will receive 10 per cent of all ticket sales in 2023.

Brown said: “We’re delighted to be supporting Face this year, which is a cause very close to our hearts. The work carried out by the dedicated team of volunteers is fantastic, from taking children to Lapland and funding complimentary sessions to providing air transfer mats, adjustable beds and foldable wheelchairs. Throughout the year our aim is to raise even more awareness about the incredible work they do and also help to raise funds too.”