First Lord Provost's Banquet raises £20,000 for cancer charity

The first ever Lord Provost’s Banquet was held on 15 April at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

The banquet, funded by a private benefactor with no commercial or business links to the Council, brought together more than 300 individuals representing the arts, business, sport, education, science, voluntary sector, tourism, media and the Consular Corps.

The event provided a unique opportunity for people and organisations to come together to celebrate Edinburgh’s heritage and status as Scotland’s capital city and to discuss ways of working together to take the city forward during difficult economic times, drawing on its many strengths.

The main speakers at the banquet were Councillor Jenny Dawe (leader of the Council), John Swinney MSP (cabinet secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth) and Bertie Ahern TD (former Taoiseach of Ireland).

Cultural contributions were made by Rebus creator Ian Rankin, who spoke about Edinburgh from his perspective as a novelist, and by Ron Butlin, poet and author, who read out his poem The Magicians of Edinburgh which was specially commissioned for the occasion. 

The banquet raised more than £22,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust, which is aiming to build specialist cancer units for teenagers and young adults at the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

It is hoped that the banquet will become an annual event.