The new WI - that's Women's Informal

The second time was even better. I have to admit it wasn't easy getting such a fabulous group of Interesting and Influential women together in Edinburgh at the fag end of festival season - even with the lure of generous wine and canapes provided so kindly by Radisson SAS Royal Mile. But it was a great night, and added another £650 to the pot. It also gave me a chance to talk about my next fundraiser event - my curry and beer night at Britannia Spice in Leith on the 30th of September (pencil it in your diary) as well as my final campaign - the 100 in for 100, where I get 100 wonderful, generous people to donate £100 to a very good cause - Boobybirds!

But the WI puts the fun in fundraising. Here's some pics. This one, to me, is the essence of why I'm making to effort to drive the new WI. On the left is Susanna Freedman whom I met very early on when I arrived in Edinburgh three years ago. This lively managing director of design and brand management company Tsuko took me to a cracking French restaurant for lunch, and we've kept in touch ever since. She's talking with Anna St Clair, founder of 50-strong franchise The Ceramic Experience. I just knew that given the chance to meet they'd get on like a house on fire. And I don't think they'd mind me reporting here that they did!

On the left, Denise West, ad director for Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail - Insider's sister publications in Scotland. She and her friend Kai McCabe, head of one of Scotland's biggest and most successful recruitment agencies, Search, together made the winning bid for the evening's prize (glamorous Kai somehow managed to avoid the camera!). That was the trip for two to Reykjavik, hotel courtesy of the Four Star Radisson SAS Saga in Iceland and plane tickets courtesy of Icelandair (many thanks to the hotel and the airline for the donation!). I loved Reykjavik when I went there last year with my sister. Denise and Kai's winning bid was £400 - all for Boobybirds. Plus they pledged to join the 100 in for 100 club! Next to Denise is Carole Ann Massie who does personnel training for the oil & gas industry, and next to her is Joan Cradden, a partner at law firm Brodies. I met Joan at an Insider round table, where she shared her crack employment law expertise with us on a panel debate. I also found out she's an expert shopper and I might try to lure her away from the law to become an Insider retail correspondent!

On the left is Jen Lang from PWC. We had lunch the other day after long last, so it was great to see her out again. In the centre is Charlotte Pyk, glowing from both her recent holiday and her pregnancy. She's been a real gem in all this. I sent her a wee note to her thanking her for all her help and for marshalling the full strength of the Radisson's hospitality. They provided drinks all evening and some moreish canapes in order so that all the proceeds donated at the door could all go to Boobybirds, which is impressive. And if my Interesting and Influential women got a chance to look at the Dicksons Bar which is available for Christmas parties, then so be it! And of course, next to her is Christine Tulloch. That woman has a real talent for good spirits, which is even more impressive considering her fight with cancer is the inspiration for BoobyBirds.

From the right, there's Zoe Redhead who works for the Bank of Scotland press office and next to her is Clare Logie. Clare is the director of Women in Business at BoS Corporate. She has relocated from Bristol which should save her a lot of time travelling from there to Edinburgh. She's also chair of a rather impressive organisation, the Global Banking Alliance for Women, which is a worldwide group of banks that work together to accelerate the growth and development of women's businesses and women's wealth creation across the world. And she's a big fan of networking - a woman after my own heart. Next to her is Elaine Piggot, a solicitor with Tods Murray. I met her golfing at Archerfield Links, a cracking event earlier this summer organised by her colleague Debbie Atkins. Elaine's pretty good at networking too as it's the second time I've clinked glasses with her in the same number of weeks!

North Lanarkshire adds some glamour to the WI - on the right is Louisa Mahon, brand manager for North Lanarkshire and her colleague Shona. If that part of the country could use a little polish these are the people to do the job.

Irene Grant (left) head of HSBC Corporate in Scotland is wearing a stunning red blouse. Last time I saw her at lunch she'd just come from dropping her son off at school for the first time - although she might have found it a more fraught experience than he did! Next to her is Fiona Riddell, PR woman extraordinaire for property agents King Sturge. And she's a pretty good skiier too. Tall, graceful Sadaf Din of solicitors Anderson Strathern is next to her. She was the first to join my elite group of donors, the 100 in for 100. Bless her heart! And next to her is the lovely woman from Radisson SAS.

Another Bagged

Hurrah, another has joined the 1000 Metre High Club - British Polythene Industries. If you can't quite remember, BPI is the largest manufacturer of polythene film, bags and sacks in Europe. And they are generous too. Thanks! I need it if I'm going to hit that £20,000...

Big spenders

There's yet more coming in - dontations and pledges that is. Alasdair MacConnell (no relation to our former FM, I don't think) managing director of Cala Properties and his marketing manager Susan Macrae arranged to donate £100 on behalf of Cala. Thanks, guys, and Susan, hope to see you at the next Women's Informal (more on that later).

I've also had pledges from Jane Wood at Alliance Boots, James Will at top law firm Shepperd & Wedderburn and from Roger Pitt, head of Insider's faithful, longstanding Kent-based printers Headley Brothers. Apparenly Roger himslef has jumped out of a plane twice. So thanks for the cash and thanks for living to tell me about your skydiving experience (!).

So it's official, the second Women's Informal networking event is going ahead at the Radisson SAS Royal Mile at the end of August. It's very simple - I invite some of the interesting women I tend to meet day to day and we drink some wine - so kindly supplied by Radisson SAS and voila - fun! Plus the tenner I charge goes to reducing the £20k I owe to BoobyBirds... If you are reading this and I missed inviting you, give me a shout - easkeland@insider.co.uk. There might still be capacity.

Transports of joy

Just like busses, two new excellent and discerning corporates have joined the 1000 Metre High Club at almost the same time.

Ken Hillen, Scotland's regional director of the Bank of Ireland, signed up to help support breast cancer care and research by donating £1000 to my BoobyBirds fundraiding drive. Scottish dealmakers he works with know he's one for saying the word and getting it done ASAP - as he did in this case! I will take a leaf from your book and get your receipt back to you, Ken, as soon as possible too!

The other new joiner is David Lockhart, executive chairman of Stockland Halladale. It just so happens that David remains at the helm of the property company that owns our fine new offices, One Sixty in Fountainbridge. So top landlord marks for David and a big thanks to the chaps at Stockland Halladale.

Albeit I did have to clear up some confusion. David wrote: "Mind you I thought the 1000 Metre High Club meant something else." When I admitted the name of the club was designed to raise I smile, I asked him if my strategy succeeded. "It did," he admitted.

Awesome Women

Being a language magpie, I sometimes have trouble with adopting, then overusing, certain words. On my recent trip to Canada, I seem to have picked up (and am currenlty over-using) the word 'awesome', like I'm some sort of recycled teenager.

So that is why I have to say that the inaugural Women's Informal network event last night (Monday 16th July) was awesome. Not in the sense of 'inspiring dread', rather in the sense of 'marvellous, excellent'.

Having organised the thing I certainly had more fun than I expected to, but then again the people who came were all women I'd met before and thought - they're rather cool (or awesome, as the case may be...). Not only this but the hospitality provided by the Radisson SAS on the Royal Mile was awesome. I've often thought that it's perfectly feasible to make a balanced dinner out of red wine and canapes, and I certainly wasn't disappointed this time!

The hotel's generosity didn't end there either. Leisure club manager Natalie Gallagher pledged 20% of any spa treatments booked on the night, and last time I spoke with her that was £65 towards the pot. Not that anyone there needed beauty treatments of course! But we are worth it...

The good news is as everyone paid a tenner (some paid more!) we also raised £300 for Boobybirds. Awesome!

Thanks Charlotte. Thanks Radisson SAS. Thanks Natalie - whom I hope very soon to be recruiting as my official Booby Buddy. Thanks to all of you who came. And we plan to do it again on August 28 - bigger and better - and still no effing bake sales. Pencil it in your diary, I'll be in touch soon.

L to R: Jenny Kumar from Liddel Thomson chats with our gracious host for the evening Charlotte Pyk who works for Radisson SAS.

Denise Gibbons of Turcan Connell and Ann Marie Shillito of Anarkik3d seem to having some serious talk.