Women in business event

South Lanarkshire Council is leading a new initiative designed to help the local economy through one of its biggest untapped assets – its female population.

Lanarkshire Women in Business will launch next month, offering targeted support to help women to start or grow a business.

The free launch event takes place on Wednesday, September 11, from 10am to 2pm at the Bothwell Bridge Hotel and is open to women of all ages, experience and abilities.

Refreshments and lunch are included. For more information and to book, visit http://socsi.in/9wvtq.

Women attending will hear from leading female speakers from the business community, meet other like-minded women and access key business support organisations.

One such organisation is Royal Bank of Scotland which has recently launched Back Her Business, a female-only business start-up crowdfunding opportunity offering match funding up to £5000.

Following the launch, there will be a programme of activities with quarterly sessions taking place across the Lanarkshire area.

The Women in Business initiative has been set up to address low levels of self-employment amongst women in North and South Lanarkshire – a situation that is also reflected nationally.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 25 per cent of people in selfemployment in Lanarkshire are female, compared to 34 per cent across Scotland.

Partners in Women in Business include North and South Lanarkshire Councils and Business Gateway Lanarkshire.