The 2026 lunch

We are delighted to announce that the 2026 Women of Achievement Lunch in Scotland will take place on Tuesday 10th November 2026.

Due to ongoing renovations at Archers' Hall, Merchants Hall in Edinburgh has kindly offered to host us this year.

Following the success of our 2025 lunch, at which we raised £24,000 for Smart Works Scotland, we are very much looking forward to another memorable event.

The lunch is by invitation only, for more details and to buy tickets click below.

Lunch details

Alexandra Tolstoy image_edited_edited_ed

Alexandra Tolstoy: Explorer, author, broadcaster, entrepreneur

Our 2026 Speaker

We are thrilled to be welcoming Alexandra Tolstoy to speak at the 2026 Women of Achievement Lunch in Scotland.

Alexandra is an explorer, author, broadcaster and entrepreneur whose life has been shaped by travel to some of the most remote parts of the world.

At 25, she set out on an extraordinary nine-month expedition along the ancient Silk Road, travelling 5,000 miles by horse and camel from Turkmenistan to China. The journey became her first book, The Last Secrets of the Silk Road.

Her passion for travelling on horseback and for traditional cultures led to the BBC television series ‘Horse People with Alexandra Tolstoy’, in which she travelled the world exploring communities whose lives still revolve around horses.

Alexandra has spent more than 25 years travelling in Kyrgyzstan and is an official Ambassador for the country. She now runs Alexandra Tolstoy Travel, taking small groups on riding expeditions through the remote Tien Shan mountains. Most recently, she made Beyond the Silk Road, a documentary filmed in Kyrgyzstan with actors Dominic West and Clarke Peters.

Her travels and her fascination with traditional craftsmanship have inspired her latest venture, Tolstoy Dacha. Drawing on the folk traditions of Russia and Central Asia, as well as her love of the English countryside, she creates beautiful and useful objects for the home.

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Lunch details & buy your ticket

The 2026 Women of Achievement in Scotland Lunch will be held in at the Merchants Hall, 22 Hanover Street, Edinburgh EH2 2EP, on Tuesday 10th November. The reception is begins at 11.30am with lunch following at 12.30-2.30pm.

It is an invitation only event and invitations have now been emailed to our guest list.

Buy ticket

Merchants Hall on Hanover Street, Edinburgh

Merchants Hall

We are delighted to be holding the 2026 lunch in partnership with Merchants Hall, Edinburgh.

The Royal Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh is a vibrant membership organisation founded in 1681 and granted its Royal Charter in 1693. It brings together professionals who share a connection to Edinburgh, offering a welcoming community where Members build meaningful connections and become involved in the city's charitable, educational and civic life. Members have long helped support schools across Edinburgh, including George Watson's College and Erskine Stewart Melville Schools.

The home of the Company is the magnificent Merchants Hall on Hanover Street - rich in history and architectural character, its elegant and versatile rooms provide an impressive setting for meetings, dinners, receptions and private celebrations. It's a remarkable venue offering elegant spaces for up to 200 guests.

Our 2026 charity

We are so pleased to be supporting the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, as our 2026 charity.

The Centre brings together leading researchers from across Scotland to accelerate the development of new treatments, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for patients both now and in the future.

Through collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to advancing clinical trials, their work represents a meaningful step forward in an area where it is urgently needed.

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See the prizes!

Enter the raffle

Katrina Trotter Travel - An unforgettable 3-night Peruvian Amazon River cruise for two, with 2 nights in Lima

Brora - Luxuriously soft lambswool blanket in green lovat

Charlotte Gaisford - 10 metres of fine Charlotte Gaisford fabric

Inchyra - A large Wherwell cushion

Melissa Lo Jewellery - Stunning blue topaz necklace & earrings

Turcan Connell - Fortnum & Mason hamper of indulgent treats

Charlotte Knapman Collections - Freshwater pearl & lolite gold earrings

Mews Fabric & Furnishing - £150 voucher towards Mews fabric

The Balmoral - Champagne Afternoon Tea for Four

The Mainstreet Trading Company - A year of books, chosen for you

Made Scotland - Signature gift box filled with a collection of teatime treats

Glenmorangie - Bottle of Glenmorangie Signet

Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy - Cooking class voucher for two

Gordon Castle - Hand & body wash and lotion from the Walled Garden

* Prizes will only be sent to UK addresses
* Raffle tickets can be purchased by all invitees up until 1.30pm on the day of the Lunch and the Draw will take place shortly after

Buy raffle tickets

Our sponsors

We are grateful for the generous support of our sponsors, who have helped to make this event possible.

Who we are

The Women of Achievement Lunch in Scotland

The Women of Achievement Lunch began in London in 2007, to celebrate the achievements and contributions made by women with Scottish connections and to raise funds for Scottish charities.

Its success led to the setting up of a separate lunch in Edinburgh in 2018 and each lunch has raised in the region of £20,000. As well as helping to support Scottish charities, the lunch also aims to build relationships and connections among Scottish women.

Dame Prue Leith and Fettes College piper, Maillie Maclean

The 2025 lunch

The 2025 Women of Achievement Lunch in Scotland raised £12,000 for our chosen charity Smart Works. Thanks to matched funding through The Big Give, this was doubled to £24,000.

We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors - Trinity Bridge, Odgers and Lyon & Turnbull - for their generous support, as well as to our advertisers and all those who attended. Their contributions made the event such a success.

We were delighted to welcome restauranteur, chef, writer and TV personality Dame Prue Leith as our 2025 guest speaker. Prue regaled guests with tales of her life, from hilarious accounts of winging it as a young chef, to her time judging Bake Off.