The money raised at the 2026 Lunch will make a life-changing difference for families living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. These funds will strengthen SBHS’s family support services, ensuring that parents, carers, and individuals have access to expert advice, emotional guidance, and practical help when they need it most. By investing in these vital programmes, you can help provide reassurance and stability during challenging times, helping families feel supported and empowered to face the future with confidence.
Your generosity allows us to open doors to experiences that foster connection and belonging. The charity will use these funds to create inclusive events, workshops, and activities that bring families together and celebrate their strengths. These opportunities are more than just moments of joy—they help break down barriers, build friendships, and remind every person that they are valued and included.
Isolation is one of the greatest challenges faced by those affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and SBHS is determined to change that. With your support, they will expand outreach programmes and peer networks that connect families and individuals, ensuring no one feels alone. By building confidence and resilience, they help people feel unstoppable—ready to embrace opportunities and live life to the fullest. Your contribution doesn’t just fund services; it fuels hope, inclusion, and a brighter future for every family they support, because together they are unstoppable.
Speakers:
We are delighted to welcome these high profile speakers:
Dr Margo Whiteford CBE has been Chairperson of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland (SBHS) for 23 years and was on the Board of the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus for 9 years (President 2013-2019).
When Margo was born her parents were given a gloomy forecast for her future but she was able to attend mainstream school and subsequently attained a BSc in Pharmacology and studied Medicine at the University of Dundee. She worked as a paediatrician for 7 years and then specialised in clinical genetics until her retirement in 2019.
Over the years Margo has helped SBHS raise thousands of pounds by competing in the London Marathon and persuading the famous chef, Gordon Ramsay, to be the charity’s Honorary Patron. In honour of her efforts for the charity and health service Margo was voted Scotswoman of the Year in 2009 and presented with a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II in 2017.
Dr Gwen Adshead
Dr Gwen Adshead is a consultant forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist. She currently works part time for West London NHS Trust at Broadmoor Hospital; and is associate professor in psychotherapy at the University of Exeter. She trained at St Bartholomew’s hospital, St George’s hospital and the Institute of psychiatry. She is a Qualified member of the Institute of group analysis. In 2013 she was awarded the President’s Medal for her work in mental health ethics, and in 2024 was awarded Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She was the invited BBC Reith Lecturer in 2024, speaking on the theme of violence.
Gwen has published over 150 academic papers on a number of topics: including attachment theory applied to offending, ethical issues in mental health, and personality disorder in perinatal settings. She also is interested in enhancing public understanding of mental health and offending, and she appears regularly on podcasts and public radio. In 2021, she published her first book for a general audience called ‘The Devil You Know’ which was co-authored with Eileen Horne. It was a Sunday Times best-seller and was Waterstones’ non-fiction book of the month in July 2022 and has sold over 100000 copies across the world in several different languages. She and Eileen have now completed a new work about recovery from trauma called ‘Unspeakable’ to be published in 2026.
Catherine Heymans
Catherine Heymans is Scotland’s 11th Astronomer Royal and the first woman to hold this honorary title in its 200-year history. A Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, she is internationally recognised for her pioneering research mapping invisible dark matter and mysterious dark energy across the Universe. Catherine’s accolades include the Royal Astronomical Society’s William Herschel Medal, the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award, and fellowships of both the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Leopoldina. A frequent science communicator on BBC radio and television, Catherine has co-authored over 200 scientific papers and will publish her popular science book “How to Design a Universe” in September 2026.
Guest Chair – Laura Maciver
Laura is a senior radio and TV presenter at BBC Scotland News, who’s recently started hosting the new Radio Scotland Breakfast show alongside Martin Geissler. Her previous roles have included TV presenting on Reporting Scotland, News At Seven and The Nine. She also spent a couple of years as a business presenter on BBC Radio Scotland. Laura started her career at BBC Scotland 25 years ago, starting as a radio sub editor. Her first job in journalism was as a trainee reporter at Radio Forth in Edinburgh.
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