An interview with Lynne Franks OBE Having positioned the UK as a world fashion leader by initiating London Fashion Week and the British Fashion Awards, highly successful PR expert Lynne Franks OBE became a champion of women’s empowerment, sustainable business practices and social justice issues. Gill Donnell chats to Lynne about the 20th anniversary of the SEED Network and her plans for the future Gill: Lynne, the SEED Network has now reached its 20th anniversary. What are your plans to mark this event? Lynne: We have a whole series of live events going
on across the country, launching on 11th March at Covent Garden’s hClub, when I am being interviewed by BBC journalist Brenda Emmanus. I am also planning workshops and panel talks with John Lewis and the Daily Telegraph across the country, and most excitingly of all I am putting on SEED Live! This is a major empowerment and wellbeing festival for women entrepreneurs at Wincanton Racecourse. There will also be a complete reset of the SEED Network, online forums, opportunities for collaboration, workshops and skills exchange, and the launch of my online Power of 7 programmes. There are lots of exciting new projects pollinating in the SEED Garden and SEED 20.20 is just the beginning.
“There are lots of exciting projects pollinating in the SEED Garden and SEED 20.20 is just the beginning”
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Gill: You have now settled in Somerset. Can you tell us about the creation of the SEED Hub? Lynne: The SEED Hub in Wincanton came about
almost instinctively when I moved there about three years ago. I bought two beautiful old buildings in the middle of town and have converted one, previously an old pub, into a beautiful wellbeing hub, with bedrooms, a healthy vegan café, treatment rooms and a welcoming large workshop studio. We have been holding all kinds of events, such as live music, talks, workshops and healing sessions, with guests coming from all over the country
#SWIBTRIBE | ISSUE 3
