Bravo, Changemakers: ‘Net - stupid - Zero’ has nothing on us.

The Social Hub breezed its way into Glasgow a year ago, offering ‘hybrid hospitality’ and levelling up our collaboration ecosystem. Ever since I started attending meetings as A Grown Up, I’ve heard people sigh over ‘silo’ed’ working, and then shuffle back into their lane, never to cross paths again. The Social Hub is here to change all that.

As a keen supporter and collaborator with The Melting Pot, Scotland’s Home for Social Innovation, I was, of course, attending their Glasgow ‘Bridging Communities’ event in April 2025. The ethos of this event is to, very literally, act as bridge between communities. I had a lovely time speaking at their event last year on the theme of ‘collaboration’ and this year’s event was my introduction to The Social Hub as a venue.

As someone who has worked in various roles in student engagement, community development and creativity, I had found a place where my colourful CV made sense. Of course we should bring these strands together. Of course it made sense to have a space where we converged with strangers to then diverge back into our worlds with fresh ideas. The common connection? Good humans.

Selfie of Lynn outside The Social Hub.

With my enthusiastic sociable nature and my portfolio career, I’ve accidently become a cross-sector-connector. I work with children part-time, in policy part-time and do various self-employed projects. The common theme is creating a more inclusive world where everyone belongs, whether in learning environments, workplaces, transport or communities. Having worked across all protected characteristics, I love to bring a holistic lens to inclusion – and also add in a dash of creative engagement. When things are easy, fun and aesthetically pleasing, people are much happier to get involved. Something The Social Hub has nailed.  

When I heard that The Social Hub was hosting a Better Society Academy Changemakers event, I was super excited to attend. In 2014 (11 years ago now!) I attended a youth leadership programme with Common Purpose. This was an amazing opportunity to connect with driven entrepreneurs who wanted to make the world a better place. Over four days we addressed an environmental challenge, much like what the changemakers were tasked with by the Better Society Academy. The power of this network has been invaluable in my career since.

It was strange, and lovely, to attend the event as a Grown Up business owner. The event brought together 150 passionate people for a half-day of panels and networking to spark social innovation to address climate issues. We heard about what the changemakers had been up to – and explored how, crucially, locally we can continue to collaborate for change.

Branded The Social Hub tote.

Every speaker oozed passion and commitment to the cause. We heard from, Frank Uffen, Managing Director Community & Partnerships at The Social Hub, and Amber Westerborg, Director of Sustainability & Impact at The Social Hub, who both stressed the importance of education supporting a better society. It was clear that genuinely benefiting the community is core to every person involved in the Better Society Academy and The Social Hub. Bertan Selim, Programme & Development Manager TSH Talent Foundation hosted with passion, ease and charisma.

Scottish business leaders spoke eloquently on the power of business for good. Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, rightly stated that no one in business or policy says that ‘net zero’ is a bad thing – however we need to support and incentivise this. Alison McRae shared her own personal passion for the environment and also highlighted some of the important work locally around inspiring young people to make career choices that align with future careers in sustainability.  

Panel discussion between Charlie MacGregor, Laura Young and Bertan Selim.

First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, gave a keynote entitled, “Scottish Policy re. Net Zero, supporting businesses as a force for change”, which was informative. There was speed-date-networking which embraced some creative chaos. The event finished with a discussion between the relatable Laura Young, Climate Influencer, & Charlie MacGregor, CEO The Social Hub, who are both testament to the power of one person making a positive difference in their community. I especially enjoyed Charlie’s anecdotes of ‘getting alongside people’ – whether sitting with them or cleaning with them – to relate on issues, human to human.

The call to continue collaborating in future was recurring throughout the event. It wasn’t a post-script in the feedback form – every person that I spoke with genuinely wanted to find ways to work together. All staff at The Social Hub were on hand to support any emerging ideas, highlighting that when your staff truly live your values, events feel like an open invitation to keep the conversation going.

Bravo, Changemakers - ‘Net - stupid - Zero’ has nothing on us.