Welcome to Episode One of the new series on Hope. Today we are going to consider the Hope of Community. It is undeniably one of the realisations of this time. community is what really matters. Whether its clapping on a Thursday evening or a Zoom with your best pals, it is impactful and influential. This is true too in our professional lives - for those in the creative industries and arts, having a great community or network has always been crucial and now more than ever. But it isn't always easy to find. No one knows this better than Joanna Payne, founder and director of Marguerite. The aim of Marguerite is to advance the careers of women in the industry by providing a ready-made professional network and space to hear from some of the most influential people working in the creative industries today.

What I particularly admire about what Joanna has done is that she has spotted a gap, a need, a barrier and then gone about doing something about it. And it's that approach which has led Joanna to take Marguerite into a new chapter at this time. At lightening speed I must add. I think that we can all learn a great deal from Joanna's attitude and mentality. She certainly gives me hope!

Marguerite is a wonderful idea, elegantly executed. I hope that you will really enjoy this episode!

Marguerite - www.margueritelondon.com