Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai to speak in Edinburgh

Ms Yousafzai, now studying at Oxford University, was targeted on her way to school at 15

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner, is to visit Scotland to speak at a special dinner in Edinburgh.

The girls' education activist will speak at the Social Bite event to thank those taking part in this year's Sleep in the Park event in December.

She will also attend a lunch at the Social Bite restaurant Vesta during the visit on 13 March.

Social Bite distributes free food to the homeless.

Celebrities including George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have visited the social enterprise in previous years.

'It is an honour'

As a teenager, Malala wrote an anonymous diary about life under Taliban rule in north-west Pakistan.

At the age of 15 she was shot in the head by militants for daring to go to school.

In 2014 she became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

'Passionate campaigner'

From a young age, Malala has campaigned for the right for global education

At age 11, Malala Yousafzai started an online blog, published on BBC Urdu, which explained her desire to remain in education and for girls to have the chance to be educated.

In 2009 a documentary film was made about her.

After threats to her life, in October 2012, Malala was shot in the head on her school bus by a Taliban gunman for "promoting secular education".

Then in January 2013 she was discharged from hospital and was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by TIME Magazine.

In 2017 Malala was accepted into Oxford Lady Margaret, studying Politics/Philosophy and Economics.

Josh Littlejohn, Social Bite co-founder, said: "We're absolutely thrilled that Malala has accepted our invitation to Scotland. It is an honour.

"It is an amazing opportunity for those participating in this year's Sleep in the Park event to hear about the journey of this remarkable young woman, who has done so much for girls' education and social justice throughout the world."

Sleep in the Park, now an annual event, will take place in four of Scotland's biggest cities - Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee - on 8 December.

The charity is expecting about 12,000 people to take part across the country.

It aims to raise £4m to tackle homelessness throughout Scotland, with funds going towards a housing first programme to bring more than 800 people out of homelessness, alongside other initiatives including the Social Bite Village.

Amy MacDonald, KT Tunstall, Lulu, Frightened Rabbit and Irvine Welsh have all been confirmed for the event, with more acts and special guests still to be announced.