Leading women across the South West are coming together to inspire the next generation with the Westcountry Wonderwomen workshop.

International Women’s Day is just around the corner, and this year’s campaign theme has been unveiled as ‘Press for Progress.’

To celebrate, leading ladies across the South West are once again coming together to inspire students, with the second-only Westcountry Wonderwomen Workshop, set to take place on Thursday, March 8.

A momentous year for the progress towards gender equality, 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act in 1918, which enabled some women over the age of 30 to vote for the first time. December will mark 100 years since the first General Election in which women voted in the UK.

With events going on throughout the year around the country, the Westcountry Wonderwomen Workshop will see a whole host of ladies who live, work, or are from the area, come together for an evening of ideas and inspiration.

Providing female students with an exclusive opportunity to gain insights from local leading ladies, spanning a wide range of sectors, with speakers including artists, scientists, pilots, surgeons, engineers and entrepreneurs.

This year, speakers include Molecular Ecologist Dr Pennie Lindeque; pilot, captain and ground training officer Emma Tellesy, consultant general and colorectal surgeon Sally Ward-Booth; Totnes-based entrepreneurs Lisa Lessware and Philippa Doyle, former ICC student and actress Victoria Lucie and former KCC student and software design manager Hannah Sterry.

With an overwhelming response from Westcountry Wonderwomen invited to attend the event, the workshop is being hosted exclusively for KCC and Dartmouth Academy students from year 9 upwards. The first event was a resounding success, which even led one student to securing a PR job in London upon leaving sixth form last year.

The free to attend workshop has been spearheaded by local secondary school teachers, Lorien Joyce and Katie White and Lorien’s sister and PR consultant Laura Quick. They are thrilled to have so many speakers taking part and are looking forward to building on the success of the 2017 event.

Laura said: “We are so fortunate to be surrounded by such an amazingly diverse set of inspiring women, all of whom, in their own fields and disciplines, are proving that success can take so many forms.

“The idea that there is one set path or route to take to a rewarding career isn’t the case and, in the busyness of the everyday, we can often forget to stop to recognise other’s achievements.

“There is something very powerful about collectively coming together and sharing knowledge and experiences which can have so much impact simply by providing new perspectives and a greater awareness of life beyond the school gates.

“We hope that by continuing to share and showcase the opportunities there are, we can help to create links and inspire the Westcountry Wonderwomen of the future to keep pressing for progress.”

The event is kindly supported by The Venus Company, who will be providing refreshments at the Westcountry Wonderwomen event. The team are keen to support and help develop sustainability in the regional economy through enterprise and innovation and have been recognised with a number of awards since launching over two decades ago.

International Women’s Day will see a whole host of events take place across the UK. To register your interest in supporting future Westcountry Wonderwomen Workshops, please contact the team at Kingsbridge Community College.

To pledge support for the #PressforProgress, to press forward and progress gender parity, visit www.internationalwomensday.com.

Started by the Suffragettes in the early 1900s, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911. International Women’s Day belongs to all communities everywhere - governments, companies, charities, educational institutions, networks, associations, the media and more.

The full list of those speaking at the Westcountry Wonderwomen event is:

o Artist, owner and director, Becky Bettesworth

o Molecular Ecologist, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Dr Pennie Lindeque

o Airplane pilot, captain and ground training officer for Flybe, EmmaTellesy

o Director of retail operations, Warrens Bakery Ltd, Alex Martin

o Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon, Torbay Hospital, Sally Ward-Booth

o Directors and co-founders, The Bshirt, Lisa Lessware and Philippa Doyle

o PR and social media co-ordinator, Riverford Organic Farmers, Emily Muddeman

o Founder and director of RAW PR and Marketing, vice chair for Food and Drink Devon, Hayley Reynolds

o Theatre and screen actress, Victoria Lucie

o Sustainable building consultant, Caroline Martin

o Director and founder, Boost your Business Growth, Sarah Hughes

o Advice service manager, Citizens Advice South Hams, Teena Barrett and Janie Moore

o Software designer/developer, Hannah Sterry