Awards ceremony for inspirational women in West Northamptonshire celebrates International Women's Day

The winners of West Northamptonshire Council’s Inspirational Women’s Awards were announced at Northampton’s Guildhall on Saturday as part of an afternoon of activities to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The Community category was won by Sally Jordan, who has chaired Ecton Brook Residents’ Group for several years, organising community initiatives including litter picking, Christmas events, games and activities for children, coffee mornings, a Community Garden and much more.

Sally said: “It is an honour to have been chosen to be inspirational Woman for 2023! Community is so very important to me because I think if you have a cohesive community you are part of the way to alleviating so many of today’s problems. I will continue to strive to make Ecton Brook a nice place to live for as long as I can.”

Becky Bradshaw won in the Business category. Becky is the Chief Operating Officer at the University of Northampton having worked in the higher education sector for more than 20 years.

Becky said: “I am humbled to receive this award. Working at the University of Northampton, I have the privilege to meet inspirational women every day who are taking advantage of the opportunities higher education offers to expand knowledge and experience. These are the entrepreneurs and business leaders of tomorrow, and my motivation. I would like to dedicate this award to them.”

A Special Recognition Award, sponsored by the Council’s Highway partner Kier, was presented to Julie Bainbridge. Julie has dedicated the last ten years of her life to the charity Baby Basics Northampton, which supports new mothers and families who are struggling to meet the financial and practical burden of looking after a new baby.

Julie said: “I am delighted to have received this award. It was wonderful to attend the event and to be surrounded by so many inspirational women. I feel passionate about communities and the environment, and that voluntary actions at the local level can make a positive difference to peoples’ everyday lives. It is great that awards like this exist to recognise such actions and I am grateful to the organisers and sponsors.”

All of the finalists were presented with a goodie bag including gifts from judges Natalie Faulkner from Beauty With Inn, Teresa McCarthy Dixon from the McCarthy Dixon Foundation, and a professional headshot kindly sponsored by creative agency Amplitude.

Councillor David Smith, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services on West Northamptonshire Council, said: “Our Inspirational Women’s Awards aim to publicly recognise and promote those women who inspire and have a real impact on the lives of others in the community or the workplace.

“There were more than 70 nominations this year, and it was incredible to hear about some of the women who are doing remarkable work in communities across West Northamptonshire. Congratulations to the winners and to all the inspiring women who were nominated.”

International Women’s Day takes place today (Wednesday, 8 March) and this year’s theme is #EmbraceEquality

Find out more on the International Women’s Day website at https://www.internationalwomensday.com/