Celebrating women everywhere!

On Monday I was privileged to be invited to the Women of the Year lunch at the Intercontinental Hotel in London. The Women of the Year Foundation have given hundreds of thousands of pounds to help support, care for, cherish and respect women across the world. Women who need our help and who are valued. It is a brilliant charity run by exceptional women who bring together, twice a year, a group of women who work hard to make a difference on this planet.

The women who are given awards at the event are exceptional. They are women who go beyond the boundaries, some are completely selfless, some are phenomenally talented and some are just extraordinary.

The Window to the World Award went to Susie Hart. Sue changed the lives of many disabled people in Tanzania by creating businesses to employ special, but rejected, people and to give them a sense of purpose, worth and respect. Tears trickled down my cheeks as I heard what this very special lady had achieved. Well done Susie!

The Outstanding Achievement Award went to Zaha Hadid, an exceptionally talented architect. Zaha has designed the stunning Aquatics Centre for the London Olympics among many, many other stunning creations across the world. There is no doubt Zaha has an amazing gift and vision.
The Yes You Can Award went to a wonderful woman who has created a youth dance and cheerleading group called Ascension Eagles. Shara Brice has put the purpose and motivation, inspiration and energy into young people in Newham in London and has changed their lives unbelievably. Instead of muggings and violence caused by young folk with nothing better to do, Shara created a challenge which the young folk of the area embraced and perfected to become a world class act. I cried when this award was given too. Shara is an exceptional woman and the award was so well deserved.

The Women of the Year Award was given to Annie Lennox for her amazing work in campaigning for HIV Aids victims in Africa to be given medication to help their condition, as well as her exceptional talent as the most successful female singer in the UK, having sold 8o million records. She made a moving and inspirational speech and the work she does in Africa is awesome.

There were almost 400 women who attended the lunch and I was on a table hosted by Baroness Floella Benjamen. What an extraordinary woman Floella is! She is feisty, inspirational and incredibly beautiful. And she made us all feel like we were the only women in the room that mattered. Thank you and ‘Well done Floella’!

Monday honoured women who had made a massive difference to this world in vastly different ways. It wasn’t about fame or fortune. It was about women who have actually made this world a better place and who make we women proud to be women. Yes. Monday was a very special day. Not for ourselves, but for the exceptional women with whom we shared this very special occasion.

The event was spectacularly well organised so well done to all the exceptional women who are the Women of the Year Foundation! Monday was very special.