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Hello

What a month it's been! There's been plenty of hard work, lots of laughter and lots of emotion too culminating with our first ever Winning Women Ball
where Mrs. Gee Walker and Dame Kelly Holmes handed out the first ever Anthony Walker Citizenship Award.

Winning Women was set up to help women succeed in life, to give opportunities to those who want to get on in the business arena and support those who want to move on in their personal life.

Help, support, opportunities and role models are key to what we do and how Winning Women operates. To me you don't get two greater Winning Women in the world than a double Olympic gold winner Kelly Holmes - who has risen to the be the best in the world overcoming adversity and depression - and Mrs. Gee Walker after the terrible murder of her son and being thrust into the media spotlight, showed strength, dignity and courage above and beyond what most of us could ever do. Even the Archbishop of Canterbury dedicated his Christmas sermon to Gee and Gee's message, which is "I can't change the past, and the pain of losing my son never leaves me, not even for a moment, but together we can change the future, we can bring goodness to this world and applaud those who do much to help the community and the world we live in". For that reason Mrs. Gee Walker has begun the Anthony Walker Citizenship award with Winning Women, acknowledging and rewarding those people who do so much good in society.

It was an amazing event (see video links to the night) and when Gee Walker finished speaking she got a standing ovation from everyone in the room, over 600 people.... that's some ovation!

For those who were there it was a truly inspirational night and for those who weren't... there's always next year!!

Best wishes

esther@winningwomen.co.uk

If you'd like to know more about Winning Women or would like to join click here.

Websites to watch:

Liverpool-based Nook & Willow has been shortlisted for the Grazia-O2 Women in Business Awards

The Bag Lady: global directory of Women in Business

Looking for ideas and inspiration, or a creative spark? Try the Ether Café

Get you finances in shape with the Motley Fool

Can you really look ten years younger?

If you want to know the truth about non-invasive plastic surgery, this event's right up your street. Hear the ins and outs of how Botox works, how to soften your wrinkes, or even lose fat ffrom your face at our Saving Face event on May 4th. It's free for Winning Women members, or £15 otherwise. Email us at info@winningwomen.co.uk if you want to know more, or check out the website here.

EVENT OF THE YEAR:
The Anthony Walker Citizenship Award with Winning Women and the Liverpool Echo

The first recipient of the Anthony Walker Citizenship Award was honoured at a star-studded dinner at the Liverpool Adelphi two weeks ago, organised by Winning Women. Lauren Irwin was presented with the award by Anthony’s mother Gee in recognition of the anti-bullying work she has been doing across the country.

Over 600 guests packed the Adelphi, for an evening of music, singing, dancing high emotion and inspiration. Gee Walker received a standing ovation for her emotional speech, while guest speaker Dame Kelly Holmes chatted with guests at their tables before her talk.
A violin soloist serenaded guests – including Lionel Blair, John Barnes, Chris Biggins, Louis Emerick, Everton footballers Andy Van der Mayde and Alessandro Pistone – all of whom enjoyed an evening of fun and entertainment with music from the Sense of Sound Gospel Choir, who had the guests rocking in their seats, the Brazilian group Tropicalia who had the guests doing salsa and the violinist Peter Harltey who had all 600 guests up and doing Greek dancing around he tables! Steve Broomhead, chief exec of the Northwest Regional Development Agency – who sponsored the evening – said the event was the ‘biggest and best’ he’d been to in Liverpool. Thanks also to the Adelphi Hotel, Merseyrail and The Capital of Culture 08 team for making this event possible.
To see a full range of photos, and more news from the evening, click here.

Dame Kelly Holmes – winning words

Dame Kelly Holmes gave an emotional and inspirational speech about her struggle with depression, injury and self-doubt en route to her double Olympic crowns. Kelly’s key, she said, was to have a goal and strive for it, continuously challenging herself, before letting us into the secrets of her motivation:

• Kelly has had the same dream – of Olympic gold – since she was 14. The key to achieving it, she says, was setting smaller targets and aims along the way
• Life is tough, and there are highs and lows. The highs give you a tremendous adrenaline buzz, while the lows make you question how much you want something – accept that there are highs and lows, and that you will come through them
• Don’t live with regrets – ‘what if?’ if this the worst feeling you can have…
• Write down your dreams and ideas – that’s when they become real
• It’s easy for people to put you down, or question you ambition. Steer clear of people who pull you back…
See Kelly’s interview in full here. Winning Women has an exclusive TV interview with Kelly Holmes... click here

Women’s salary setback

You read it here first… in January’s newsletter we told you about the continuing male/ female salary gap. A further report last month by the Women at Work Commission showed that for every pound a man earns, women earn just 87p, and when looking at part time staff, that proportion drops to just 59p.
The facts are scary: girls outperform boys at GCSE, A Level and now degree standard too, but within just three years or graduating, men earn more than their female counterparts.
This year marks 30 years since the Equal Pay Act was introduced, and – while the gap has almost halved – the Fawcett Society says it will be another 80 years before we achieve equal pay, based on our current rate of progress.

Events update

Winning Women burst onto the scene in Chester last month, when over 100 women attended the launch at the city’s Living Room. Keep an eye on the calendar section for our next event in Chester – meanwhile, you can see photos of the night here.

Keep at eye out too for the
An Evening with Gary Lineker showcase at Baby Blue on April 20th. Produced by Winning Woman Kate Gorst and her company Altru Drama, Altru will be performing the play for corporate events over the summer, to coincide with the World Cup. You can find out more info here.

And sticking to a football theme, Winning Women’s next event is Women with Balls, at Tranmere Rovers Football Club. Eamonn Homes will be hosting the event alongside Lorraine Rodgers – one of the only female footie chairwomen in the country. We’ll reveal more details in the April newsletter…

We’re launching our Business Start-Up competition at the end of the month, but you can get a sneak preview here. Don’t forget, the winner will get free office space in the Seymour Suite Incubator for a year — you can download an entry form and the terms and conditions here.