#SRtRCSpotlight: Celebrating the Inspirational Women of Newcastle
This week, we are shining a light on the fantastic and inspiring event we attended in the North East.
Over 400 women from the public, private, and voluntary sectors converged at Newcastle Civic Centre last week to mark International Women’s Day. In keeping with this year’s theme (‘For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment’), the conference aimed to recognise the achievements of women, explore the future of gender equality in the region, and empower the next generation to become catalysts for change.
The inspiring event was organised by Newcastle City Council and engagingly hosted by North East journalist Charlie Charlton. Charlie did not shy away from posing challenging questions to the diverse lineup of speakers and artists from policy, education, business, and the arts, who shared their journeys through performances, spotlight interviews and presentations.
The event was opened by Karen Kilgour, Leader of Newcastle City Council, before moving on to the main programme.
We were delighted to see Dr Irene Ighodaro honoured. Dr Ighodaro was the first West African female doctor in Britain and worked here at the RVI. A blue plaque commemorating her work has been commissioned. Her award was collected by Beverley Prevatt-Goldstein, who received a standing ovation for her own inspiring words.
Sir Nigel Slater from Canary Wharf Group spoke about how women can empower themselves and take their rightful and essential roles within business. He was preceded by two women who are already doing just that. A representative from Smartworks shared her trajectory and highlighted the essential support their organisation provides, assisting unemployed women with coaching, clothing, and confidence-building as they enter the workforce.
Keynote speaker Amanda Staveley took the stage to share her personal journey, from her involvement as Director and part-owner of Newcastle United, her role in brokering the sale of the club, to her recent work engaging business companies in research into Huntington’s Disease.
However, it wasn’t all policy and business. The art world was well represented, with a musical performance by Isabel Maria, moving poetry about the current situation for women in Gaza from Tahmina, and an interactive performance by Newcastle College students, which once again had the audience on their feet.
It was fitting, in a room filled with such supportive and strong women and men, that our North East Educator, Justine King, chose to speak about allyship and the importance of authentically supporting women through all the intersectional aspects of their identity. Only by doing so can we truly celebrate and empower women as a whole.
Event organiser Sajda Nawaz-Bhatti said of the event,
“We wanted to acknowledge that the celebration of International Women’s Day isn’t just about recognising individual achievements – it’s about recognising that every woman’s contribution matters. The presentations inspired, challenged, and motivated us all to reflect on the vital work that still lies ahead in the fight for gender equality and empowerment”
Finally the event also gave the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of 100 Inspirational Women of Newcastle who were featured in a commemorative booklet. It was gratifying to see so many past, present, and (we hope) future colleagues featured – including our former Education Worker Kenza Benamar. Congratulations to her and all those featured!