Inspire Women Awards

Volunteer of the Year - Winner Sharon Goodwin!! Sharon has worn many hats over the years, working hard to improve the lives of young people in the Farnworth and Kearsley Areas. She was worked as a School Governor, a fundraising volunteer and also as a volunteer play activity leader. All of these jobs revolved around providing children with opportunities and ensuring good outcomes for pupils in multiple primary and secondary schools. Sharon’s fundraising event helped raised over £4,000 for her local primary school, which paid for education class trips, workshops, play equipment and other events that will help better the…

Women in Film, Art & Media - Winner Sarah Nelson! Sarah has a passion for creative work and theatre. She often gives up her spare time to help young people prepare for auditions for Drama School and encourages novice play writers to follow their dreams. Sarah’s achievements include writing and directing the opening Odean Cinema Complex in Oldham, a huge outdoor spectacle which celebrated the towns past and it’s community. She was also on the team of the ‘Every Life Matters’ campaign, which won an Oldham Pride Award, brought about by the tragic death of Christopher Dale. The Every Life…

Employee of the Year - Winner Nicola Kingham! Nicola is a hard worker who is passionate about what she does. In the span of 12 months, Nicola went from working a trial shift at the Last Drop Village to being Conference and Banqueting Supervisor with her own team, and working as a mentor to an Apprentice. This year, Nicola won the ‘General Manager’s Employee of the Year Award’ and now the Inspire Womens Employee of the Year Award! Nicola suffers from low confidence, dealing with three children around the same age, two of which were fostered from her brother, coming…

Women in STEM - Winner Emma Antrobus!!! Passionate about education, Emma Antrobus is a woman in Engineering who loves encouraging young people to be the best versions of themselves, bringing their attention to Apprenticeships, vocational courses and broadening their horizons by highlighting a number of varied career paths. Emma takes advantage of her strong affiliation with several organisations and individuals from her work in the engineering industry to help promote roles for women and break down barriers to allow career progression. She believes in fairness, inclusion and most importantly – respect. In her past, Emma worked as a School Governor…

Women in Social Enterprise - Winner Nickala Torkington!! As co-founder of Flourish Together, Nickala has worked for several years as a single parent supporting women & creating needed change. Leading four successful crowdfunding campaigns to create community led seed funds, the money generated invested in 31 women across multiple sectors and backgrounds. 80% of the women Flourish Together has worked with earned less than 20K a year, most of those earning less than £10k annually. In almost 20 years, Nickala has helped set up 6 social Enterprises spanning the Health, Wellbeing and Educational Sectors, all of which she has led.…

Women in Leadership - Winner Karen Elaine Bramwell! As the first female leader of an academy sponsor in Bolton, Karen passionately believes in strong business sense to achieve goals, which will benefit the next generation. Forward As One is described as a greenhouse organisation, nurturing childrens talents, the staff and the parents of the children. In 2014, Karen was named the Lilac Sky UK ‘Headteacher of the Year’, and was recently appointed as a Pathways to Success advisor for Knowsley - elected by colleagues –where she represents the region as a member of the BFE Head teacher Board for Lancashire…

Women in Technology - Winner Noha Amin! Featured as one of Manchester Evening News’ Top 30 Women in Tech, Noha is passionate about helping others overcome their barriers and help achieve their dreams. She volunteers with DigitalHer to attended several events at high schools for girls, talking about engineering and the STEM field, answering questions and inspiring them to pursue careers in the STEM field. She gives powerful speeches on overcoming adversity and shattering the glass ceiling, urging young girls to become outstanding members of society. Noha has also been involved in giveaways, generously gifting young girls tools to help…

Lifetime Achievement Award – Winner Gill Smallwood! Being a single parent gave Gill the motivation to go back to University, studying to be a Lecturer in further education. Successfully earning her qualification, Gill began teaching and was recognised as one of the first lecturers to be accredited with QTLS status. Continuing on her path of education, Gill earned several other degrees and qualifications in counselling, clinical supervising, and many others too numerous to delve into! Gill worked as a Volunteer Counsellor at Fortalice and quickly became interested in the line of work. She became a Board Member after a terribly…

HeForShe Award – Winner Chris Dawes!!! Chris Dawes is the founder of www.scruffymonkey.co.uk, alongside his wife Lindsay. The two run a web design company together, priding themselves on giving inspiration women an online platform from which they can expand their business and achieve their goals. Chris has assisted many women in pursuing their business ideas, including previous Inspire Women Award winners and nominees! Through the use of his company & web design skills, Chris has donated over £12,000 to a number of charities over the past five years. These contributions can range from free websites to sponsoring minority groups, e.g.…

HER-Abilities – Winner Mona Patel!!! An Equality & Diversity Specialist, Mona has been working at Manchester Metropolitan University for over nineteen years, committed to creating a positive environment for all. In 2017, Mona helped MMU become the first university to attain the Gold Disability Standard award – one of just six organisations to achieve this award. Her dedication to inclusivity has helped create the E&D Champions network, consisting of over 30 staff members acting as agents of change in Equality and Diversity. Mona has also set up an MMU Women’s Network – offering a platform for women to talk about…