Wynyard Hall welcomed over 300 inspirational businesswomen from the region recently, to a fundraising luncheon, kindly sponsored by BP, Additional Lengths and LITT Recruitment Group and hosted by Ingrid Johnson.
CEO of Feeding Families, and Woman of the Year Community Champion, Juliet Sanders told an emotional audience about the struggles she herself went through for the first time and opened her heart-wrenching historical personal life to inspire the women in the room to be open and own their past and show them that women can and do survive in exceptional circumstances.
Juliet told us: “We want to shout about the women of the region, we want to know your journey, we want to support our supporters. Just as you have come together as businesses to support Feeding Families, we want to extend our appreciation by running similar events like this and to truly inspire the women in this region to shout about their accomplishments and not be afraid to tell their journey to get to where they are.”
The ladies also heard a very personal journey talk from Alice Rowen Hall, founder of clothing brand Pink Boutique, who took the audience through her journey of growing the brand into a £25 million turnover business, as well as her latest venture, Rowen Homes, which offers glamorous homeware.
Victoria Lynch, Managing Director of Additional Lengths, also shared her experience of starting her own business over two decades ago and transforming it into one of the UK’s leading and award-winning hair extension manufacturers and retailers.
The aim of the charity is to ensure that no family goes hungry, no matter what their personal circumstances. Given the high levels of deprivation in the North East, their aim is to empower and support women, letting them know that they can make a positive impact. The charity encourages those who are able, to donate to Feeding Families, as this will directly support individuals in our region who are facing food insecurity.
Sarah McPhie, Head of Engagement at Feeding Families, and joint host of the event paid special personal thanks to two ladies in the audience that had inspired her, in particular during her career: Jackie Marston from JAM Marketing and Jane Heath from the Grand Hotel, Gosforth.
She told us: “We are proud to announce that we raised over £8,000 for the charity on the day, and we are so grateful to be able to offer a platform for all of our inspiration women to stand proud of their achievements. I am proud to represent this vitally important charity, but it’s important to let people know that often every successful journey has had its ups and downs and we shouldn’t be ashamed to admit these, we should wear them as a badge of honour!”
Feeding Families are planning more similar events in the future, and anyone interested in assisting in their mission to end food poverty can get in touch by contacting them via their website: feedingfamilies.org.uk