Inspirational achievers from Warwick have been named among the finalists in the fifth Ladies First Network Business and Inspirational Women Awards.

Entrants have been selected from nearly 300 nominations by a panel of judges from across the UK.

The finalists will now be invited to an independent judging day at Metropolis in Coventry next month before the glittering awards ceremony hosted by radio and TV presenter Sandra Godley at Coombe Abbey Hotel, on March 23.

Creatives are among those being celebrated in new categories this year, including Outstanding Woman In Sport, Outstanding Woman In Creative Arts and The Sandra Godley Music Award.

Nominations from Warwick span the various categories and include Lauren Gregory (Run Like A Girl), Lauren Kelly (Mosaic Pub & Dining), Sue Ford (ActionCOACH), Jo Powell, (MV Visual Media and Arty Splatz), Amanda Chalmers (Chalmers News PR) and Sharon Daniels (NV Her).

Eva and Craig Percy of Antigo Boutique, Kenilworth (image supplied)

Tracey McAtamney, who forms the Ladies First leadership team with Sandra, said: "This is our fifth Awards and it always amazes me the incredible amount of talented, inspirational women out there. At Ladies First we take pride in celebrating all women, whether working from home or CEO of a major company. 

"We also honour those who have been through terrible situations and respond by setting up charities or community interest companies to help others. We thank our sponsors, Janine Edwards Wealth Management Ltd, Alsters Kelley Solicitors, Pertemps and many others who continue to support us."

Sandra Godley said: "Thank you for every single nomination. There is so much to celebrate about ordinary people doing extraordinary things in our communities, both here locally and abroad."

Four of the six finalists for the Businesswoman of the Year Award are from Warwickshire - Emily Biddle, of Emily Jayne Hair & Beauty, Southam; Karen Wood, of Kidvelo Bikes, Leamington, Jo Williams of Joco Interiors, Nuneaton and Nikki Reid of Nikki Homes, in Welford-on-Avon, Stratford.

Nikki shares the spotlight with her sister Rachel Reid Knight, of Rachel Reid Interiors, Stratford, who is a finalist in the Woman of Achievement category.

Karen Wood is also a finalist in the New Business category, along with Lisa Cressy from Mind Warrior Coaching in Kenilworth; Wendy Martin, who runs Counter Culture Store in Leamington and Andrea Lennard of Pure Pegasus in Rugby.

Also up for two awards is Amanda Chalmers of Chalmers News PR, in Warwick, in the Excellence In Marketing and Career From Home categories.

Inspirational Woman finalists include Jo Powell, of MV Visual Media and Arty Splatz, in Warwick and Libby Wilson who established The Old Rectory Nursery in Rugby eight years ago after overcoming a series of setbacks including dyslexia and ADHD.

The finalists will now be invited to an independent judging day at Metropolis in Coventry

Libby, who is also up for an Achieves In Education award, said: "I changed schools seven times and didn't pass any exams. After my GCSE results I was asked to leave school as it was felt I wouldn't be able to cope with A level learning. Goodness, 16 years old and nothing on the horizon! Thankfully Montessori training and learning was the perfect fit for me.

"The most important thing for me is winning this award would be an opportunity for others struggling to be inspired and show that with hard work and dedication you really can achieve anything you set your mind too and also for others to understand the difficulties of dyslexia."

Representing the county in the Woman of Courage category are: Kate Wilson, from Kenilworth, who has now resigned from her role as a paramedic to run Medics to Medics which packs and sends vital medical supplies to Ukraine – and Naomi Issit.

Naomi is also among those flying the flag for Warwickshire in the Achieves For Charity category, along with and Ceri Amphlett, both from Rugby.

Naomi launched the Our Jay Foundation in memory of her 18-year-old son Jamie who died suddenly following a cardiac arrest on New Year's Day last year. Since then she has raised more than £50k and installed 37 life-saving defibrillators.

The charity also offers CPR training events and guidance and has, just this month, launched an information app available for download.

Lisa Cressy from Mind Warrior Coaching in Kenilworth has been nominated for the New Business category (image supplied)

Naomi said: "It was the most painful shock that any of us could ever feel. He was my right arm. The only way I can even try and get through the days is to work for him and keep on making sure that his face is seen and his name is said and that things change, because he deserved so much better. I know he would be proud of that."

Reacting to the awards news, she added: "I was overwhelmed to learn I had been named as a finalist. It's not really me that's courageous though, it's Jamie. It's because of his bravery and what he was like as a boy and I'm really just his voice now."

Ceri Amphlett established Remember Rufus with her husband after the stillbirth of their son in 2020.

The charity helps parents of children who are born sleeping or who die soon after birth by providing cuddle cots to NHS trusts, nursing teams and palliative care departments across England and Wales. It is also currently raising funds to improve bereavement care in the maternity department of UHCW through the provision of a specific bereavement suite in the maternity department. 

The rest of the Warwickshire finalists are:

Achieves in Business (Employee)

Leanne Horne – Air Aesthetics, Henley-in-Arden; Sarah Darby – Alsters Kelly Solicitors, Rugby; Kate Gould – Sheldon Bosley Knight, Leamington.

Entrepreneur

Bianca Perry – Bia's Kitchen, Leamington; Paula Heaton - Belle Peau Beauty and training school, Rugby; Emily Biddle – Emily Jayne's Hair & Beauty, Southam.

Unique Business

Sarah Day – One Day Film Productions, Henley-in-Arden.

New Business

Andrea Lennard – Pure Pegasus, Rugby; Lisa Cressy – Mind Warrior Coaching, Kenilworth; Wendy Martin - Counter Culture Store, Leamington; Karen Wood – Kidvelo Bikes, Leamington.

Service Provider of the Year

Charlotte Pitts - HR Consultancy, from Stratford; Lauren Coombes – Pitch & Party, Kenilworth.

Service Provider – Retail

Sharon Daniels – NV Her, Warwick; Jayne Scandrett & Jane Medd – Justina & Dice of Shipston, Wellesbourne & Shipston; Nina Norman – Henley Boutique, Henley-in-Arden; Eva and Craig Percy – Antigo Boutique, Kenilworth.

Excellence In Marketing

Hayley Alexander - Shakespeare Media, Welford; Katie Wilber – Cotswold Connected, Stratford; Sasha Westbrooke – Freelance Designer, Leamington; Tejal Prajapati – TP Creative, Coventry.

Excellence In Networking

Lauren Kelly – Mosaic Pub & Dining, in Warwick & Birmingham; Sue Ford – ActionCOACH, Warwick.

Career from Home

Toni Ballard – Celebrant & Artist, Hampton-in-Arden; Allison Phillips – Kindred CSR, Kenilworth; Kath Cleary – K Clear HR, Leamington.

Achieves in Education

Jo Powell – Arty Splats, Warwick; Katie Harcourt – Spellbound Academy, across Warwickshire.

Woman of Achievement

Lisa Devine – Therapy & Fitness Centre, Leamington; Sarah Addis - The Scottish Fine Soaps Company, Long Marston.

Empowering Women

Karla Byrne - Domestic Abuse Support Hub, Rugby; Raquel Garcia Garrido – Raxanie Ltd, Leamington.

Achieves for the Community

Julie McGarrigle & Alsters Kelley Solicitors, Leamington; Hannah Secher - Rugby Artistic Swimming Club; Kavita Bachada – PELS, Bedworth.

Family Business

Kate Hunter – Bear Cleaning, Kenilworth.

Health and Wellbeing

Nadine Hummert – Life Equilibrium, Kenilworth; Lauren Gregory – Run Like A Girl, Leamington/Warwick; Seema Barba – Bowen Therapy, Southam; Lisa Devine – Therapy & Fitness Centre, Leamington.

Man of the Year

Billy & Ryan – Glitsy Bits/Community work, Coleshill

The event will also raise money for two West Midlands charities, The Memory Box Foundation and Coventry Foodbank.

The new Memory Box Foundation, being launched in March, provides free Memory Boxes for children and young adults coping with bereavement and supports pop-up Bereavement Cafes in Coventry, Kenilworth, Warwick, Balsall Common, Leamington Spa, Solihull and Stratford-upon-Avon.

For the full list of finalists visit: https://ladiesfirstnetwork.co.uk/

To enquire about sponsorship opportunities contact Tracey McAtamney at: [email protected]