Wonder Women celebrated at national awards

29th September 2020
An awards ceremony recognising the achievements of some of Wales’ most remarkable women has seen honours bestowed ‘virtually’ across the nation.

The Womenspire awards, run by Chwarae Teg, streamed across Face Book and Twitter last night (29.9.2020) showcasing the winners and finalists who are making such a difference to others and their communities.

Presented by Andrea Byrne of ITV Cymru Wales and Welsh actress Elin Pavli-Hinde, the ceremony was able to open up to a global online audience to share news of the women’s accomplishments.

The biggest winner on the night was Autism awareness campaigner and founder of the Chinese Autism Support Group, Hazel Lim. She received the Community Champion Award as well as the overall title of Womenspire Champion 2020 having impressed the judges with her warmth and unwavering commitment to her cause.

Winners in other categories were as follows:

Board Member: Jessica Leigh Jones (Vale of Glamorgan) - multi-award-winning Engineer and Astrophysicist

Leader: Tracey Rankine (Bridgend) - Detective Chief Inspector with South Wales Police, who excels in developing colleagues

Woman in STEM: Youmna Mouhamad (Swansea) – a multi-talented STEM technology transfer fellow at Swansea University and creator of the college of engineering BAME network

Sport: Elinor Snowsill (Cardiff) - Wales Rugby Player and mentor at the School of Hard Knocks

Rising Star: Bethan Owen (Bodelwyddan) - young carer and Karate club founder

Entrepreneur: Sian Cartledge (Neath) - owner of Welsh language learning resources business -Max Rocks

Learner: Carys Godding (Bridgend) – an ATC Engineer at Welsh Water with a passion for learning that’s taken her from an apprenticeship to a first degree in Electrical Engineering

There were two awards for employers too, with the ‘Gender Equality Champion’ going to Aberystwyth University Students’ Union and ‘FairPlay Employer’ to The Open University.

Tahirah Ali a community volunteer, youth ambassador and diversity champion was also announced as the winner of the Wonderful Welsh Women ‘People’s Choice Award’ following a public vote.

This is our fifth Womenspire awards and once again it has been incredible to hear the stories of all the women and their magnificent achievements. Although we’ve had to hold the event online due to Covid, it’s given us a chance to share their stories with a wider audience than ever before. At Chwarae Teg we know how important it is that the accomplishments of women are highlighted just as much as those of men. So, I must congratulate everyone involved and say a big thank you for making our first online Womenspire such a success. The fact that people have been tuning in from around the world is simply amazing.

“Hazel’s place as Womenspire Champion is a reflection of her genuine desire to help others and her determination to ensure that no child or family affected by autism suffers in silence. She doesn’t see herself as remarkable, but she is a real role model and a saviour to many. She works tirelessly to get the right information and support out there to those that need it, with a clear focus on improving the lives of families affected by autism and enabling children to reach their full potential.
Cerys Furlong
Chief Executive, Chwarae Teg