International Women's Day 2023: 21 more amazing Gwent women

As part of this year's celebrations, we asked our readers to nominate amazing women from across the Gwent region to potentially be added to our hall of fame, which launched last year, celebrating 100 inspirational individuals. 

These women, along with the nominees selected, have all been invited to a networking event at University of South Wales' Newport campus tomorrow, March 9.

Here are the 21 new additions...

Alison Fielding

Alison Fielding, of Cwmbran, has been a foster carer for many years and was nominated by a health visitor, who said she “stands out” adding that she is “extremely compassionate, loving and patient with the children she takes into her home.”

Ms Fielding, and her husband Patrick, take in children who are often vulnerable and “develop immensely” after spending time in her care within her “welcoming and friendly” home which puts people at ease – health visitors even joke that they would like to live with her.

She is an “amazing woman devoted to helping children in their time of need.”

Annette Farmer

Annette Farmer is a businesswoman who runs Xclusive Jewellers in Newport and plays a key role in trying to promote and improve the city centre.

She founded the flea market which ran at Newport Market prior to the redevelopment and helps run a Facebook group aiming to highlight and tackle antisocial behaviour in Newport.

She has been described as “outstanding in business, work, ethics, and beliefs” along with “enthusiastic, empathetic, and emotionally at all times” with a “passion and drive” for the city.

Ayesha Khan

Ayesha Khan, from Pill in Newport, was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus; she is paralysed from the chest down and uses a wheelchair - but “never complains”.

This hasn’t stopped her from spending more than two decades raising money and awareness for charities including Sparkle, Whizz-Kidz, Cancer Research, and Alzheimer’s Society Cymru (Wales). She even took part in the Cardiff Half Marathon three weeks after suffering a stroke and – in 2017 – raised £3,000 for her new wheelchair.

Ms Khan was among a group of young wheelchair users who went to the Senedd to present evidence in support of a petition asking for better accessibility for public transport and appeared on Welsh consumer campaigning programme The Ferret to discuss transport issues for wheelchair users. She is also in her third year of a Btec Art course and is applying to study Art at university.

Beverley Jones

Beverley Jones, from Raglan, had a 30-year corporate career, which led to burnout and a devastating crash of depression which inspired her to help others.

She rebuilt her life, founding Awaken Mentoring, and has spent 12 years helping people as a burnout mentor, author, speaker, and award-winning businesswoman. She wrote Made it Thru the Rain: To Light the Journey Ahead, which talks about her personal road to recovery and beyond along with six e-books about business and mental health.

Ms Jones is also involved with a national mental health campaign Time to Change Wales, runs a successful Torfaen Breakfast Networking group, and is an avid volunteer and supported or challenges. She was heavily involved in a four-year campaign to raise more than £400,000 to repair the roof of St Cadoc’s Church.

She is “kind, caring and dedicated to bringing businesswomen across South Wales and beyond together, to create a supportive network where she offers guidance, advice and a place of friendship, experience and support.”

Carol Gravenor

Carol Gravenor runs Caerphilly Bird Rescue, which is dedicated to rescuing injured or distressed birds in Caerphilly and surrounding areas.

The organisation is currently looking for a new premises, but continuing to look after our feathered friends by providing a drop off service at Crossways Brewers Fayre pub car park at 6pm every evening.

Ms Gravenor is a “remarkable woman” who started Caerphilly Bird Rescue more than 30 years ago with her husband Ray, who died suddenly in 2021. Despite her loss, Ms Gravenor has continued to work “tirelessly with passion and selfless commitment” to care for and protect birds.

Dr Charlotte Fleming

Consultant Dr Fleming, of Monmouthshire, has spent most of her time in the NHS championing woman's health. She is a leading expert on the menopause for Wales, regularly doing a BBC Wales radio programme.

Dr Fleming is highly regarded by her patients and colleagues; when she was clinical director for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board she was a leading light in promoting woman’s sexual health and the need to understand the menopause.

She also invited patients to participate in menopause conferences in Wales and led the way in listening to patients and getting them involved with their health issues and decisions.

Clare Chard

Clare Chard, of Ebbw Vale, has dedicated her life to exercise and promoting health and wellbeing – with her set to turn 89 in May.

She is a long-standing qualified tutor with the British Wheel of Yoga which was founded in 1965 and aims to promote a greater understanding of yoga and its safe practice through experience, education, study and training.

Ms Chard is a “true advocate that yoga works” and – along with helping others be fit and healthy -she still drives and lives independently looking after her husband who has dementia.

Evie Flage-Donovan

Evie Flage-Donovan may only be 15 years old but that’s not stopped her making her mark in the sporting world (while studying ahead of her GCSE exams).

The Newport teenager, from Lliswerry, does Artistic Gymnastics and has become British Junior Beam Champion and fifth all around gaining a place on the Great Britain Junior squad. She was selected to compete at the European Youth Olympic Festival and the European Championships where she placed fifth in Europe on the Uneven Bars.

George Harris

George Harris is the co-founder and company director at Tin Shed Theatre Co. which is a cohort of creatives working to bring creativity, inclusion, and social impact to Newport.

Her aims include making theatre accessible to “a younger generation who wouldn’t typically use [it” and to perform “in unusual places with interesting and passionate people”.

She has worked closely with the council and arts organisations in Newport to develop spaces and work that invoke social change and provide opportunity and safe spaces to those who need it, most recently opening The Place in Newport city centre.

Gemma Casey

Gemma Casey is NatWest’s Ecosystem Manager for Wales and has always been passionate about the people, communities, and businesses in Newport and surrounding areas aiming to “inspire others” including female entrepreneurs.

She has worked “tirelessly” over the last two years encouraging more women to start their own business; last year she launched a hugely successful podcast series on women in business in partnership with the University of South Wales.

Kamila Jarczak

Kamila Jarczak is well-known in Newport for her photography, including her Women of Newport exhibition which snowballed into a community to bring together and empower women.

She gives a lot of her time freely and organised and implemented one of the largest Ukrainian Humanitarian appeals in Wales, inspiring thousands of people to donate and hundreds of volunteers to help sort, pack, and transport donations to Poland where many refugees had fled.

She organised secure office space in Malpas to store and sort medical equipment and initially organised the retail space in Kingsway shopping centre for donations given freely to those fleeing from the conflict in Ukraine.

She has “given her heart and soul” to the community of Newport and helped people locally and internationally.

Laura Lacey

Laura Lacey is a Welsh Labour councillor representing Ringland in Newport; she was nominated following the “huge support” she has shown the LGBTQIA+ community over the past year.

She played a “vital role” in ensuring that Pride in the Port – Newport’s first ever Pride festival – took place in 2022 and that it will return for 2023 with Newport’s first Pride parade.

Cllr Lacey is a volunteer and ally who has “gone above and beyond” to ensure the LGBTQIA+ community feels safe in Newport.

Lisa Nichols

Lisa Nichols, of Newport, was nominated as she has spent a long time campaigning for menopause support for women.

She also works with Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales (FTWW) which is the only patient-led charity in Wales dedicated solely to female health equality; she is a huge advocate for using exercise to support women’s health.

Lisa Pritchard

Lisa Pritchard, from Pontypool, was recently appointed at the first female headteacher in the 100-year history of Newport’s only independent school: Rougemont School.

Ms Pritchard was born and raised in New Inn and was educated at West Mon School, where she was head girl. Ms Pritchard’s story – of a local girl who rose to leadership through hard work – will inspire other young women in the region.

Staff at Rougemont School are “so proud” of her for progressing and helping lead the school into its next chapter as it celebrates its centenary in 2024.

Martine Smith

Martine Smith is equity lead at Maindee Primary School in Newport and was nominated for her “drive and passion for change and equity” within the community and being the “adult we all needed when we were younger”.

She shows “care and compassion” for everyone she encounters and has helped improve the lives of many people living in Newport despite challenges including the BLM movement, the Covid pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis.

Mary Ann Brocklesby

Mary Ann Brocklesby is the leader of Monmouthshire County council – representing Labour and Co-operative Party – and is a Llanelly County councillor.

Along with her political role she is also Chair of Women’s Equality Network Wales (WENWales) which has a vision to keep Wales free from gender discrimination. 

Dr Modupe Obilande

Dr Modupe Obilanade has provided medical care to the residents of Pill in Newport at St Paul’s Clinic for more than 20 years.

She is senior partner at the clinic and has kept the practice running despite enormous challenges and has turned it into a “thriving healthcare hub” for the city.

Rachel Garrick

Rachel Garrick is a senior councillor for Monmouthshire County Council and has not allowed health issues to prevent her representing local residents.

She continues to work for her community despite pain caused by hidden disabilities – including arthritis in her cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints. Cllr Garrick has continued to attend council meetings while supporting her sick mother.

While with her mother at the Grange Hospital earlier this year the councillor gave a budget presentation, via video link, from the car park, demonstrating her commitment to her role.

Rhian Wyn Dafydd

Rhian Wyn Dafydd was born in Risca and later went on to become a chemistry teacher.

The Welsh speaker was a deputy head at Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw in Pontypool. She was also the original headteacher at the first Welsh-medium secondary school in Newport: Ysgol Gyfun Gwent Is Coed.

Shereen Williams

Shereen Williams MBE OStJ DL is the CEO of the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales. Having recently overseen the largest changes to local government electoral boundaries in Wales in more than 20 years, she is currently leading on the review of Welsh parliamentary constituencies.

Prior to taking up her role at the Commission in 2019, she worked for a decade in local government at Newport and Monmouthshire local authorities. She has been a serving Justice of the Peace in Gwent Magistracy since 2018 and a Deputy Lieutenant of Gwent since 2021.

She’s won numerous awards for her community service and leadership and continues to give her time to voluntary roles.

In Gwent, she has been a school governor in three schools, English and Welsh, primary and secondary in Newport (including as a current Chair of governors for a Welsh medium primary); she serves on the committee of a minis and juniors rugby team in Newport; and is a member of Newport’s Fairness Commission.

Vicky Hughes

Vicky Hughes, who has lived in Chepstow for more than 20 years, juggles being a single mother of two along with “breaking glass ceilings” in her work environment.

Having earned a First Class Honours degree she went on to work at PepsiCo and won the European International Women’s competition in 2014. She progressed through the company to become European sales director and she was last year headhunted by Adidas where she is now Vice President of Sales for Northern Europe.

She is an “inspiration for all young women within often male dominated industries” along with a “wonderful mother” to her 10-year-old son and six-year-old daughter.

Our Gwent women's hall of fame

In no order the women already included in the 100 are as follows:

• Lauren Price
• Christina Harrhy
• Luvie Parkin
• Pavinee Taruschio
• Jo Barnes
• Jan Vokes
• Liz Johnson
• Laura Emily Dunn
• Gemma Walker
• Aysia Bibi
• Becky James
• Natasha Baker
• Brigitte Jarvis
• Anne Wareham
• Julia Rowe
• Stephanie Stephens
• Leah Van Staden
• Sara Butler
• Natasha Cockram
• Lauren James
• Samantha Sully
• Androulla Webb
• Eleanor Roberts
• Clare Johnson
• Rachel Williams
• Sabrina Cresswell
• Samantha Jones
• Alexandria Riley
• Danielle Webb
• Ingrid Wilson
• Loren Henry
• Debbie Johnsey
• Jasmine Ali
• Juls Benson
• Charlotte Harris
• Emily Grimes
• Nicky Marsh
• Angharad Collins
• Rosie Eccles
• Sue Malson
• Dame Rosemary Butler
• Kate Humble
• Jayne Bryant
• Delyth Jewell
• Mica Moore
• Pam Kelly
• Natasha Asghar
• Georgine Titley
• Sarah Davies
• Jess Morden
• Helen Tennant
• Hayley Thomas
• Gaynor Smith
• Donna Dunn
• Laura Tenison
• Angela Jones
• Lynne Neagle
• Jane Mudd
• Debbie Wilcox
• Hannah Williams
• Alison Tod
• Rhian Hutchings
• Janet Martin
• Emma Saysell
• Hayley Parsons
• Kelli Apsland
• Laura Waters
• Beth Sims
• Laura Anne Jones
• Vanessa Ruck
• Rhiannon Passmore
• Philippa Marsden
• Ceri Doyle
• Bev Owen
• Dawn Gunter
• Alexandra Dodds
• Dee Hardwicke
• Caroline Thompson
• Ruth Jones
• Carol Mutlow
• Chiari Manship
• Lauren Williams
• Alexandra Jones
• Anna Rainsbury
• Julia Gregson
• Elizabeth Murray
• Sam Dabb
• Tracy Stafford
• Louise Worall
• Sian Lewis-Evans
• Kris Wise
• Cerys Hale
• Jane Carpanini
• Cllr Sara Jones
• Jane Grayer
• Jill Manley
• Cory McKenna
• Gaynor James
• Ann Barton
• Sarah Croft