AMAZING
WOMEN
By Melissa-Ellesse Assibey
I
had the pleasure of attending
the Amazing Women Awards, a
new award ceremony
celebrating ordinary women doing
extraordinary things. The event was
founded by businesswoman Roz
Thornton, Community Development
Manager, who wanted to
acknowledge women who help in
the community.
The categories presented at the
awards were: Amazing Woman in
Business, Amazing Young Woman,
Amazing Mum, Amazing Woman
Lifetime Achievement
The award for Amazing Woman in
Business was won by Taniya Khan
founder of Tanya K Beauty
Academy. Taniya started her
business on her own and now
employs and supports over 100
women with confidence issues, very
few English qualifications and single
mums who want to get back into
business.
“I grew up in London with my
mum and two younger brothers.
Mum was single, she divorced at an
early age and couldn’t work because
of that reason. I thought ok I need
to start a business up to support my
family”.
The Amazing Young Woman
award was won by 19 Year old
Mollie Morgan who escaped her
chaotic family home, where there
was drug and alcohol abuse. She
was diagnosed with dyslexia and
dyscalculia but despite all this
soared on to achieve distinction in
the University of The Arts London’s
diploma in photography, won 1 of
12 places out of 86 applicants at the
BFI academy, volunteers for
charities and is now studying media
and performance at Salford
University. Mollie explains her
obstacles and passion for the arts.
“I don’t speak to my mum, that
has always been a difficult situation,
she just doesn’t want to know me...I
ran away from home at 16, during
my GCSE’s but I’m here now. Since I
was little, since I can remember, I
have wanted to be an actress; I also
want to do some behind the scene
stuff like photography and filming.
Performing is my thing so ultimately
that’s what I want to do”.
Mel Francis won the Amazing
Woman Award for her work in
Ethopia with the charity Wings of
Healing. She performs free lifesaving
operations on people that would
otherwise not be able to afford it.
She commented:
“That is what it’s all about, it’s
about teaching and sharing and
enabling them to improve and help
their people. It just makes you so
thankful, on my first visit it made
me realise how rich we are as a
nation, we take everything for
granted”.
Heather Pratten winner of
Amazing Mum went to life-changing
lengths to protect and make her son
happy. After finding out her husband
and 2 sons had Huntingdon’s at 33
years old, Heather and her family
faced a very uncertain future. Her
eldest son Nigel was determined not
to face the same fate as his father and
attempted suicide on many occasions.
Heather eventually aided his suicide
and underwent an 8-month police
investigation, facing 14 years in
prison, but was finally acquitted. She
continues to raise money and
awareness of Huntingdon’s disease
and the assisted dying bill.
Geraldine Semper, winner of the
Lifetime Achievement award, worked
50 years in third world countries
giving medical advice and setting up
orphanages. Aged 13 Geraldine saw
her future calling in a vivid dream,
which she drew on a piece of paper
and became a reality years later.
Speaking about the event Roz
Thornton commented:
“They were very, very ordinary
people who saw a need and just went
ahead and resolved that need; so it’s
about rewarding people like that”.
The first annual Amazing Women
Awards showcased womanhood at it’s
best, celebrating woman from all
walks of life that have achieved
amazing things despite major
hardships and found a positive out of
it. It recognises the difficulties that a
lot of women go through: domestic
abuse, motherhood, poverty, career
struggles and celebrating the fact that
we are all AMAZING.
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