March 8 is International Women's Day and we wanted to mark the occasion by recognising just some of the inspirational women from across Cambridgeshire.
Roz Hoyle (84) resident at Lyncroft Care Home, Wisbech
Roz was born in Oswestry in 1940. After leaving school Roz trained as a Norland Nanny, who were considered the ‘best of the best’, often used by royalty and those of high social standing.
Roz went to Iran in the 1950s and worked for a high-profile Iranian family. She also lived in Norway, Afghanistan and then the UK, where she trained to be a teacher.
She taught children of all nationalities at the International School in Vienna . She has generally taught primary school children, some with special needs, covering all subjects.
In 1982, she moved to Wisbech and became a much-loved teacher at St Augustin's School. Some of the care staff at Lyncroft Care Home remember her as their teacher.
Anne-Marie Hamilton, farmer and charity supporter, St Neots
Anne-Marie Hamilton has spent most of her life in the farming industry and her regular columns in The Hunts Post give our readers a wonderful insight into her life at Wood Farm in Hail Weston.
She has a vast knowledge of arable and livestock farming and has been organising training courses for farmers, their families and staff for the last 30 years.
She also set up a rural support charity with friends, operating across Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire for those who live and work in rural communities, offering help when they are experiencing difficult times.
Anne-Marie also played a huge role in the Dreamdrops charity, and was its former chair. In 2018, she was made an MBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List for her services to the farming community and charity.
Kath Sansom, founder of Sling the Mesh Campaign, March
Kath represents women who are living with life-changing complications from surgical mesh implants used in operations to fix stress incontinence, prolapse and hernia.
The debilitating pain they experienced afterwards was dismissed by health professionals. For some, it has left them unable to walk, in chronic pain and destroyed their lives.
Kath founded the campaign in 2015 with just 20 members. It now has 10,200 members worldwide.
She is fighting for financial redress, improved regulation and also a transparent database of industry payments to doctors to improve patient safety.
Virginia (Ginny) Bucknor, campaign co-ordinator for Wisbech Without Incineration (WisWIN)
For the last four years, Ginny has campaigned tirelessly against proposals to build one of Europe’s largest waste incinerators in Wisbech.
She organised peaceful protests, awareness-raising events and has rallied a network of like-minded residents to fight the scheme.
The ‘No Mega Incinerator For Wisbech’ banners around the town are down to her and her team.
She has also spent hours reading research and policy documents about waste incineration, networking with other environmental groups, speaking to the media and crafting arguments against the scheme.
Mel Scholes, HCCN nurse at The Woodlands
Celebrating 20 years in nursing this March, Mel joined HCCN in 2019, after previously being a community palliative care nurse and a specialist breast care nurse.
Her job working alongside the oncology staff at The Woodlands, providing emotional support, home visits to give injections, infusions, pre-chemo blood tests, assess patients at home when unwell, liaise with specialist nurses/consultants, and available for patients to contact with any concerns.
As well as this Mel is prolific fundraiser for HCCN, organising their yearly charity ball, and taking part in many challenges including a sky dive, fire walk and aerobatic flight.
Carol George, volunteer for HCCN
Carol George is a valuable member of HCCN's volunteer team, and someone who most users will likely know as she leads their drop-in sessions on a Friday at Bradbury House, in Huntingdon.
Carol got involved with HCCN after her partner Mark died in November 2021 from bowel cancer, and their HCCN nurse, Andrea, suggested Carol get involved with the new drop-in centre, in January 2022.
Carol’s role is varied and she welcomes new users, is a listening ear, helps with fundraising, and so much more.
Lorna Watkins, member of People Opposing the Woodhurst incinerator
Lorna Watkins has campaigned tirelessly against a proposal to build a clinical waste incinerator in the village of Woodhurst.
She has made sure that local voices have been heard and that Envar, the company behind the plans, are in no doubt, that local feelings are running high.
Lorna and others have protested outside Cambridgeshire County Council's offices while the future of the incinerator has been discussed at a public inquiry.
She has worked hard to make sure those living in Woodhurst and the surrounding area do not have to live with the incinerator on their doorstep.
Lianne Simpson, founder of Diamond Hampers in Huntingdon
Lianne set up Diamond Hampers, an emergency food hamper service, back in 2019.
Since then, she and her team of volunteers have supplied almost 500,000 meals to vulnerable families and individuals.
They have shipped 306 emergency boxes to those impacted by the war in Ukraine.
Her inspirational work saw her invited to Buckingham Palace for a Coronation Champions Garden Party with King Charles III.
Lianne continues to fight against food poverty in Huntingdonshire and support people and families who are in need.
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