Celebrating the centenary of the first act allowing some women to vote, the Westcountry Wonderwomen Workshop brought a whole host of talent together from across the South West to promote the #PushforProgress message.

As the day was being celebrated around the country, people looked back to 1918 when the Representation of the People Act enabled some women over the age of 30 to vote for the first time. December will commemorate 100 years since the first general election in which women voted in the UK.

The event offered students from Kingsbridge Community College and Dartmouth Academy the opportunity to gain insights from local leading ladies, spanning a wide range of sectors, with speakers including artists, scientists, surgeons, engineers and entrepreneurs.

Students and guests listened to a range of talented speakers including Molecular Ecologist Dr Pennie Lindeque who talked about the prevalence of micro plastics in the ocean. The research that Pennie and her team have completed has been widely circulated including InsideOut Southwest, the One Show, Food Unwrapped, BBC News and most recently in the final episode of the Blue Planet II series.

Award winning local artist Becky Bettesworth and Retail Director at Warrens Bakery Alex Martin shared their stories and advice for success which filled the students with enthusiasm for the future.

A variety of businesswomen provided round table sessions including three surgeons from Torbay Hospital, Totnes based co-founders and directors of the award-winning social venture The Bshirt, former ICC student and actress Victoria Lucie, former KCC student and software design manager Hannah Sterry, PR and social media coordinator at Riverford Organic Emily Muddeman and many more.

The event was sponsored by South West based Rocks Drinks and The Venus Company who provided delicious refreshments for Westcountry Wonderwomen guests.