My #IWD2024 Diary - Trailblazing and Positive Impact

March is always a busy month for me. We ran our very first Funny Women CIC event for International Women’s Day on 8th March 2004 in partnership with the DTI and hosted by Gina Yashere. This was one of very few entertainment based events back then but now hundreds of all-female comedy shows and business celebrations take place throughout the month.

We also start planning our Funny Women Awards season and we will be opening 'expressions of interest’ for this year’s competition next week. Look out for #FWAwards2024 news.

?People always say I ‘look busy’ and when I’m in the zone, like most of us, I just get on and enjoy. But, this month was an action packed rollercoaster of a ride as my ‘IWD diary’ illustrates!

Thursday 7th March - IWD Eve

I was honoured to be included as one of 30 Ones to Watch in the seventh edition of the #WISE100 List, produced annually by Pioneers Post in partnership with NatWest Social & Community Capital .?

This list brings together the UK’s 100 leading women in social enterprise, impact investment and mission-driven business and I was one of 30 women to watch out for who are doing brilliant work in the social enterprise and impact investing space.

Friday 8th March – IWD

The day started early high above the City with brunch at the Searcys Club at The Gherkin hosted by Katie Street of Street Agency who curated an amazing gathering of women (and one man) to discuss the roles we all play in business and how we can pay it forward.

Then onto my Soho 'home from home' for the annual women’s day lunch at the The Groucho Club Ltd. . I joined the club when it very first opened back in the 1980s and it is still the most incredible cultural hub attracting members from media, literature, entertainment and across the arts. Long may it last!

Monday 11th March

My week began as part of a jury for some very prestigious awards that I can’t talk about and then I recorded an episode of the Ideas on Stage podcast hosted by Andrea Pacini – watch this space for my episode coming soon.

Thursday 14th March

Celebrated IWD again closer to home with Sue Hainsby and Deborah Turner ’s Breakthrough Women brunch at Chilston Park Country House Hotel in Maidstone. Enjoyed talks from two particularly inspiring speakers AJ Sharp ?? and Kayleigh Graham who covered some topics close to all our hearts as women in business.

?Saturday 16th March

‘Womaned’ a stand at the BIG Comedy Conference organised by the British Comedy Guide with the help of some amazing volunteers. We were the busiest stand there and our free pens were an added attraction! Read a review of our day by Rabiah C. here.

?Monday 18th March

An action-packed day which served as a warm up for our own Funny Women IWD celebration here in Medway as part of our Comedy in the Community initiative. I ran a Zoom workshop entitled ‘Now That’s HERlarious’ with Sister Snog and then talked about the very same topic at a live event for The Marketing Meetup in Ashford. Thanks to Hela Wozniak-Kay and Helen Banyard ????♀? respectively for the sisterly support to get workplace humour with a feminine edge on the agenda and female creative talent recognised.

Tuesday 19th March

Funny Women took up residence at The Commissioner’s House in the The Historic Dockyard Chatham for our incredible HOW TO HAVE FUN AT WORK event combining workshops, discussion and live comedy – washed down with Prosecco and canapes.

You can see the virtual programme and there are future events planned on the same topic including a HOW TO HAVE FUN AT WORK webinar on Thursday 18th April from 12.30-1.30pm. Everybody welcome regardless of gender and you can register here.?

This was the second in our Comedy in the Community series of events supported by Medway Council and the UK Government’s Levelling Up fund. Particular thanks go to Kirstin Miller who is project managing the programme and to Tim Aker and Leila Jones of Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) for their support.

Wednesday 20th March

Just when I thought it was time for a lie down, Tracey Barr , chair of our Funny Women NED board, and I headed to the UK House of Lords for the #MPHERoes Spring Summit and then on to Mansion House for the Athena40 - A Platform for Visionary Leadership Women & Sustainability Awards.

I was invited to talk about Funny Women along with 10 other fellow MP HERoes and businesswomen and trust I did my own MP, Rt Hon Kelly Tolhurst who nominated me in 2022, proud.

The evening brought the biggest surprise of the month when I was named as 'Leader of Positive Impact' by Athena40 - A Platform for Visionary Leadership for my work on Funny Women CIC . As somebody more comfortable giving out Awards, this was very special and thanks to Elizabeth H. Filippouli and Global Thinkers Forum for this wonderful recognition. My statue of Athena now sits proudly on my office shelf to remind me that the last 22 years have been worth it!

Read more about the Athena40 Awards here.

Monday 25th March

Back to the The Groucho Club Ltd. for a special members' comedy night as part of the club’s month of IWD celebrations. An incredible line up curated by another Funny Women NED Rachel Creeger who also hosted. Thanks to Pauline Eyre , Vix Leyton , Bronwyn Sweeney and Fiona Allen for a wonderful show, and for support by fellow club members Geraldine Sharpe-Newton (and another Athena40 award winner), Maryon Stewart BEM and Terra Potter .?

Tuesday 26th March

I wholeheartedly support any other event or competition that promotes women in comedy and supports the development of new creative talent. So, it was great to attend a showcase of work by two Female Pilot Club finalists, one of which is a former Funny Women Stage Award finalist, Sarah Campbell.

Thanks to the well-respected talent manager Debi Allen for sparing me my blushes and introducing me to her ‘quite famous’ actor client, who I thought I knew via Funny Women, as a ‘trailblazer.’ ?In fact, I’d never met her before, she’d never heard of Funny Women and I recognised her because she had been a nun-come-nurse in the popular Call the Midwife television series!?

I’ll take ‘trailblazer’ along with Leader of Positive Impact, not to mention MPHERoe!? I’ve celebrated IWD well this year and look forward to more blazing, leading and heroism in the months to come!?

And if you've managed to get to the end of this - Happy Easter!

Best wishes - LYNNEx

Please connect with me on here or via email [email protected] for any Funny Women CIC enquiries about commissions, sponsorship, partnership and collaborations. ?

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