A networking group set up to support female business-owners and entrepreneurs across Derbyshire will celebrate its sixth anniversary on International Women’s Day.
Derby’s Finest, which brings around 40 fee-paying members together to share ideas, advice and events, was launched in March 2017, beginning with an event in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.
It raised £300 and the events and fundraising have continued ever since, with the organisation growing in influence, led by its committee members, Claire Twells and Sophie Shapcott from Derby solicitors Smith Partnership, social media expert Karen Cureton, and business consultant Amanda Strong.
Its membership also includes Pauline Latham, MP for Mid Derbyshire, who joined the organisation in 2019 and paid tribute to the way in which its members support each other and make a difference in the community.
She said: “On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the contribution of women in all walks of life. One of my passions in public life has been about encouraging and empowering women in business, both in the UK and around the world, through my work with the International Development Select Committee.
“I am therefore delighted to be a part of a network, Derby’s Finest, which does exactly that in my own city. Derby’s Finest carries out amazing work bringing together, inspiring and supporting women across Derbyshire, with a particular focus on business and enterprise.”
The group maintained its work and fundraising throughout the pandemic and, in June 2021 during lockdown, it held a virtual bingo charity event with a Las Vegas theme.
The event raised an incredible £3,000, with match funding from entrepreneur Peter Ellse at Cosy Direct, for the Revive Healthy Living Centre in Chaddesden.
Derby’s Finest has supported a number of other local charities including Children First Derby, YMCA Derbyshire, Safe and Sound and Every Cloud, while its recent “Fizz and Fun Event” in January this year raised £570 split between three local charities.
Claire Twells, Derby’s Finest founding committee member and a partner at Smith Partnership, said: “When we created Derby’s Finest, we had a passion for bringing together and supporting women in business in Derbyshire and that passion remains as strong six years on.
“We are hugely proud of what our members are achieving and the part Derby’s Finest is able to play in inspiring, encouraging and supporting women across our county.”
To celebrate its anniversary, Derby’s Finest is holding a Wellbeing Event at Kedleston Country House on March 16, featuring meditation, massage and relaxation techniques. More information is available here.
For further details about Derby’s Finest, visit www.derbysfinest.co.uk.
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