Express & Star

International Women's Day: Talking 'bout our inspirations

They have reached the top of their professions through years of hard work and dedication. But who inspired these women to pursue their dreams and keep striving for success?

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To mark International Women's Day today, the Express & Star has spoken to some famous figures from the Black Country and Staffordshire about their own personal heroines.

Ellie Simmonds

The event celebrates the achievements of women and their fight for equality through history.

And from a Paralympic swimmer to the first female commentator on Match of the Day, the West Midlands has plenty of women who are inspiring future generations themselves.

Ellie Simmonds, of Aldridge, came to national attention when she competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, winning two gold medals for Great Britain, despite being the youngest member of the team, at the age of 13.

She was then the poster girl of London 2012 when she picked up a medal in each of her four swimming events.

And along the way she has been made an OBE and more recently the 20-year-old excelled herself once again by winning three golds and silver at the European Championships in Eindhoven, in the Netherlands.

Born with achondroplasia dwarfism, she began swimming aged four.

But it was as a nine-year-old, watching Welsh swimmer Nyree Lewis win gold in the 100m backstroke at the Athens Olympics in 2004 that she was inspired to aim for the Paralympics.

Lewis, who suffers from cerebral palsy, has won 10 Paralympic medals during her career.

Ellie said: "As a focused and hard working athlete Nyree has been a continuing source of inspiration to me throughout my career."

And she says her fellow London 2012 stars Jessica Ennis-Hill and Becky Adlington have helped motivate her to some of her best performances.

Outside of sport, the black civil rights activist Rosa Parks has taught her the value of standing up for your beliefs.

In 1955 in Alabama, Rosa refused to obey bus driver James F Blake's order to give up her seat in the non-white section of the vehicle to a white passenger, after the white section was filled.

Ellie said: "I have found inspiration through reading about Rosa Parks when studying history at school. I have read a great deal about Rosa and feel a connection with her steely determination to stand up for and see through what she believes in."

Jackie Oatley

As the first female commentator on Match of the Day, Jacqui Oatley is likely to inspire a whole generation of young female football fans.

But her own inspiration is closer to home – and is now vice president of her beloved Wolves.

Rachael Heyhoe Flint captained the England women's cricket team for 12 years and has gone on to become a life peer in the House of Lords, taking the title of Baroness.

Mrs Oatley said Baroness Heyhoe Flint was a 'very strong woman' who had succeeded in male-dominated industries while also becoming a wife and mother – which she can see mirrored in her own life.

Mrs Oatley's father Gerald played golf with Baroness Heyhoe Flint's husband Derek, so she was a strong influence on her during her childhood in Codsall.

And as she took the brave decision to drop her career in sports marketing and try to become a commentator, Baroness Heyhoe Flint's achievements were at the forefront of her mind.

She said: "She was captain of the women's cricket team at a time when it was very hard for women to break into sport.

"She had a major contribution in bringing Sir Jack Hayward back to Molineux, and had a personality and strength of character.

"She has become a peer is a broadcaster too, and she is such a good orator. There are not many women that have done all the things she has while still keeping her family ties."

Baroness Heyhoe Flint said she was 'honoured' that Mrs Oatley held her in such high regard, and was proud to see how far she had progressed at the BBC.

Mrs Oatley also singled out BBC Five Live reporter Eleanor Oldroyd, who started her career at BBC Shropshire in 1988.

She said: "When I was in the stands at football matches, she was the only woman I could see when I looked up at the press box. When I started out she was so friendly, and there were so few women in the industry that I think we have to help each other out."

When cricket was introduced to the curriculum at Wolverhampton Girls High School, it was a huge turning point in Baroness Heyhoe Flint's life.

And she has Lancashire-born PE teacher Mary Greenhalgh to thank for showing her at the age of 12 that there was more to sport than netball and rounders.

She went on to rise through the cricketing ranks and led her country to victory at the first women's world cup in 1973.

She said: "In the summer of 1954 she took a somewhat rebellious school party to the Edgbaston test ground to watch the Midlands women's team play the touring New Zealanders.

"This was euphoria for me. Not only were we missing school lessons to watch cricket, but it was women's cricket, played to a very high standard. As I studied the game that day at Edgbaston I made up my mind that this was the life for me."

Suzi Perry

She added: "If it wasn't for her I might never have played cricket and got Sir Jack Hayward's sponsorship to take it up as a career.

"I might have ended up playing rounders for England instead, as I wasn't even sure that England had a women's cricket team at the time."

Sport – and in particular Formula One – is a big part of Suzi Perry's life, but the Wolverhampton-born TV presenter has chosen a musical icon as her inspiration.

She praised the way she balances being a mother and world famous singer, while also supporting charities.

The 44-year-old host, who grew up in Finchfield, is a patron of Promise Dreams, a charity that helps children who are seriously or terminally ill.

And she said the former Eurythmics star had also shown how important it is to stay true to yourself.

She added: "Annie Lennox is innovative, beautiful and incredibly talented.

"She has an amazing singing talent but has been able to combine being a superstar and having a private life as a mum.

"Annie has also given so much back to the world with her charity work, raising a phenomenal amount of awareness to HIV along with other charities.

"I love that Annie is a trailblazer for women and always gives incredibly honest interviews," she added.

Ruth Badger

Businesswoman Ruth Badger, from Wolverhampton said: "My mum has always been my hero, role model and inspiration and not just because she is a great mum. From an early age she shaped my work ethic, confidence and ambition. Watching her build a career at the same time as balancing home life was inspiring. Most people will know I'm fearless and this all comes from the woman who has pushed, coached and often reigned me. In summary that's my wonderfully talented mum."

Black Country Chamber of Commerce chief executive Margaret Corneby said her parents had taught her that hard work was vital. She said there were no public figures that she had taken inspiration from over the years, instead relying on her own hard work. She said: "The way my parents brought me up and taught me to believe that hard work would get you what you want. If you want to get on in life then you have got to work – there is no other option."

Stourbridge MP Margot James said Margaret Thatcher had been a trailblazer for women in politics and 'hugely influenced' her decision to stand for election. She also said German chancellor Angela Merkel, who she hailed as an 'outstanding politician'. She said: "She has won three elections, which is a remarkable feat. And she has such an interesting life story, having come from East Germany growing up behind the iron curtain and going on to achieve eminence in science before going into politics. I heard a speech she made at the Houses of Parliament but I have never met her."

Caitlin Moran

Writer Caitlin Moran has built a reputation as a feminist icon, but was once an overawed teenager trying to make her name at music magazine Melody Maker. And she says former NME journalist Julie Burchill was her idol, and the basis for the character of Johanna Morrigan in her book How to Build a Girl.

She said: "I was never part of the gang at Melody Maker. I literally went into the office three times. I was a girl from the middle of nowhere, going to see bands and writing reviews in front of the TV in Wolverhampton. I was thinking about Julie Burchill at the NME. Sorry Julie, I nicked your life. She was hugely inspirational to me."

Stourbridge author Miranda Dickinson said best-selling writer Julie Cohen was her inspiration. Miss Dickinson, who recently released her sixth novel, said: "She was incredibly supportive to me before I was published. She has never been held back by boundaries and has always written what she has wanted and has made a career out of following her gut, which has really inspired me. There is a myth that all writers are out to get each other but that couldn't be further from the truth."

Staffordshire's deputy police and crime commissioner Sue Arnold said Margaret Thatcher was a 'formidable' woman. Mrs Arnold added: "I grew up in a socialist household I remember Margaret Thatcher had a real impact on me. Whether you agreed or disagreed with her she would always roll her sleeves up and get something done."

Jemma Bird appeared on The Apprentice last year. The 27-year-old from Aldridge ended up being the ninth contestant to get the chop, but the experience has spurred her on to start her own performing arts coaching company called Amplify. She says her ambition began when she was taught to dance by Beatrice Keeling, who ran a school in Aldridge. Miss Bird said: "She was 80-odd when I started at the age of three, and she was absolutely unbelievable. She was a wonderful woman and we were blown away by her fitness. She was the first person I ever taught for and she gave me the chance to prove myself. We clashed at times and argued like you wouldn't believe but I have very fond memories of her."

The Fizzog Theatre Company, Jacky Fellows, Sue Hawkins and Deb Nicholls, were inspired by French and Saunders. Sue Hawkins, said: "We used to do an anti-bullying play in schools called Cinders, and me and Deb played the ugly sisters, and people were comparing us to French and Saunders. There weren't many female comedians at the time until they came along and showed it could be done. We went to their last ever tour and it was brilliant. We said we need to carry on where they have left off."

Julie Walters

Julie Walters, who grew up near Lightwoods Park, has previously spoken of how the dismissive attitude of a nun at the prep school she attended inspired her to take up acting. And an encounter with a young playwright-turned-comedian called Victoria Wood in the late 70s gave her a vision of what she could achieve. She said: "We'd met briefly at Manchester but it wasn't until later that we really got to know one another. We just found that we shared the same view of the world and the same things made us both laugh." And speaking of her passion for acting, the said it began when she was 'very small' and watched TV thinking: "I could do that, I could make that person. At primary school a vile nun said to me: 'You should go on the stage'. She was terrifying, but I could make her laugh, and I thought, this is a powerful thing."

Wolverhampton South East MP Emma Reynolds says inspiration comes from outside the world of politics. Her grandmother Joan Reynolds was a midwife in Hednesford – but her battle to keep working after she had a child herself convinced Miss Reynolds that it was crucial to stand up for your rights. She said: "My grandma has always been a great inspiration. Nurse Joan Reynolds was known in town for delivering half of the good people of Hednesford it seemed. "When she got married, the authorities wanted her to stop work. She resisted. When she had my dad, again they tried to force her to stop working. She put up a fight. She worked as a midwife for decades and loved it."

Kirsty Davies-Chinnock is managing director of one of the country's top steel finishing firms Professional Polishing Services in Smethwick. But a childhood spent watching Margaret Thatcher on TV and listening to Siouxsie and the Banshees gave her the confidence to carve out a successful business career.

She explained: "Growing up in the 1980s it was amazing to have a female Prime Minister showing young girls we could run the world – or at least a small part of it. I remember saying to a teacher that I wasn't sure I'd ever get married. His reply was that I could never then have children, and my life would be 'wasted' as that was what women were 'best' at. Having a female PM – who had managed to also raise a family – proved that there were no limits." Siouxsie Sioux also had a profound effect on her as a 10-year-old watching her on Top of the Pops. She added: "It was the first time I realised that we could all craft our own image – that we could stand out from the crowd if we wanted to."

Express & Star Deputy Editor Diane Davies said: "There are a couple of people who have particularly influenced me. Regarding my career, there was a teacher, Mrs Goodwin at Landywood Middle School, who taught me a true love of words. She would bring not just stories but individual words vividly to life and I desperately wanted to be able to do that.

"On a personal level, I have always admired the inner steel and sheer bloody-mindedness that my – now 92-year-old – nan possesses which has enabled her to overcome any of life's hardships whether it be war, money worries, snow or even a would-be mugger. Belatedly, I have come to appreciate the sacrifice and support my mum has always given. It is the tragedy of parenthood that too often we do not truly appreciate our parents until it is too late."

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