International Women’s Day is an event marked around the world – in the news, all over social media and in most schools. And so it should be.

Accelerating equality, raising awareness around discrimination, and helping women feel safe and celebrated is something we should all be doing more of. 

This year’s IWD theme is about embracing equity and recognising women’s different circumstances. So, here we look at some of the UK’s most impressive women of the last ten years (there are so many, we had to narrow it down!). 

Queen Elizabeth II

Whether or not you’re a royalist, you’ve got to admire a woman who worked her socks off for seventy-odd years and well into her nineties. Her death left many people around the world mourning the loss of a grandmother figure.

No matter what your view of the royals, the Queen is, and always will be, an essential part of UK history. 

Beth Mead

From Her Majesty the Queen to the queen of the football pitch – Beth Mead. The first ever female footballer to be crowned the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Beth was a huge part of the Lionesses’ success in Euro 2022 and the tournament’s top scorer. 

The Arsenal player was also awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List and is a true inspiration to girls wanting to become professional footballers. 

Baroness Doreen Lawrence 

Since losing her son Stephen in one of the UK’s most high-profile racially motivated murders back in 1993, Baroness Lawrence has dedicated her life to campaigning for victims of racist crimes and fighting for police reform.

Baroness Lawrence has been at the forefront of many initiatives to improve race relations and has also taken part in important reviews into issues like the effect of Covid-19 on black and minority ethnic communities. She was awarded an OBE in 1993 and made a life peer in 2013 for her tireless work. 

From the team at Storeys, we wish you all a very happy International Women’s Day.