Nominations open for Welsh Wonder Women

The people of Wales are being asked to nominate the most remarkable women in their lives, as the Chwarae Teg Womenspire Awards get even bigger and better for 2022!

The gender equality charity has today (2.3.22) opened nominations for its celebration which recognises the achievements and contributions of exceptional women from all walks of life.

Now in their seventh year the awards will, for the first time ever, become a hybrid event – taking place at a the Pierhead Building, Cardiff, whilst being simultaneously broadcast online via ITV Cymru Wales’ Face Book Live and Twitter.

The event has only been run ‘virtually’ for the last two years due Covid -19, but will be back with a bang – promising an epic night of inspirational stories and entertainment.  

2022 also marks the beginning of a two-year partnership with Mencap Cymru and the Wales Learning Disability Helpline which will see a Community Connector Award introduced for women with learning disabilities. The aim of creating the award it to encourage more people to nominate women with learning disabilities and inspire confidence in those women to nominate themselves.

Taking place on Thursday 29 September, the Chwarae Teg Womenspire Awards 2022 have nine categories open to women, as follows:

• Community Champion
• Woman in Sport
• Rising Star
• Learner
• Entrepreneur
• Leader
• Woman in STEM
• Woman in Health and Care
• Community Connector Award

There will also be a Gender Equality Champion Award – open to an individual of any gender – to recognise their proactive approach to close the gender divide in their workplace. Organisations and businesses who are part of Chwarae Teg’s FairPlay Employer© programme will too have their committed to supporting women to achieve and prosper acknowledged through a FairPlay Employer© Award.

To make a nomination for the Chwarae Teg Womenspire Awards 2022, or for more information, go to www.chwaraeteg.com/womenspire. Nominations close at midnight on 5 April 2022.

Cerys Furlong, Chief Executive, Chwarae Teg said: “The buzz around Womenspire this year is already tangible, especially as we launch the Community Connector Award with Mencap Cymru. And moving to a hybrid format is really exciting as it will give us the best of both worlds – thousands can still join us from the comfort of their own homes while we are able to be joined in person by some very special people too at the live event.

“I’m urging people from every corner of Wales, who know an inspirational woman, or a business which goes above and beyond, to get nominating. We want to hear about as many extraordinary people from across the nation as possible, who have made a real difference to their own lives and the lives of others.”

Wayne Crocker, Director, Mencap Cymru, said: “We’re very excited to be working with Chwarae Teg and supporting the Womenspire Awards over the next two years. There is incredible work being done by women with a learning disability in every part of Wales and we want our Community Connector Award to raise awareness of those who are deserving of praise and recognition. We also hope that by sponsoring a specific award for women with a learning disability we will increase their confidence to nominate or be nominated. I hope it encourages awards in general to become more accessible to women with a learning disability and that it leads to nurturing positivity and a sense of self belief that their stories are as inspirational as any other citizen of Wales.”

Andrea Byrne, Presenter of ITV Cymru Wales’ flagship Wales at Six news programme said:  “We are delighted to once again be the official media partners of the Chwarae Teg Womenspire Awards in 2022 and to celebrate the fantastic achievements of women in Wales. Many of the women have no idea how fantastic they are so it’s an amazing opportunity for us to be able to share their stories.

“Diversity and inclusivity are at the heart of everything we do at ITV Cymru Wales and we strive to achieve gender equality and diversity in our programmes and our workforce. By doing so we can create content which is relevant to our audiences and a workplace which thrives on creativity and inclusivity.”