Who will be your woman of the year?

May 18 2007 by Laura Davis, Liverpool Daily Post

Who will be your Woman of the Year? Laura Davis looks at the achievements and qualities of this year's nominees

Lorraine Rogers

CREDITED with stabilising Tranmere Rover's financial position, as executive chairman she has developed commercial initiatives to attract more sponsorship and younger supporters.

Lorraine is also active in the region's arts, cultural and media as director of Culture Northwest, chairman of Business Link for Greater Merseyside and a trustee of National Museums Liverpool. Last year she became the first woman chairman in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's 166-year history.

Louise Waller

AFTER several years teaching in Merseyside primary schools, Louise decided to pursue her ambition to set up her own children's nursery. She teamed up with her best friend's husband to run Little Things.

With two children and a five year battle with banks, business advisers, landlords and solicitors, it finally opened thanks to help from training organisation Train 2000. It is now approaching its financial break-even point 18 months ahead of schedule.

Marcia Hughes

MARCIA has been with the Radio Merseyside Charitable Trust for the past eight years, during which time there has been a significant increase in the amount of money raised. RMCT grants awards to a organisations in the region which would not normally have access to larger national trusts. Trust chairman David Mathieson described her as having "boundless energy and enthusiasm" as well as "a creative capacity to organise large events".

Melissa Bradley

AFTER discovering women prefer to invite female tradespersons into their homes, Melissa set up Womenworx, a plastering, carpentry and painting business that employs only women. She has had to do very little marketing as word-of-mouth recommendations from existing customers has kept her fully occupied. She has proved a woman can compete and succeed in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Paula Harrington

HAVING spotted a gap in the market for a Liverpool-based comedy agency, Paula set up Tongue In Cheek Comedy to promote established and up and coming acts. Her business prides itself in representing original, dynamic and reliable acts, including comedians with a disability, and has built up a relationship with top comedy clubs and corporate clients.

Ruth Gould

CREATIVE director of the North West Disability Arts Forum and an advisory member of Liverpool City Council's culture and tourism select committee, Ruth has been actively involved in the arts for more than 20 years. NWDAF works with organisations and agencies to ensure equal access to disabled people and engages with disabled artists and communities. Ruth also played a key role in setting up Liverpool's Dada disability arts festival.

Sefton Women's and Children's Aid

INSPIRED by the first women's refuge set up in London in the mid-1970s, four young women in Crosby formed a set about raising money and soon established a refuge at a time when domestic violence was brushed under the carpet.
More funding became available and the charity's first paid employee, Lesley Patterson, a founder of the refuge, was appointed.

The charity has grown and now employs a dozen full time staff, six part time and has more than 80 volunteers.

Sharon Mutch

SHARON has exhibited in many prestigious galleries including Liverpool's Open Eye, Manchester's The Holden and the Festival of International Photographers, Les Rencontres D'Arles in France. Her photographs have featured in national and international magazines and her exhibitions have attracted high-profile sponsors such as Martel Cognac.

Dr Tina Read

A QUALIFIED teacher, Dr Read realised there was a need for quality software which dealt with specific subjects in genetics. Five years ago she developed her first edition CD-ROM for teachers and GCSE students which was followed by versions for A level. She uses information supplied by top academic institutions but presents them in the form of interactive quizzes with animations. She is developing a website on genetics which will cover one of her long-standing interests - Down's syndrome.