Stockton-based Endeavour Partnership celebrated the achievements of local businesswomen whilst raising funds for Breast Cancer Care to mark International Women’s Day.
For the second year running, the corporate legal firm was joined by over 100 women from across Teesside at Crathorne Hall to enjoy an afternoon discussing issues such as gender equality, making opportunities in the workplace, women’s role in society and- this year’s theme- pressing for progress.
The event also included a panel of specially-selected, high-profile local women who have exceeded in business or have overcome significant, personal challenges in other aspects of their lives.
Caroline Theobald CBE, who founded the Bridge Club in 2000, hosted the panel. Caroline accepted a Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion for the work she continues to do in harnessing the enterprising capital of young people and business owners.
The panel included Teesside businesswoman Valda Goodfellow of Goodfellow and Goodfellow, Councillor Sue Jeffrey- the leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council and Stockton-based Joanna Wake- founder of the Big Teesside Sleepout and RAW Digital Training.
In addition, Endeavour Partnership was joined by Laura Ashurst who is a speaker for Breast Cancer Care working to raise awareness of the charity. Laura was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2001, at the age of 34, when her daughter was three and her son was six months old. Three years later, Laura developed another more aggressive tumour in the same breast and this time she underwent a mastectomy with an immediate reconstruction. In December 2007, Laura developed secondary breast cancer affecting her lungs and she was given a terminal diagnosis.
Laura has far exceeded her original prognosis and continues to receive treatment for her cancer. She is now a visiting speaker for Breast Cancer Care and an Ambassador for Cancer Research UK for the Richmond (Yorks) constituency.
Laura Kirkpatrick from Endeavour Partnership, who helped organise the event, said: “International Women’s Day has been celebrated globally since the early 1900’s and we at Endeavour Partnership are delighted to be hosting our second event on Teesside following the success of last year.
“It means different things to different people but our focus is to celebrate, empower and inspire our local business women and to continue pressing for progress and making more opportunity for gender equality”
Over £770 was raised for Breast Cancer Care on the day.
Endeavour Partnership has a reputation spanning over 18 years in providing high quality advice on a range of business law matters including mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, employment and pensions, business immigration, commercial property and corporate recovery and insolvency from its headquarters at Teesdale in Stockton.
Endeavour works with a range of clients including Santander, ESCO Corporation, Visualsoft, Atkinson Northern, Leven Investments, Yarm School and Cavendish Northern.
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