Halton Chamber launches new Women in Business network

Around 50 women from Halton and North Cheshire attended the launch event of Halton Chamber of Commerce’s new Women in Business network on Tuesday 19th May.

Three inspirational female guest speakers kept the audience entertained at the inaugural afternoon event which was hosted at The Heath Business and Technical Park in Runcorn.Halton management consultant Janet Gorry, who leads the new networking group, was delighted with the success of the first event. “It has been brilliant,” she said. “It is about time that we had something like this in Halton. It is about acknowledging that women do business differently and this event has provided the first rung on the ladder for women to start moving up and breaking that glass ceiling.”Meetings will be bi-monthly and the next event on Tuesday 14th July will feature a talk from Julie Cooke, a superintendent with Merseyside Police, who successfully balances family life with a demanding job. Janet, who is managing director of the Halton business transformation company, Business Solutions by JMC, is convinced of the need for a separate supportive business arena for women to network, learn and promote themselves.She explained: “There has been a massive growth in the number of women entrepreneurs in the last decade. There are currently one million self-employed women in the UK and 14 per cent of small businesses, with employees, are now led by women. This is a substantial share of the workforce.”A recent Business Link survey revealed that 39 per cent of women still feel they need to try harder than men to prove themselves as business leaders, 29 per cent felt bankers do not take them seriously and 54 per cent identified their biggest obstacle was balancing work and family commitments.“The aim of our network is to create a level playing field, improve access to financial institutions, provide inspirational speakers and host a series of events tailored to the needs of women,” added Janet.                                                                                                                                         

Halton Women in Business events cost £10, including refreshments, but are free to members of Halton Chamber. For more information, email Tracey Farrow at traceyf@haltonchamber.com or contact Janet Gorry on 01928 513217. Details of future events can be found in the Halton Women in Business section of this website, along with photographs from the launch event.

PHOTO CAPTION

The first Halton Women in Business network event, held at The Heath Business Park, Runcorn. Network leader Janet Gorry (centre right) with guest speakers (left to right) Jo Cocker (North West Development Agency), Kathryn Burkhill (Liverpool Vision) and far right Amanda Fairclough (Chartered Accountant).