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AWARD WINNERS: Taniya Khan, Mel-Francis Famous, Gerladine Sempler, Mollie Morgan and Heather Pratten

THE AMAZING Women Awards took place this weekend, and celebrated women from all walks of life for doing amazing things in their community.

The afternoon tea event which took place at the Grace Wellington Hotel in Victoria, was founded by Roz Thornton, and featured a variety of motivational speakers, celebrity guests and ordinary women who are doing amazing things.

Speaking about the event, Thornton said: “I’ve helped set-up lots of projects in communities across London so I’m very proud of the people that worked hard to make those projects a success.”

“They were very, very ordinary people who saw a need and just went ahead and resolved that need by setting up a project; so it’s about rewarding people like that,” said Thornton.

The award categories at the Amazing Women Awards included: Amazing Woman in Business Award, Amazing Young Woman Award, Amazing Mum Award, Amazing Woman Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award. The winners ranged from Mel-Francis Famous, an operating nurse who offered free life saving operations to those who couldn’t otherwise afford it, to the inspirational Heather Pratten who lost her husband and son to Huntington’s Disease, and faced the possibility of 14 years in prison for assisting her son’s suicide after he struggled with his illness.

Other winers include make up artist Taniya Khan, Mollie Morgan and Geraldine Semper, a midwife who worked for 50 years in third world countries giving medical advice and helping to set up orphanages. Her win resulted in a standing ovation from the crowd, as she went to collect her award alongside her two adopted daughters.

The ceremony didn’t just end with the awards — motivational speakers including Jenny Garrett and Kerry O’Dowd spoke about their personal journeys, and growing as women. O’Dowd, a voice coach, got the crowd involved in some particularly fun vocal exercises, providing a humorous and light hearted effect to the evening. Garrett, who’s a TEDx speaker and author of Rocking Your Role, The How To Guide To Success For Female Breadwinners, spoke about how she became a self employed coach and businesswoman, whilst detailing her journey as the female breadwinner of her family.

Entertainment was also provided throughout the show as poet and musician Antiqu’e took to the stage to share her poem about being a black woman and sang one of her tracks to the crowd.

Other speakers of the day included motivational speaker and businesswoman Kate Parsley, who shared her story as a woman living with Type 1 diabetes for 18.5 years. Parsley, a community activist, and now founder of type 1 diabetes advocacy organisation Type1derful, spoke of her journey to self acceptance, whilst dealing with mental health and body image.

As the first annual Amazing Women Awards, the event was a great display of womanhood at its best — acknowledging the many difficult aspects that some women go through from motherhood to domestic abuse, but finding the positive in those experiences to rebuild their confidence, brand and to stand amongst women and realise that we are all truly amazing.

See the full list of winners below:

Women in business award:
Taniya Khan

Amazing mum award:
Heather Pratten

Amazing young woman: aged 18-25
Mollie Morgan

Amazing Woman
Mel Francis-Famous

Lifetime Achievement
Geraldine Semper

Read The Voice next week, for an in-depth look at the award winners and exclusive pictures.