IT’S INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.
To commemorate the day, we have complied a list of the most influential and inspirational women from the county.
From modern day inspirations like Helen Skelton, to figures like Beatrix Potter who made their mark on history, here are just seven significant female figures that hail from Cumbria.
Helen Skelton
(Instagram/@HelenSkelton)
Carlisle’s Helen Skelton has experienced an extensive career.
She has appeared on Blue Peter, Channel 5’s On The Farm and BBC’s Countryfile to name a few.
The 37-year-old has also take part in numerous charity events and challenges.
To raise money for Sport Relief, she kayaked the Amazon River breaking two Guinness World Records along the way – the longest solo journey by kayak, and the longest distance in a kayak in 24 hours by a woman.
Skelton also climbed new heights (quite literally) after she walked a 150-metre tightrope over Battersea Power Station for Comic Relief in 2011.
In 2012, she became the first woman to reach the North Pole using a bicycle for the charity.
Most recently, she took part in a charity boxing match against Love Island’s Camilla Thurlow in a charity boxing match.
Beatrix Potter
If you are from Cumbria, you are likely to know all about Beatrix Potter and her career; you might have even visited the Beatrix Potter attraction in Windermere.
While she was born in London, Beatrix often holidayed in the Lake District and later purchased Hill Top Farm in Sawrey.
She also lived with William Heelis at the Lake District’s Castle Cottage until her death in 1943.
She published dozens of books during her lifetime, the most notable of which are The Tale of Peter Rabbit; when it was published in 1902 it was an instant best seller.
Potter was also a successful business woman and adopted a hands on approach when it came to marketing and selling her brand.
She created the first Peter Rabbit doll herself and patented the design immediately, making Peter Rabbit the oldest licensed literary character.
Lauren Smith
(Instagram/lozzaz123)
Badminton player, Lauren Smith, represented Great Britain at the Rio Olympics.
The Carlisle-born woman has many accolades to her name, including a bronze medal at the 2016 Commonwealth games.
Together with Marcus Ellis, they won the Thailand Masters last year which was the first time an English duo have ever won the event.
In 2016, Smith also won the award for Carlisle Sports Personality of the Year.
Grace Dent
(Instagram/Grace Dent)
This English columnist and broadcaster originally comes from Carlisle; she attended Bishop Harvey Goodwin Primary School in Currock.
She was a restaurant critic for The Guardian from 2011-2017 and also wrote a regular column for the Evening Standard.
Dent also appears as a critc on BBC’s MasterChef UK and has also appeared on the Channel 4 show, Very British Problems.
Dent is also a fantastic role model for teenagers, writing 11 for this audience; It’s a Girl Thing and How To Leave Twitter are just some of her published works.
India Willoughby
Morning. pic.twitter.com/8TvIrYimWc
— India Willoughby (@IndiaWilloughby) March 3, 2021
(Twitter/@IndiaWilloughby)
Carlisle’s India is a broadcaster and journalist known for presenting the ITV Border news and Channel 5 News.
She has also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother back in 2018.
Notably, India made headlines for becoming Britain’s first transgender TV journalist, after undergoing gender reassignment surgery back in 2018.
Jancis Robinson
(Instagram/ jancisrobinson)
Jancis Robinson, OBE is a renowned wine critic, journalist and wine writer.
Currently, she writes a weekly column for the Financial Times.
Her wine expertise is recognised around the world and she even advises the royal family about which tipples to stock for their cellar.
She was brought up in Kirkandrews-on-Eden.
Stella Rimington
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Andrew Davidson)
Although she was born in London, Stella spent a lot of her childhood in Barrow; her father worked as chief draughtsman at a steel works in Barrow.
The impressive woman was a former Director General for MI5 - the first woman to take such a high ranking post in the security service.
She is also thought to be the basis for the character ‘M’ in the James Bond franchise.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here