International Women's Day 2025 - University of Cumbria figures support county event

Cumbria Chamber of Commerce is hosting its fourth International Women’s Day event on Friday 7 March 2025 at The Villa, Levens (near Kendal) from 9.30am to 4.30pm with the theme Accelerate Action.

The day will include a line up of speakers, workshops and panellists and, with capacity of up to 150 and 16 exhibition stands, it promises to be an inspiring and uplifting day open to both women and men.

The guest speaker is University of Cumbria prize-winning alumnus Kelly Cornwell. Kelly was the recipient of the Jim Cox Prize - a special award for the ‘most inspirational student - when she graduated from the University of Cumbria in November 2023. Selected by academics within the university's respected Institute of Health, Kelly was chosen after she completed her degree while facing a year like no other. 

Her husband Kevin, a humanitarian aid worker, was taken captive by the Taliban in January 2023 whilst working in Afghanistan. Two weeks later, Kelly had to undergo emergency surgery, spending five weeks at home in Lancashire recovering from her operation. Once well enough, Kelly began clawing back the 170 placement hours she had missed in addition to the five hundred hours of a final professional placement she had to do to complete her degree. Kevin was released on 10 October 2023, and just weeks after his return to the UK, he was able to see Kelly graduate at Carlisle Cathedral.

Delegates at the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce IWD2025 event will also attend the following three workshops:

Freeing our capacities to lead - the neuroplasticity way with Macarena Vergara

Re-framing Menopause In The Workplace: From Challenge To Opportunity - with Lina Mookerjee BEng MA BACP (Senior Accred.) PhD Researcher 

Sexual Harassment with Caroline Rayner from Knights

The day with come to a close with the event's usual panel discussion.  The panellists will be:

• Julie Clayton, Chief Executive Officer, Eden Valley Hospice
• Sue Howorth, Co-Director, The Family Business Community
• Gina Pennington, Owner and Director, Penningtons Tea & Coffee Ltd
• Mark Ebdon, Factory General Manager, Pladis
• Professor Julie Mennell DL, Vice Chancellor, University of Cumbria.

The day will support the Eden Valley Hospice, through a raffle.

For further information about the event, email lesleyr@cumbriachamber.co.uk