International Women’s Day: 5 inspirational women making a difference in London

To mark International Women’s Day, Laura Hampson talks to five of London’s female game changers
Amika George
Sophia Spring

International Women’s Day exists to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Allowing us all to shine a spotlight on women achieving some incredible things across the world.

This year, we spoke to five inspirational women making a difference around London.

From eradicating period poverty to supporting female entrepreneurs, find out more about these brilliant women below.

Amika George, founder of FreePeriods campaign

Amika George
Sophia Spring

When we first met Amika George nearly two years ago, the then 17-year-old had just launched the FreePeriods - a campaign to eradicate period poverty for school-aged girls in the UK. Period poverty in the UK means girls as young as 10 are routinely missing school because their families are unable to afford sanitary products.

Since then, George organised a protest outside Downing Street, received a campaign award recognised by Bill and Melinda Gates and has started a legal campaign to ensure equal access to education.

What made you start the #FreePeriods campaign?

“I started FreePeriods after I realised that girls my age, or younger, were missing school because they couldn’t afford to buy menstrual products. I couldn’t believe that girls were being forced to compromise on their education because of our period, something we do not choose to have.

“Yet the government was refusing to act, so I decided to start campaigning for free menstrual products for girls from low income families.”

It’s been about two years since you started it, what changes have you seen made towards periods in that time?

“It’s clear that periods are being spoken about much more, in a more empowering tone. There is a much greater awareness of period poverty, and people are recognising that the impact on a young girl’s life can be long-lasting and detrimental to her future aspirations.

"There is also a collective outcry that the women’s issues are not being addressed by the government but things are slowly changing. Recently, the NHS announced that menstrual products will be available for all patients who need them. But there’s a lot more that needs to be done.”

“FreePeriods led a protest outside Downing St just over a year ago, and it was a testament to how much the campaign has grown. A few months after the protest, the government pledged to give £1.5m of the tampon tax fund to charities to tackle period poverty, which was just brilliant."

What is the long-term goal for the campaign and is this something you want to continue until lasting change is made?

“A few weeks ago we started a legal campaign to ensure equal access to education. We want the government to comply with its existing legal obligations, and make sure that they give funding for all schools and colleges to provide free pads and tampons to whoever needs them. Under the Equalities Act, the government must eradicate any known barrier to education, and period poverty is such a barrier, so they are obliged to find a solution.

“We started with a crowdfunder and it’s going well. We are working with Human Rights lawyers to build our case. Scotland has taken steps to eradicate period poverty, so there’s no reason why we can’t too.”

Francesca Hodgson, co-founder and COO of GoodBox​

Francesca Hodgson
GoodBox

In 2016, Francesca Hodgson along with two co-founders started GoodBox - a company changing the way we donate to charities.

They've developed technology which offers contactless donation points for people to simply 'tap' as they walk past and donate money to a charity.

How was GoodBox founded and what was the initial inspiration behind it?

“I founded GoodBox in 2016 alongside my two co-founders. Having worked with charities for over a decade, I was well aware of the issues they were facing in trying to keep pace with fast technological change. At a time when charities need public support more than ever, I could see that changing payment behaviours and a move towards a cashless society was having a damaging impact on the sector. GoodBox was founded to ensure that our vital third sector has access to the very best technology, thereby protecting charitable activity both now and into the future.”

How does GoodBox work?

“We provide products and services which are custom built for the charity sector. Our contactless hardware has been our Trojan Horse into the charity sector – through our hardware we’ve raised over £1 million for UK-based charities, from over 200,000 donors.”

How can Londoners get involved and donate to charities through GoodBox?

“Londoners can donate to the work of our fantastic – and free – cultural sector, at locations across the city, including the Natural History Museum, National Portrait Galleries and V&A. They can also get involved in Sadiq Khan’s winter campaign by donating to the work of TAP London, an innovative organisation using tech to tackle homelessness.”

What’s the long-term goal for GoodBox?

“Ultimately, we want to expand our service and products internationally, so our social impact can scale globally. With organic demand from over 11 countries to date, it’s clear that this ambition is within reach. As a company we are driven by a mission to create a better world, where charities are supported with the best technology available, enabling them to spend more time focussing on what’s most important - their cause.”

June Sarpong, broadcaster and author of Diversify

June Sarpong

June Sarpong MBE, had had an extensive career working across broadcasting, charities and is also the co-founder of Women: Inspiration & Enterprise.

In 2017, Sarpong released Diversify, a book putting the spotlight on groups who are often marginalised in our society.

What inspired you to write Diversify?

“I was inspired to write Diversify because of an incident that happened while I was working in America, where I came up against my own unconscious bias and found myself prejudging someone based on assumptions I had made about their external packaging.”

What did you learn through the process of writing Diversify?

“I learned a lot in that moment about unconscious bias and prejudice, I had always looked at the issue from the perspective of being on the receiving end as opposed to discriminating against others myself. The whole episode motivated me to help open up a dialogue to honestly address these issues.”

What can we do to help make London more diverse?

“I think Londoners can do one simple thing, really take the time to reach out to your neighbours. The wonderful thing about London is, it is one of the few capital cities where diverse communities live side by side, the next step is to make sure we also develop authentic connections with each 'other'.”

Fiona Grayson, Founder of She can. She did.

Fiona Grayson

She can. She did. began as a website profiling female entrepreneurs from around the UK, but has grown over to now include ‘Midweek Mingles’ - networking events for female entrepreneurs - across the country and Fiona Grayson has recently launched a podcast of the same name where she records her interviews with the entrepreneurs.

With nearly 10,000 followers on Instagram, Grayson has tapped into the social media generation to put the spotlight on female entrepreneurs across the UK.

Why did you decide to start profiling female entrepreneurs?

“I'd started to notice on social media that more and more young women were launching their own businesses, but it really bothered me that everything about their businesses looked flawless online. Every time I tried to research more about young female founders on Google, I was met with the 'Forbes 30 under 30 list' or magazines that only ever offered these founders' highlight reels.

“I wanted to know the truth and I wanted to know how these women had really got to where they are today, warts and all. So I decided that if I can't find the articles that I'm looking for, why don't I just reach out to these women myself and see if they'd be willing to open up and chat.”

How have you seen She can. She did. grow since you started it?

“Word of mouth and Instagram have been so powerful for the She can. She did. community. My own ambitions for She can. She did. have evolved since the outset. I obviously started the platform as a project but it has evolved from candid, face-to-face interviews with female founders from around the UK, to an event series in the form of The Midweek Mingles which started as ad-hoc evening events in London last April and has evolved into a UK-wide series of events that are now sponsored by Xero and the newly released She can. She did. podcast too.”

Tell us more about the Midweek Mingle and the new podcast …

“The Midweek Mingle is an event series that I launched in London last April that brings together female business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs for an evening of chit chat about the realities of what the panel of female founders have been through behind the scenes to get to where they are today. I was so aware before I launched the Mingles that networking/business events can be so stuffy and intimidating to attend on your own so The Midweek Mingles have been designed with that in mind.

“After over 80 face-to-face interviews, I launched the She can. She did. podcast at the end of January. Each week I sit down with women I admire and we have a good chat about her journey so far."

What can we next expect from She can. She did.?

“After chatting to female founders from all areas of the UK about their experiences so far, I noticed recurring challenges crop up across the board which sparked a much bigger idea for She can. She did. that I'm working on behind the scenes at present. When that is up and running, She can. She did. will evolve to offer a service to female founders with the overarching aim to support female founders on their journeys and encourage more young women to launch a business.”

Brigette Bard, founder of BioSURE

Brigette Bard

Brigette Bard is the founder and CEO of BioSURE, which has created the world’s first CE-marked, blood-based at-home HIV test - a test that has been used by over 300,000 people worldwide.

Bard’s aim with BioSURE is to help create the first AIDS free generation.

Where did the idea for BioSURE come from?

“Globally there are not enough doctors so I have always passionately believed that self-testing is where global healthcare is heading. For many years, self-testing for HIV was not legal as it was then a death sentence, but antiretroviral treatments are now so good that the virus can be suppressed to undetectable levels."

How do you use BioSURE?

“You prick your finger with the retractable paediatric lancet, be sure to prick the side of your finger rather than the pad as there are hardly any nerves there. Then you touch the tip of the device onto the drop of blood so it automatically collects the right amount of blood and then push it into the pot of buffer solution. Your result is then shown after 15 minutes as either one line (negative) or two lines (positive). If you do get a positive result, you must then go and get it confirmed by a healthcare professional who can start you on treatment on the same day.”

What impact do you hope BioSURE has?

“There is still an estimated 14 million people undiagnosed globally, who are unknowingly responsible for most of the ongoing transmissions. There is a UN plan to eradicate HIV/AIDS by 2030, but the first step towards that is getting people to know their HIV status, because if you don’t know, you can’t treat. We really do see BioSURE having a role to play in ending the epidemic.”

What’s next for BioSURE?

“It’s always been my ambition to build BioSURE into being the trusted and credible self-test brand that people can rely on and we are firmly moving into that space. Our global roll out is now underway, as we have just launched in Brazil and long term, I really believe there will be a self-test for virtually everything.”

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