Finalists for the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards 2023 are revealed and the public is invited to vote for the overall Woman of the Year. Tony McDonough reports

Members of the public are being invited to vote for the overall winner as the finalists for the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards (MWOTY) 2023 are revealed.

All the women have been recognised for their work supporting and improving the lives of people in Merseyside and beyond, through their businesses, voluntary work, activism, charitable organisations, and creative endeavours.

With judges’ votes already counted, the finalists will now be put to a public vote to determine who will be the overall Merseyside Woman of the Year 2023 will be

MWOTY founding director, Ellie Kerr, said: “Every year the nominations we receive absolutely bowl me over. There is so much heart, passion, and grit in the women who are working to make a difference in Merseyside and our judges certainly had a tough job.

“Our 17 finalists are business leaders, activists, campaigners, volunteers, artists and changemakers – all using their time, skills, and energy to help others without asking anything for themselves.”

The finalists are:

• Allison Furlong – Alfie’s Squad (Liverpool)
• Amy Smythe – The Worry Wizard (Chester)
• Ann Coffey – The Sunshine Group (Liverpool)
• Chelcie Jewitt – Surviving in Scrubs (Sefton)
• Claire Cathcart – Team 1C (St Helens)
• Elissa Corrigan – Elle Sera (Liverpool)
• Emma Jarvis – Parent Promise (Liverpool)
• Hayli Kincade – Wavertree Community Gospel Choir (Liverpool)
• Heather Evans & June Russell – The Halle O’Brien CIC (Liverpool)
• Jayne O’Gorman – Fundraiser (Wirral)
• Juliana Pinheiro Landim, Leigh-Angel Bevan & Tamasin Dunand – Katumba (Liverpool)
• Lucky Ali – Community Activist (Wirral)
• Michelle Smith – MPower People (Liverpool)
• Patricia Shea Halson – Community Activist (Wirral)
• Sarah Jackson – Hatters Digital Agency (Sefton)
• Dr Sue Palmer-Conn – The Divorce Doctor (Liverpool)

The MWOTY awards, a celebration of exceptional women from across the region, will take place at the Crowne Plaza in Liverpool City Centre on Friday, June 30. Pauline Daniels will be the host.

There will be stalls and an exhibition produced by women supported by Savera UK, whose founder and chief executive, Afrah Qassim, took the title of ‘Woman of Courage’ in 2022.

Afternoon entertainment will be provided by singer-songwriter, Claire Mooney, who will perform a topical song that is specially commissioned for the event. There will also be a silent auction to raise money for the Merseyside Women’s Fund.

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Ellie added: “MWOTY has always been a platform for women who deserve to be in the spotlight so they can be seen, heard, and found.

“This year’s finalists are no exception and we’re looking forward to raising them up in June and celebrating their incredible achievements.”

Click here to to cast your vote in the awards and click here for more information about the event.