During the reporting period, the West Country Women Awards CIC continued its core mission to celebrate, support, and elevate women across the South West of England. Our work is focused on recognising achievement, promoting equality of opportunity, confidence building and public speaking training and creating and strengthening community networks for women from all backgrounds across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset and the Isles of Scilly. Our core activities include: Annual Award Ceremony: The highlight of our work is the annual Award Ceremony, which honours women across a wide range of industries and sectors. This year we recognised excellence in 20 categories, celebrating outstanding contributions to community, business, culture, education, sport, public service, and more. Nominations and Judging: We oversee the full nominations process, working with category sponsors who judge each category using a strict, formal scoring matrix. This matrix ensures that all nominees are evaluated fairly, objectively, and transparently. Every applicant is assessed against the same criteria, eliminating personal bias and enabling judges to focus solely on the evidence, impact, and achievements submitted. Publicity and Promotion: Through extensive public relations, media engagement, and regional outreach, we work to raise awareness of the awards, inspire nominations, and give a platform to the remarkable women selected each year. Our publicity efforts increase visibility for women’s achievements, encourage community participation, and promote positive representation. Networking and fundraising Events: We organise regular networking and fundraising events across the region, connecting women from diverse backgrounds and professional sectors. These events foster collaboration, cross-organisational cooperation, and the development of a supportive, empowered community of women. Every year we choose a charity of the year from our previous years’ winners and raise money and awareness for them. This year it was the Cornwall Women’s Centre who featured in a three hour broadcast on the BBC arranged by us (WCWA) and raised thousands of pounds for the charity. Mentorship, Training and Support: The CIC provides ongoing mentorship and support opportunities for both winners and nominees. All nominees receive half-price confidence-building and public speaking training for life, encouraging their personal development, leadership growth, and long-term career progression. We continue to expand these programmes to ensure lasting impact across the whole region. Our mission is to celebrate and honour the achievements of women in the West Country, recognising their outstanding contributions and the positive impact they make on their communities. Through this platform, we aim to empower, inspire, and support women while fostering a culture of inclusivity, equality, and visibility. During the year ending May 2025, more than 2,000 women were nominated for a West Country Women Award. Twenty-one winners were selected and all have been offered opportunities to progress their work and ambitions, including the chance to visit Westminster and meet Members of Parliament to support their individual endeavours. Overall, our activities this year have delivered significant social value, strengthened regional networks, enhanced professional opportunities for women, and amplified the voices and achievements of women across the West Country.

The West Country Women Awards CIC maintains strong and ongoing engagement with a broad range of stakeholders across the region to ensure our activities remain relevant, inclusive, and responsive to community needs. Our key stakeholders include nominees, winners, sponsors, judges, community organisations, charities, business networks, educational institutions, and members of the public who participate in or support our work. Consultation with Stakeholders Throughout the reporting period, we consulted with stakeholders through: Regular Communication and Feedback: We maintain continuous dialogue with nominees, sponsors, partners, and attendees through surveys, email updates, social media, and direct conversations. Feedback is collected following nominations, networking events, training sessions, and the annual Award Ceremony. Networking and Community Engagement Events: These events provide a direct platform for women from across the West Country to share insights, discuss challenges, and highlight emerging needs within their sectors and communities. Collaboration with Sponsors and Judges: Category sponsors and judges provide detailed input on the nominations process, judging framework, and category relevance, ensuring that our processes remain fair, transparent, and aligned with the CIC’s mission. Partnerships with Charities and Community Groups: Collaboration with organisations supporting women and girls ensures our work reflects the lived experiences of those facing disadvantage or under-representation. These partners provide valuable perspectives on issues affecting women in the region. Post-Awards Engagement: Winners and nominees provide ongoing feedback that helps shape our mentorship, training, and development opportunities. Action Taken in Response to Feedback: Stakeholder feedback is central to the evolution of the West Country Women Awards CIC. During the reporting period, we took the following actions in direct response to consultation: Improving the Nomination Process: We refined eligibility criteria and streamlined the application process based on nominee and sponsor feedback, ensuring greater clarity, accessibility, and ease of participation. Enhancing Award Categories: Several award categories were added or adapted to better reflect the diverse achievements and contributions of women across the West Country, ensuring more inclusive and representative recognition. Strengthening Partnerships: We deepened relationships with sponsors, judges, and regional partners to increase support, improve resources available to nominees, and enhance the sustainability of our programmes. Expanding Outreach Efforts: Based on stakeholder suggestions, we implemented new communication and publicity strategies to reach underrepresented communities, increase awareness of the awards, and encourage higher levels of nominations. Developing Support Programmes: In response to direct feedback from nominees and winners, we expanded our training and mentoring offer, including confidence-building, public speaking, networking opportunities, charity collaborations, and ongoing community connectivity. These initiatives are designed to support women’s continued professional and personal development beyond the awards themselves

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