Last month, I experienced something I’ll never forget.
I was invited to Downing Street alongside 50 female founders for a special event hosted by Sophie Milliken MBE and City Ladies Networking. The event brought together women from across the North East — founders, leaders, and investors — to celebrate achievements, build relationships, and open up new opportunities for growth.
When the invitation landed in my inbox, I felt a mix of excitement and disbelief. Who would have imagined that I would one day walk through the gates of Downing Street? I felt incredibly grateful, and I found myself counting down the days until the event.
Walking into Downing Street, the energy was electric. I was surrounded by bold, brilliant women who are building businesses, breaking barriers, and creating opportunities across the North East. There was a real sense of connection — of shared ambition, resilience, and determination. It was also a powerful reminder of the importance of women supporting women, particularly in a region that continues to push for greater visibility and investment.
Moments like this matter because of what they represent. They signal progress — but they also highlight how much more there is to do to ensure that diverse voices are not only included, but truly valued.
Too often, disabled women’s voices are absent from conversations about innovation, leadership, and economic growth. So being invited into that space really mattered. I wasn’t just attending the event — I was bringing my lived experience with me and with it, a different perspective that deserves to be heard.
I’ve lived with cerebral palsy all my life. Through my work with We Are All Disabled, I challenge attitudes, perceptions and behaviours towards disability and how they shape the world we live in. Being disabled isn’t something I set aside — it is integral to who I am.
I left Downing Street feeling proud. Proud of how far I’ve come, proud of the work I continue to do, and proud to stand as a disabled woman in spaces where our voices have too often been overlooked.
