International Women’s Day celebrates the incredible achievements and contributions of women worldwide, showcasing their resilience, creativity, and strength.
And, of course, south east London is home to many exemplary women, whether they may be sisters, doctors, mums, teachers, models, daughters, or just genuine, kind people.
Great women add spice to life with their wit, wisdom, and humour, and inspire us to dream big, break barriers, and embrace our uniqueness.
So, let’s celebrate the fabulous women across south east London today and every day, because their presence makes the world a more colourful place to be.
1. The women and non-binary south east London football team where ‘magic happens’
A football club which welcomes women and non-binary players is taking the world by storm as the club has doubled in size since the Lionesses won the European Championships.
South London Laces is a community-run football team currently based in Southwark and Burgess Park – with more than 50 team members.
Ever since the Lionesses beat Germany in the Euros last year, the South London Laces has seen an increase in women and non-binary people wanting to join the team, and now the club runs three sessions each week, with sister clubs running in Hackney, Limehouse and Manchester.
2. The Catford artist on a mission to draw all of London’s pubs
This inspiring woman from south east London is on a mission to draw the 3,450 pubs in London and is documenting her journey on social media.
Lydia Wood, based in Catford, began drawing the pubs of London in 2021, taking commissions to draw them at a time when pubs were in “a difficult position” due to Covid-19 restrictions.
It began with Lydia’s local pub – The Blythe Hill Tavern in 2020 – and since drawing her first pub she has drawn around 300 others to date.
3. The unstoppable mum-daughter duo from Sidcup with incredible boutique
This iconic duo is celebrating a remarkable milestone – two decades of fashion and business.
Louisa Smith opened Icicle Boutique in November 2003 when she was 26 years old with her mum Barbara Jefferson.
The mum-of-two studied at the London College of Fashion and worked tirelessly to eventually open up her own fashion boutique.
They do Facebook and Instagram Lives three days a week, which results in people travelling up to three hours to Sidcup to see the shop in person.
4. The incredible mum raising money in memory of her beloved son
Sharon Jay is frequently taking on new challenges and raising money for charity in memory of her footie-loving son Ben Jay who sadly died of liver cancer two years ago, aged just 17.
Speaking at Ben’s balloon release last year, Sharon said: “Ben put up such a fight. “We don’t want any other family to go through what we’ve been through, but there has been other children since bens passing that have been swallowed up by the system.
“My challenge is to change that.
“And that for me, will be in Ben’s memory.
“I love you, Ben; you’ve always got my back.”
5. The Beckenham superstar mum with ‘no plans’ to quit fitness competitions
Anca Nicole Ward began her fitness venture 12 years ago, at the age of 29 when she was lifting weights after giving birth to her beloved son Teddy.
Now, at 41-years-old, Anca is an eight times fitness world champion who works as a nutritionist, as well as a PT at Reshape Fitness in Beckenham.
After having an extremely successful career in fitness, including judging fitness shows, she plans to have a year off, and then will be returning to the stage in 2025, with hopes to perform abroad.
6. The all-girls Bromley school with world class accreditation
A Bromley school was accredited with the World Class Schools Quality Mark just last year.
Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley has joined the just over 140 schools in the UK recently accredited with the quality mark.
The premise for this accreditation is that if the school is truly world class, then its students should be able to demonstrate these skills in any context.
7. The TikTok viral author who used to deliver News Shopper papers
Meet the TikTok famous author Fiona Lucas whose first ever job was delivering News Shopper papers before one of her videos went viral on TikTok.
Bromley-based author Fiona Lucas, 55, has written 28 books with a mix of contemporary women’s fiction stories.
Fiona published her first book Blind Dates Marriage in 2006 for Mills & Boon, with her latest book Never Forget You most recently published in September 2022.
8. The iconic group of friends who took an 18-hour spa trip to Milan
A group of mums spent just £102 on an 18-hour spa trip to Milan – and were home in time for the school run.
Laura Oduntan, 37, from Bromley, and her pals – Jade Bassett, 33, Remi Pedro, 37, and Agnes Adekunle, 38 – decided to upgrade their regular Nando’s meet-up and treat themselves to a spa day.
Laura, a mum-of-two girls – aged three and six – had spotted the QC Terme spa in Milan, Italy, on TikTok and suggested it to her marketing friends.
After checking with their partners, the mums flew via Easyjet from Gatwick Airport, in Crawley, West Sussex, at 6.20am on £62 return flights and landed at Milan Malpensa Airport by 9am.
