Our event at the Royal Automobile Club, brought together 138 guests (including a number of men) from all working fields to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

Special speakers on the day included best-selling children’s cookery author and food expert Annabel Karmel, the Editor-in-Chief of Sainsbury’s magazine Helena Lang, co-founder of Balance Me natural skincare Rebecca Hopkins, Human Resources Director for Galliard Homes Victoria Anthony and Creative Director of Tresor Paris jewellers Lilian Lousky.

Speaking at the event Annabel said: I have a such an affinity with Haven House Children’s Hospice as I lost my own daughter Natasha when she was just 13 weeks old. It was the most devastating thing for a mother to go through and I felt I had lost everything.

Whilst Natasha’s illness wasn’t diet related, I was understandably cautious when my son Nicholas came along. He was the world’s fussiest eater, and the recipes I prepared for him were the catalyst for my very first cookbook – the Complete Baby & Toddler Meal Planner.

 

This devastating chapter of my life could have led me down a very dark path, but writing this book helped me to channel that overwhelming energy into something I was actually pretty good at – and I’ve made a life’s work from it.

 

She added: I am delighted to take part in Haven House’s event to celebrate International Women’s Day. I feel this is an opportunity for women to come together, connect and lift each other up to be able to achieve more in business. I am honoured to be able to share my story and to hopefully inspire other women out there to peruse their own passion and support others on their journey.

This week marks International Women’s Day 2019 to be celebrated on March 8 and the theme behind this year's event is #BalanceForBetter

The panel, led by Sandy Lucas, Chief People Officer at Alexander Mann Solutions and President Emeritus of City Women Network, began the discussion by exploring what balance looked like for them before looking at different perspectives on how women can increase their confidence. The panel then took questions from the audience.

The event, sponsored by Galliard Homes, raised over £11,000 for Haven House, in Woodford, a charity that cares for seriously ill children and their families.

Guests enjoyed a welcome reception, lunch and raffle including a Luxury Spa Break from White Calm Retreats.

Pushpinder Gill, Director of Income Generation and Marketing at Haven House, said: “International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the value and impact that women bring to our world and society, and to recognise and be thankful for those women who have advanced gender equality for all of us.

Balance for better means creating an environment where every person knows what they are good at and has the confidence to showcase their strengths. We would like to thank our panellists who have given their time today and provided a positive and uplifting discussion in support of Haven House.