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A respected businesswoman and the public face of Coutts in the Victorian era, as well as helping manage the bank, Angela established the NSPCC and was closely involved with forming the RSPCA. The first woman Peer in her own right, she was also the first woman presented with the Freedom of the City of London and the first Burgess of Edinburgh, having also been the first woman to have the Freedom of that city.

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Why I’m championing Angela Georgina Burdett by Helene Martin Gee:
Angela would be an extraordinary woman at any time but her achievements are all the more amazing given that she lived in Victorian England. Angela inspires me as a true innovator with great entrepreneurial flair; known for her commonsense, she was involved in so many different aspects of life she had the original portfolio career.

Although Angela could easily have chosen to be a lady of leisure, she devoted herself and fortune to many essential causes, often those shunned by others, such as setting up the NSPCC at a time when children were treated very badly; providing houses for prostitutes; and campaigning for women to be able to work

As a trailblazer for women as well as a philanthropist, Angela used her wealth to fund education and training, so people gained sustainable, practical skills rather than simply be given charity. This is so relevant today, when we need to offer people a hand-up rather than a hand-out.

Angela is a role model with many facets and her strength is not restricted to charity and business. To be part of a recognised lesbian couple at that time can’t have been the easiest choice. For her to then go on to enjoy a very happy marriage to a man half her age, despite wide condemnation, shows she must have been a very determined woman. She is a great example for others, to disregard those that judge us and have the courage to follow our own path.

A consummate networker, she leveraged her connections and influence to help the disadvantaged in society and to make things happen. This is a good lesson for us and really resonates with me, to ensure we surround ourselves with ‘radiators’ not ‘sponges’.

It is an honour to champion the first ever female life Peer and the first woman to be given the Freedom of the City of London. And finally, who could fail to be inspired by a woman who along with all the hard work was known for her fabulous parties!

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Dame Anita Roddick, DBE was a businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, the successful high street cosmetics chain known for its ethics as well as its products. The company was one of the first to prohibit the use of ingredients tested on animals and one of the first to promote fair trade with third world countries.

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Why I’m championing Anita Roddick by Nigel Kershaw OBE:
Big Issue Invest was born out of The Big Issue which was born out of The Body Shop which was born out of Anita and Gordon Roddick – and we were just one of the many!

Anita created a stunningly successful global business that also raised and brought together issues about responsible consumerism, animal testing, fair trade, sustainability, social enterprise, women, human rights, social justice and activism.

Anita was not just an idealist – not only did she change the face of the high street, but through her activism she inspired and effected the lives of millions of people.

Anita said “Be daring, be first, be different, be just.” – she was all of these and a celebration of the values of the Addidi Inspiration Award”.

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Save the Children is one of the most prominent children’s charities operating in the world today, working to ensure children worldwide receive healthcare, food, education and protection. Their work reached over 7 million children last year.

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Why I’m championing Eglantine Jebb, by Maryon Stewart:
Eglantine Jebb, who was born in 1876, was clearly an Angel full of determination and spirit. Her monumental achievements in helping children all around the world during her 52 years on earth were nothing short of breath taking.

A girl after my own heart, she wasn’t a woman who would not take no for an answer either. When she asked for help from Bishop Randall Davidson and was declined she asked for an audience with the Pope instead and got it.

Initially inspired to work with children by her social worker mother, she became a teacher who went to work in Macedonia to help refugees after the Balkan wars. Determined to help children suffering with post war famine she went on to found the Save the Children fund in May 1919 at the Royal Albert Hall; she had great taste too as this happens to be my favourite building.

Beginning with a mere £10 donation she succeeded in raising £72 million following the First World War as aid to child victims of war in Europe. She also engineered the Declaration of Geneva on the Rights of the Child in 1924 which was adopted by the League of Nations.

As my current project in setting up the Angelus Foundation in memory of my daughter is designed to make the world a safer place for children, I feel honoured to have been asked to Champion Eglantine Jebb. Unlike myself, she lived at a time when many women were seen and not heard, making her achievements even more incredible. I am full of admiration for her and proud to follow in her footsteps.

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Elizabeth Fry was a reformer, campaigner and philanthropist whose work did much to improve the physical misery and moral degradation of women prisoners. A devout Quaker, her religious beliefs inspired her work with the more unfortunate in society, and she was skilled in leveraging her influential family’s contacts to make her views heard in an era when it was highly unusual for a woman to do so.

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Why I’m championing Elizabeth Fry by Kate Cavelle:
What impresses me about Elizabeth was her drive, passion and determination to make a practical difference, in an environment where women were not expected to take action or speak out.

It’s a lot easier to write cheques to charity than to personally commit time and energy; yet Elizabeth definitely did the latter, deciding to dedicate her life from an early age to improving the lives of people living in the worst circumstances. She personally visited, and indeed stayed in, prisons across the country, against the advice of her male peers – taking friends and family with her to share her experiences and rustle up additional support.

Elizabeth obviously knew what she was talking about, and importantly who to talk to. She was the first female in history to present evidence in parliament in 1818, a time when it was extremely unusual for a woman to be consulted for her professional knowledge. But her frankness didn’t always go down well.

She also faced the classic issue of “multi-tasking” that many face today. Elizabeth had to juggle family (she had 11 children and was attacked by the press for neglecting her duties as a wife and mother) and financial insecurity (her husband went bankrupt in 1828) alongside her political and philanthropic ambitions.

Ironically, her popularity waned when she was accused by the public of “using money from her husband’s bank for her charitable work”. So, maybe Elizabeth was a pioneer of Corporate Social Responsibility as well as prison reform!

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Lucy Faithfull, Baroness Faithfull of Wolvercote, OBE was a committed and pioneering social worker, and a life-long and passionate campaigner for children and social justice.

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Why I’m championing Lucy Faithfull by Emilie Goodall:
It’s easy to take for granted the protection the UK affords its children, but many child welfare and protection policies are relatively recent. Lucy Faithfull’s fingerprints can be found in legislation ranging from children’s welfare to the criminal justice system, as the first and to date only social worker to make it to the House of Lords.

Unlike many before her and since, Lucy’s head was not turned by politics or power. From a solid background in social work, undoubtedly influenced by her own unhappy childhood, she used the opportunity to tirelessly campaign for the powerless and voiceless.

She created and chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group for Children, which had huge influence on the Children Act of 1989. One of few peeresses, she fought hard to bring others round to her cause.In fact, she was affectionately nicknamed Lady Faithless by the Tory whip, exasperated by her persuasive opposition to some government policies.

She combined her strength of character with great warmth, and was by all accounts great fun. On what was to be the final visit to her (octagenarian) cousin in the States, they bought a red sports car. She never married or had children, but had countless friends of all ages.

Lucy was ahead of her time, not least in recognising that if we are to protect children from sexual abuse we must work with sexual offenders, a view that still challenges our otherwise liberal society. She established the Lucy Faithfull Foundation (renamed in her honour after her death) when she was in her eighties, a charity committed to preventing child sexual abuse by working with potential offenders.

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