AN ADVENTURER who has overcome startling odds.
Campaigners fighting to overcome one of Scottish history’s biggest miscarriages of justice. A Grammy-awardwinning violinist and music education advocate. A community hero on the frontline of the fight against global warming. A volunteer dedicated to closing the education gap.
Meet the six sensational women in the running to be crowned Glasgow Times Scotswoman of the Year 2021.
Today, we reveal the finalists for our prestigious event, which has been celebrating female achievement since 1963 in one of the UK’s longest-running awards of its kind.
The winner will be announced later this month.
Here are the 2021 finalists.
CLAIRE MITCHELL QC AND ZOE VENDITOZZI
Claire and Zoe are the driving forces behind the Witches of Scotland (WoS) Campaign and podcast, which was set up to obtain an apology for those accused of witchcraft in Scotland between 1563 and 1736, a pardon for those convicted and executed, and a national memorial.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has issued an apology and legislation granting the pardon is under consideration. Dundee-based Claire, who is a QC, and Zoe, a teacher and writer from Fife, launched a petition which gained thousands of signatures and captured the imagination of people all over the world.
The two women are passionate about the need for education, particularly in relation to women’s history. Their fight for justice has continued relevance in the modern world, with allegations of witchcraft against women and children persisting worldwide.
KAREN DARKE
Inverness-based Karen is a geologist, who had a life-changing accident at the age of 21.
A fall while sea cliff-climbing left her paralysed from the waist down. Determined not to give up her passions of cycling and climbing, Karen bought a race chair, and a year later completed the Great North Run, followed by the London Marathon.
She is in training with the aim of creating World and Guinness Records for sit-skiing to the South Pole, and is an author, speaker and life coach – as well as a gold-medal winning British Paralympic hand cyclist and a European Paratriathlon Champion.
Karen’s story is nothing short of remarkable and her fighting spirit is second to none. Recently, she received the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture, testament to her heroic achievements, strength of character and spirit of adventure.
NICOLA BENEDETTI
Recently announced as the first female, and first Scottish, Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, Nicola has won multiple honours since first coming to the fore as BBC Young Musician of the Year at the age of 16 in 2004.
In 2017, she became the youngest ever recipient of the Queen’s Medal for Music, and two years later, she was given the Royal Medal award by the Royal Society of Edinburgh for improving the lives of deprived Scottish children through Sistema Scotland and the Big Noise Orchestras.
Nicola, from Ayrshire, is passionate about music education. She established the Benedetti Foundation two years ago to put on workshops for young people and teachers and live sessions. During the pandemic and lockdown, the Foundation went online with “virtual sessions” providing more than 7000 musicians across the globe with online tutorials and inspirational workshops.
MAUREEN POTTER
Activist and community hero Maureen, of Friends of Langlands Moss, helped save a vital peat bog, transforming it into a globally-important nature reserve at the forefront of the fight against climate change.
The East Kilbride woman, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday, fights tirelessly to protect the 130,000 tonnes of carbon which is stored at Langlands (the equivalent of the entire annual carbon output of South Lanarkshire) and is passionate about educating people about conservation and wildlife.
She spearheaded a campaign to raise £100,000 for the reserve, and persuaded Professor Ian Stewart, eminent geologist and TV presenter to be patron of the group. She led awareness-raising campaigns which brought attention from leading eco organisations and politicians around the UK.
She never gives up, even during devastating setbacks such as two large fires which destroyed part of the reserve, and inspires many with her passion and dedication to tackling the climate crisis.
READ MORE: Champion athlete and heart screening activist in running for Young Scotswoman of the Year
SAMEEHA REHMAN
Sameeha set up social enterprise Ubuntu Scotland, dedicated to supporting disadvantaged young people across Scotland. She has spent the last few years volunteering with those in the most disadvantaged communities across Glasgow and with children in kinship care, to help keep them on par with others in school.
Sameeha is a passionate activist and campaigner for asylum seekers, and does all of her community work in her spare time while working full-time. She is also a Board Director for the Glasgow ESOL Forum and a kinship care volunteer tutor.
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