The Hope Brigade North East

Explore the first ever North East edition of The Hope Brigade, WOW - Women of the World’s powerful photography series celebrating extraordinary – and often unsung – women and non-binary people from around the world. 

This special exhibition, created in partnership with S&DR200, features incredible people from across the North East all helping to improve the lives of people in their local communities and beyond – photographed by award-winning local photographer Joanne Coates.

Consisting of 26 striking and inspiring portraits – the same number of miles as the Stockton & Darlington Railway, this free to explore exhibition was displayed at Locomotion, Millenium Square, Durham, Middlesbrough Station and Live Theatre, Newcastle.

The Hope Brigade now features 170 women and non-binary people across the world from Karachi to Manchester, Athens to Rio. Selected via an open nominations process, the individuals photographed WOW North East have been included based on their work across a variety of areas that reflect the forces shaping gender equality in the region. 

Selected via an open nominations process, the individuals photographed for the exhibition have been included based on their work across a variety of areas that reflect the forces shaping gender equity in the region. 

WOW North East is presented by SDR200 & WOW - Women of the World. The Hope Brigade North East is part of the S&DR200 Legacy programme and is supported by the North East Combined Authority.

Explore the exhibition

Ann Ming MBE (she/her)

Retired nurse and victims rights campaigner

Ann is a retired nurse and victims rights campaigner who successfully changed the 800 year old Double Jeopardy Law. The law protected accused from being retired for a crime if they had been acquitted.

Ann’s daughter's killer confessed that he had killed Julie and, due to the old Double Jeopardy Law, could only be tried for perjury. This is when Ann’s campaign began. Julie's killer was the first to be tried under the new ruling in 800 years and since the change in the law there have been 18 cases in England and two in Scotland.

Eileen (she/her)

Foster Carer

Eileen doesn’t consider her own individual story to be anything particularly special, but throughout her time as a foster carer she has been privileged to support an amazing group of adults who go above and beyond to provide loving homes to the vulnerable budding next generation. As a mum and granny, it is so important to Eileen that children are given the best possible start to grow into caring adults. 

Emi Imai (she/her)

Founder of Boro Doughnut and Earthian

Emi arrived in Middlesbrough in 2018, bringing global perspectives shaped by life in Japan, Thailand, China, Germany, the USA, Surrey and Oxfordshire. As founder of DE Community Network group, Boro Doughnut CIC, she champions Doughnut Economics principles—creating spaces where communities can thrive within planetary boundaries.

As well as managing Boro Doughnut, Emi balances multiple roles: primary school supply teacher, Learning and Development Facilitator at Drive Engagement/Camerons Link, and reflexologist at Emi Health. This diverse experience reflects her holistic approach to community wellbeing.

Her passion centres on regenerating Berwick Hills' abandoned Edible Forest Garden, reviving both the permaculture site and community spirit. She advocates for improved waste management across Middlesbrough and amplifies voices often unheard—alleyway communities and frontline staff whose wellbeing needs deserve recognition.

Through hands-on action and collaborative actions, Emi demonstrates how regenerative practices can transform neighbourhoods, reconnect people with nature, and build resilient, caring communities where everyone can flourish.

Emma Hamlett (she/her)

Independent Bookshop Owner

Emma Hamlett is the founder of Collected, an independent bookshop in Durham City specialising in work written by women and non-binary authors. After more than 15 years working in museums, galleries and heritage, Emma decided on a career change in 2020, starting with a year working as project manager for a small start-up social enterprise. Following some more thinking and exploring, Emma decided to follow her lifelong love of books and reading and set up Collected. What began as an online and mobile shop – complete with Cordelia, the bookshop van – soon grew into a vibrant bricks-and-mortar space. The business has now grown into two floors, open almost 70 hours across all seven days of the week with a team of five serving coffee, cakes and brilliant books, as well as a packed programme of author and social events for customers. Collected's specialism in writing by women is a reflection of what most excites and inspires Emma about books – the sheer diversity of stories and experiences, histories and creative expressions they contain and can open up to readers, meaning a diverse selection of books with voices from across the world. 

Esther Walton (she/her)

Community Health and Wellbeing Worker

Esther is a community resilience worker.  Over the last two and a half years, Esther has worked in the community health and wellbeing world with a charity. She began by working with the most complex and vulnerable adults, supporting them to access health services, and helping them engage with their physical and health needs. Esther played a role in establishing the service in her locality, building strong relationships with the residents and community services. This was of key importance to Esther as she believes that holistic, wraparound support for individuals is the most effective support. Esther now works in low level mental health, supporting adults to set and achieve goals, overcoming barriers that stop them from living their lives to the full. 

She would love to see long term systematic change in our society for those who the world so often forgets and ignores, and that is a big job. Often that feels unattainable and bigger than anything she could ever do. Yet, she always reminds herself that making someone a cup of tea the way you know they like it, listening to someone's story, giving people a chance to live a more fulfilling life, is no less important than changing the world. Without truly knowing what really needs to be changed, we can never enact effective and meaningful change. Change comes from the ground up. These people’s stories are the ones that should be around a table, changing the way things work.

Folasade Sangowawa (she/her)

Founder of Taste of Africa North East

Folasade Sangowawa is the founder of A Taste of Africa Northeast, now in its 22nd year in Tees Valley. A visionary leader renowned for her ground breaking work in promoting cultural diversity and inclusion in Tees Valley. A Taste of Africa leverages culture, arts, and heritage to combat stereotyping, raise awareness, and celebrate diversity and inclusion within the community. The organization’s events include the Taste of Africa Showcase, Black History Youth Awards, an annual carnival, the Black Creative Arts Network, exhibitions and a Creative Youth Leadership Program.

Additionally, Folasade is the founder and director of  YFT Consult Ltd, a health and cultural awareness consultancy.

Folasade has created various initiatives for schools and communities to promote social and economic inclusion for new communities. She is a strategic thinker with a passion for enhancing entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities through collaborative efforts while helping them develop necessary skills for their new environment. Folasade is also the co-founder of the first multicultural enterprise women’s network in Tees Valley, known as Buddy Group.

Heather Wood (she/her)

Activist

Heather has spent most of her life working for equality, justice and peace, believing every person deserves dignity and the opportunity to thrive. Involved in politics from a young age, she organised her first strike at 17, driven by a strong belief in fairness, collective action and standing up for working people.

Growing up in a community shaped by struggle and solidarity taught Heather that real change is achieved when people come together. This understanding has guided her commitment to women's rights and to strengthening and defending our communities.

During the 1984 miners strike, Heather helped organise women in mining communities recognising their vital role in sustaining families, supporting the strike and keeping communities alive. Women's contributions were often ignored or undervalued and she was determined that their work, courage and leadership would be recognised and remembered.

Today Heather’s work focuses on bringing women together from across Britain and from a number of other countries to celebrate and commemorate the work women have done in struggles for justice, peace and equality. She believes in giving young women hope and encouragement, showing them that they stand on the shoulders of those who came before them and that they can continue the struggle for a fairer and more equal world.

Dame Irene Hays (she/her)

Owner and director of Hays Travel

Dame Irene Hays is owner and director of Hays Travel, the UK’s largest independent travel agency. Since opening its first shop in 1980, Hays Travel has grown to over 500 retail outlets nationwide. Dame Irene played a pivotal role in the company’s expansion, notably leading the acquisition of Thomas Cook’s retail estate in 2019, saving over 2,000 jobs. She has since overseen nine further acquisitions, including Victoria Travel, which brought Cruise.co and Seascanner into the group.

Born and raised in the North East of England, Dame Irene built a distinguished career in public service. She served as Chief Executive of both Sunderland and South Tyneside local authorities and worked in Whitehall, where she became Director General for Local Government and Regeneration, and later Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

Her contributions to public service and business excellence have earned her national honours. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2008 for services to local government and elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2021 for her work in training, education, and support for young people.

Jordan Groody (she/her)

Entrepreneur, Angel Investor and Finance & Money Mentor

Jordan is a devoted mother, Chartered Accountant, Cambridge Masters student and money mentor whose work is grounded in a simple belief that no one is coming to save you. She built her own financial freedom and security by creating a strong safety net through education, consistent hard work and creating her own opportunities. Jordan advocates for entrepreneurship and building a reputation you are proud of. She encourages seeking mentors, asking questions and learning from those ahead of you. 

Alongside mentoring others, she is an active angel investor in local businesses, supporting entrepreneurship and contributing to sustainable economic growth within her community. She is driven by a desire to help shape a world where her daughter can grow up in and be proud of – one where responsibility, effort and independence are the norm, not the exception. 

Julie Ward (she/her)

Artivist and Political Animal

Julie is a poet, theatremaker and cultural activist who campaigns for social justice. She began her working life on the factory floor but went on to work in the arts using participatory approaches to promote social change. She arrived in North East England in 1984 at the height of the Miners Strike and made her home in the pit village of Sunniside, establishing an award-winning arts collective Jack Drum Arts. 

Julie was named NE Woman Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003. Her poems have been carved onto way-markers, flown on kites, appeared on London buses and been presented as evidence in a Public Inquiry as part of a campaign to stop open-cast mining. An advocate for life-long learning, Julie went to university in her early 50s, gaining a Masters in Education and International Development. In 2014 she was elected to represent the Labour Party in the European Parliament. During her five year mandate she served on committees for Culture & Education and Women's Rights & Gender Equality. She now divides her time between caring for her grandchildren, volunteering on various boards and campaigning on issues such as climate and migrants rights. Julie is an Honorary Fellow of Durham University's Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing.

Kate Fox (she/her)

Stand-up Poet and Neurodiversity Activist

Kate Fox is a stand-up poet, spoken word artist and broadcaster. She is a regular contributor to Radio 4's spoken word cabaret The Verb, has made two comedy series for Radio 4, been Poet in Residence for the Glastonbury Festival and the Great North Run, and completed a PhD in stand-up comedy. She is the author of Where There’s Muck There’s Bras: True Stories of the North of England’s Women published by Harper North, and poetry collections including On Sycamore Gap (Harper North, 2024), Bigger On the Inside (Smokestack Books, 2024) and The Oscillations (Nine Arches Press, 2021). She is also a neurodivergent advocate whose latest show Bigger on the Inside explores neurodiversity through the lens of Doctor Who.

Laura Connolly (she/her)

North East Clog Dancer, Creative Producer and Ambassador for Heritage Dance

Laura Connolly is a North East clog dancer with over 30 years’ experience performing, teaching and championing this percussive traditional dance style. She was the first to graduate from Newcastle University’s Folk and Traditional Music Degree with a major in Foot Percussion, convincing UCAS to recognise it as an instrument. Her work celebrates the deep ties between clog dance, working-class culture and the region’s mining heritage, keeping these histories vibrant for new generations.

Featured in BBC’s Come Clog Dancing documentary alongside Charles Hazelwood, Laura recruited and taught 200 beginners to perform a televised flashmob at Newcastle Monument in just 10 days. She has also featured in Vogue magazine wearing her clogs. As performer and creative producer, Laura brings clog dance to theatres, schools and community spaces, collaborating with musicians and artists to evolve traditions while honouring their roots. Passionate about sharing this special form, from precise footwork and musicality to its power for confidence and expression, she creates welcoming spaces for all ages.

Laura’s practice centres on participation and access, creating welcoming spaces where people of all ages can experience clog dance. Through workshops, projects and performances, she uses clog and heritage dance to spark conversations about identity, place and belonging, proving that traditional artforms are alive, relevant and hopeful.

Lauren Bell (she/her)

Ambassador promoting disability acceptance

Lozza is part of the Cheesy Waffles Project in Durham that works with people who have additional needs. She works tirelessly fundraising for the charity and promoting disability acceptance and positive community cohesion.

Lauren has been part of Cheesy Waffles Project for 14 years, in that time she has transitioned from a user of the project to an Ambassador taking on challenges and tasks to support the running of the Charity.  Lauren is a fantastic young woman, taking on any task given and volunteering her time whenever needed.  She isn't afraid of hard work and is well known for being reliable and dependable.  Lauren has helped raise thousands of pounds and has supported many people in her local community through events and activities making their lives happier and more rewarding.

Lizzie Lovejoy (any/all)

Poet, Performer and Picture-Maker

Gobby Lass, Lizzie Lovejoy is a Northern Poet, Performer and Picture-Maker. They've spent their life listening to people's words, and now Lizzie translates local narratives into creative works.

Working across the North, from Fife to the Humber, Lizzie's home is their inspiration because the North is a tale worth telling and contains so many stories worth hearing.

Lizzie received the New Writing North Sid Chaplin award 2025 and the NE Culture Awards Visual Artist of the Year 2023.

Margaret Hedley (she/her)

Writer and Genealogist

Margaret Hedley is a family history researcher and author from County Durham, whose work shines a light on the lives of women often left out of the historical record. After retiring from teaching in 2010, she began helping clients around the world uncover their ancestral stories, which led her to explore the untold experiences of women married to coal miners in the 1800s.

Her first book Women of the Durham Coalfield in the 19th Century introduced readers to Hannah, a symbolic figure representing the many invisible women who shaped mining communities. Due to popular demand, Margaret followed Hannah’s family into the next century with Women of the Durham Coalfield in the 20th Century – Hannah’s Daughter, offering a vivid portrait of changing roles and resilience.

Her third book brings the story full circle, ending in 1968 with the closure of the coal industry in her region. In the foreword to this final volume, Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote: “The women of the Durham coalfield played an equal role in shaping daily life in the history of the region, just as women today are building their own futures in communities around the world.” Margaret’s work continues to give voice to those who were historically overlooked, reminding us that personal stories are powerful tools for reclaiming and reshaping our understanding of the past.

Maya Torres and Rosie Bowden (she/her)

Leaders of the Girls Theys and Slays Choir

The Girls, Theys and Slays Choir are a community choir set up in March 2024 by Maya Torres (performer) and Rosie Bowden (theatre-maker). The choir brings together likeminded women and non-binary folk for casual rehearsals and performances across the North East and is completely free to attend. So far, they have performed at Alphabetti Theatre, Live Theatre, Darlington Hippodrome, Newcastle Pride 2024 and WOW North East 2025. They have also been commissioned to write two original songs. Maya and Rosie have had the opportunity to share their practice with schools, youth groups and other organisations, celebrating the power of music and community far and wide.

Niccy Hallifax (she/her)

Culture Specialist & S&DR200 Festival Director

Niccy Hallifax is an experienced cultural creator with a background in Art, who has curated numerous global, high-profile and internationally award-winning projects and programmes in the heritage and culture sector. 

Recently she directed S&DR200 as well as installations including SEE MONSTER, the opening and closing events for Waltham Forest Borough of Culture and the handover to Birmingham 2020, a 10-minute, groundbreaking broadcast piece for the Commonwealth Games. She also led and directed gallery takeovers and the opening week to Hull City of Culture 2017 Made in Hull and the closing, which was the large-scale art installation that had cross generational engagement. She also directed the Finale to Hull, with Jason Bruges Studio Where do we go from here?, a robot armed mirror and light ballet, in the streets of the old town in Hull.

Niccy's experience prior to this has included programming in Kew Gardens and the Hive, Al Ain stadium and the opening of the O2 as Director of Special Projects. 

Dame Pat Barker (she/her)

Author and Writer

Pat Barker is the author of 17 novels. The Ghost Road, the final volume of her Regeneration trilogy, was awarded the Booker Prize, and the trilogy is regarded as being among the greatest his­torical novels of all time. Her novel The Silence of the Girls was short­listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Gordon Burn Prize in the UK, and won the Independent Bookshop Week Book Award in 2019. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000 and was awarded a damehood for her distinguished contribution to literature in the King’s Birthday Honours in 2025. She lives in Durham, England.

Ravinda Cheema (she/her)

Survivor, Womanist and Belly Dancer

Ravinda was born into a Sikh Punjabi family in Leeds in 1961. She was estranged from her family at 21 when she refused an arranged marriage. Ravinda was determined to find her own way and choose a partner. She went to Sheffield University in 1980, and trained as a Primary School Teacher and enjoyed many years of teaching.

At 44 Ravinda took a brave step and made a dream come true, and became a Bollywood  Dance Instructor.  She leads workshops in a wide variety of venues on special occasions. She says she fell in love with every song – the moves are fantastic fun and great cardio exercise.

Now at 64, Ravinda has a long term partner and a son. She recently became qualified in Belly Dance and is developing her skills. She loves being outside and walking in nature. Beaches are a big favourite.  She is a skilled amateur seamstress and loves being alone with her sewing machine. She is an avid reader. Yoga is another passion. Ravinda is also a great cook and enjoys bringing friends together. She loves live music events, especially the Blues, Rock and Roll, World Music and, of course, Indian music. 

Rie Pearson (she/her)

Positive disruptor and advocate for women

Mother. Nurturer. Mentor. Feminist. Advocate for rights for women and girls. Facilitator of Women’s Circles. Eternal student. Author of a best selling book on preventing domestic abuse. Retired Police Officer. Qualified McKenzie friend. Rie Pearson lives overlooking the sea and describes herself as being on The Edge!

A police officer for 27 years with focus on policy and how the police deal with partner abuse, Rie specialises in domestic abuse, stalking and safeguarding. Her post policing career has continued with directorships with several Community Interest Companies all focused on those specialisms. Rie’s book Be Kind. No Excuses is a guide for teenagers and parents to raise awareness of the red-flag behaviours that are a precursor to abusive behaviours in relationships. 

Her Mission is to flip the discussions on VAWG and talk about the real problem – the majority of abuse being perpetrated by men who are violent towards others: women, men and children. MVAWG! The Co-creator of WOW! Women Only Wellness Ltd, Rie creates safe spaces for women and girls to come together and step into their own power through learning that self-care is not selfish, but essential.

Rumana Yasmin (she/her)

Inclusive Publisher and Storyteller

Rumana is the Founder of Bok Bok Books, an inclusive publisher and storyteller based in Middlesbrough. 

Sam Metcalfe (she/her)

Skater and Surfer

Sam grew up in a family of water babies and was lucky enough to have her own. Her greatest joy is sharing her love and passion for the ocean and surfing, and now skateboarding, with my sons. Sam is a former British Speed Windsurfing Champion, Record Holder and came third in the World Championships. She has always loved the thrill and excitement of speed and adventure. She is more at home outside than in and hoping to adventure into old age.

Sarah Price (she/her)

Museum professional

Sarah has been Head of Locomotion, the only national museum in County Durham since August 2018.  Previously she worked at Durham University as Head of Engagement and Learning, where she was responsible for the visitor operations and public programme at the university’s cultural venues. 

At Locomotion, Sarah has led on the updating of interpretation across site, reinvigorating the museum’s programme of events, forging stronger links with the local community, and has been heavily involved in the multi-million pound site-wide transformation plan that has resulted in the museum becoming the largest undercover collection of heritage rail vehicles in Europe. Throughout 2025, Sarah worked with colleagues across the North East on the bicentenary celebrations of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, the railway that sparked the modern rail industry. 

Passionate about the ability of museums to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives, Sarah is committed to ensuring that Locomotion becomes a place of inspiration for young and old alike. In her spare time, Sarah supports her local netball club, Durham Palatinates, by acting as a volunteer umpire and coach, encouraging and mentoring the next generation of young women to play and participate in sport. 

Susan Yeama Mansaray (she/her)

Women's Rights Campaigner and Activist

Susan Yeama Mansaray is a human rights activist, cultural consultant, a keynote speaker and an anti- female genital mutilation (FGM) campaigner from Sierra Leone. She is an active advocate for refugee rights and a passionate volunteer within local refugee support initiatives. 

Dedicated to fostering a welcoming community, Susan works directly with asylum seekers and refugees, providing practical assistance, fostering friendship, and advocating for a fairer, more compassionate asylum process. Driven by a belief that seeking safety is a human right, Susan is committed to standing alongside those fleeing persecution.

Founder of Purple Rose Stockton CIC, Susan works to bridge the gap between newly arrived individuals and essential services, ensuring every person feels welcomed and supported as they start a new life. Prior to arriving in the UK, Susan was a broadcast journalist in her home country Sierra Leone, where she worked for the States own TV station. 

Teissy Easton (she/her)

Dance Teacher

Teissy is a mother of three who works to inspire other women going through grief, trauma and mental health issues that it’s completely normal to have good and bad days – this doesn’t make you broken or weak, it makes you human.

She hopes her experience and story can encourage others to put one foot in front of the other and make small progress to still live a balanced life, achieving your goals no matter how big or small and most importantly be kind to yourself. 

Teissy is a freelance dance teacher with over 15 years teaching experience working with children and adults of all ages and abilities. Her classes span right across the North East. She prides herself on making all classes and projects fun, friendly, educational and inclusive. Her workshops are always energetic. She teaches hip- hop, commercial and her personal favourite, Afrobeats. She loves that dancing can bring people from all walks of life together.  

Vici Wreford-Sinnott (she/her)

Director, Writer and Disability Activist

Vici Wreford-Sinnott is a leading figure in the UK Disability Arts Movement, passionately campaigning for the cultural equity of disabled people for over 30 years. She is the founding Artistic Director of internationally acclaimed North East based Little Cog which is a disabled-led production company. Vici is a disabled theatre and TV writer and director, and in 2021 she was commissioned by the BBC to write and make her short film Hen Night. It is one of the first pieces of broadcast television drama by a disabled women-led team in the UK, and has been seen by over one million people worldwide. Vici is regularly commissioned as a playwright and her work has toured internationally. 

Vici is currently concluding a practice-based PhD researching Radical Acts of Representation: Creating Disabled Women-led Practice in Theatre and Television and is a world-leading expert on the subject of representation, radical performance and disability. Vici is a highly respected disability equity strategist and has shared her model of disabled-led art in mainstream cultural settings, Cultural Shift, across the world. She recently returned to performance in touring theatre show UNRULY, celebrating and telling a story of older disabled women from the disability rights and arts movements and activism. She is a recipient of the North East Art and Culture Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts.