Today is International Women’s Day - an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women around the world.
In recognition of this, we have compiled a list - which is by no means exhaustive and in no particular order - of local ladies making their mark on the borough and further afield.
Who would you add to the list?
Samantha Dixon
The Labour Chester City councillor vowed to 'put respect at the core' of Cheshire West and Chester Council when she became the first woman to take control of the authority last May.
Sam , a mum of three daughters, paid tribute to the 'long line of very strong women' she comes from following her election.
“I believe women and men are different but it’s important to have women as role models because they bring a different culture to organisations and places," she said.
Beth Tweddle
The Bunbury gymnast – Britain’s most successful – won bronze at the 2012 Olympics and helps coach youngsters across the region through the Beth Tweddle Gym Stars programme.
Following her victory on the eighth series of Dancing on Ice, she was part of the celebrity line-up braving winter sports challenges on this year’s The Jump.
But a serious fall meant Beth had to undergo surgery on two fractured vertebrae in her neck.
The former Queen’s School pupil has faced her injury with characteristic determination and courage and is thankfully on the road to recovery.
Louise Minchin
When she’s not getting up at the crack of dawn to ease the nation into the day ahead, the BBC Breakfast presenter is a keen thriathlete and supporter of community events in her home city, Chester.
Twenty-two-year-old Hannah, of Westminster Park, is a dedicated campaigner for the Brain Tumour Charity, following her own courageous battle with the illness.
She has lobbied Parliament to fund greater research into brain tumours and is the star of a new YouTube video to promote the work of the Brain Tumour Charity.
Jemma’s experiences as the parent of a little girl suffering from a life-limiting condition inspired her to found a charity.
She came up with the idea for SPACE – which provides specialist drop-in play sessions in the Chester area for children with additional needs – when her youngest daughter Isabelle, who has mitochondrial disease, was just six months old.
Around 80 children and their families now attend the sessions, which recently increased from fortnightly to weekly.
Jenny Tinmouth
(Image: Chippy Wood)
The Ellesmere Port motorcycle racer made history when she became the first female rider to score a Superbike point.
Her work as a stunt double on the Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation movie starring Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner earned her a nomination for the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Jennifer Leedham
Lauded as one of female basketball’s brightest young coaches, Jennifer is head coach of the women’s basketball programme at NCAA Division II school Franklin Pierce, in Rindge, New Hampshire.
She moved stateside having won a much-coveted scholarship and has held the role of head coach for the past four years.
Antoinette Sandbach
Antoinette is Cheshire West and Chester's only female MP and became the first female MP to represent Eddisbury when was elected last year.
The former member of the Welsh Assembly received huge support in November after she broke down in the House of Commons as she recalled the night she lost her five-day-old son to sudden infant death syndrome.
Her brave admission came during calls for better bereavement care in hospitals.
Rebecca Romero
This Chester resident was the first British woman ever to compete in two different sports at the Olympic Games.
She won an Olympic silver medal in the quadruple sculls at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, before forging a new career in cycling and took gold at the Beijing Olympics.
Who would you add to the list of inspirational Cheshire women? Let us know in the comments box below:
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