Inspirational Women

**Jeanied** · 24-03-2010, 09:17 AM

Difficult to select just one - it would depend on what sphere of your life you are thinking about - and there are a few inspirational ones here on the vine, Elsie, don't you think?

**enrich100** · 24-03-2010, 11:53 AM

As said by others its depends on sphere of your life you are thinking about

Mother Teresa was inspirational in her work with poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, (however she had critics, she would not educate on the use of Contraception to prevent Aids because of her religious beliefs)

one of my favourite quotes is
"I never will understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish"
Mother Teresa

Florence Nightingale
known for her selfless nursing of the sick, and her pioneering reform of healthcare, she was a pioneer in the use of statistics (ok statistics are a double edged sword but she used them for the advancement of medical treatment)

She is an inspiration to my OH who suffers from depression, Florence Nightingale did all she did dispite suffering from depression

for me it becomes more difficult to to think of anyone in the public eye who is inspirational, for instance are Madonna and Angelina Jolie (& Bradd Pitt) inspirational for the adoption of orphaned children, well to me it would depend on their reasons for the adoptions.

Was Jade Goody inspirational, for what she went through in such a short life perhaps, if she didn't have cancer would she have been an inspiration?. you could argue in our modern culture looking for our 15 minutes of fame she proved a person with a low IQ and a very poor childhood could suceed. Was she inspirational to me and my family well no not really

**bobleponge** · 24-03-2010, 12:09 PM

Been musing this for a while, I've had no real female figures in my life who have been inspirational to me per se, but I think as an inspirational figure, I would look at people like:
Dame Tanni Grey Thompson
Dame Ellen McCarthur
Mo Mowlem
Helen Rollason
There is another woman who's name I've sadly forgotten, she found out she had terminal cancer and set up a foundation to raise money. She ran the London marathon, she cycled across America (I think) with her husband, was a truly awesome woman, who I could never watch doing anything without proper floods of tears pouring down my face.
I think her first name was Jane but I could well be wrong. To me, a real example of a selfless human being.

All of the above I find truly inspirational for differing reasons.

**Flummery** · 24-03-2010, 12:22 PM

Originally posted by bobleponge View Post

Been musing this for a while, I've had no real female figures in my life who have been inspirational to me per se, but I think as an inspirational figure, I would look at people like:
Dame Tanni Grey Thompson
Dame Ellen McCarthur
Mo Mowlem
Helen Rollason
There is another woman who's name I've sadly forgotten, she found out she had terminal cancer and set up a foundation to raise money. She ran the London marathon, she cycled across America (I think) with her husband, was a truly awesome woman, who I could never watch doing anything without proper floods of tears pouring down my face.
I think her first name was Jane but I could well be wrong. To me, a real example of a selfless human being.

All of the above I find truly inspirational for differing reasons.

Was it Jane Tomlinson? If so I agree.

**kirsty b** · 24-03-2010, 12:32 PM

There are many famous wimmin I have found inspirational, and a couple have been named above.

On a personal note, I would say my late Gran for one as she was the hub of or family for a long and all roads led to her house when I was little

And my big sister who has faced and is living with every parent's worst nightmare but she can still get out of bed in the morning and carry on with a smile on the good days. Don't know how she does it, and quite selfishly hope I never have to find out......

**bobleponge** · 24-03-2010, 12:33 PM

Thats her Flum, even as I was typing that I had prickly bits in my eyes.

**organic** · 24-03-2010, 12:46 PM

Originally posted by enrich100 View Post

Florence Nightingale
known for her selfless nursing of the sick, and her pioneering reform of healthcare, she was a pioneer in the use of statistics (ok statistics are a double edged sword but she used them for the advancement of medical treatment)

She is an inspiration to my OH who suffers from depression, Florence Nightingale did all she did dispite suffering from depression

Since Flo' has been mentioned I feel I should put up the relatively unknown (unjustly so) nurse I learned about about fairly recently.

Mary Seacole - the school of nursing at Salford University is named in her honour.

I could type up a bit about here here, but rather I'll copy in the very well worded introduction to her article on Wikipedia.

Mary Jane Seacole (1805 � 14 May 1881), sometimes known as Mother Seacole or Mary Grant, was a Jamaican nurse best known for her involvement in the Crimean War. She set up and operated boarding houses in Panama and Crimea to assist in her desire to treat the sick. Seacole was taught herbal remedies and folk medicine by her mother, who kept a boarding house for disabled European soldiers and sailors.

Confident that her knowledge of tropical medicine could be useful, and after hearing of poor medical provisions for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War, she travelled to London to volunteer as a nurse. Relying on her experience in the Caribbean, she applied to the War Office and asked to be sent as an army assistant to the Crimea. She was refused, mainly because of prejudice against women's involvement in medicine at the time.

The British Government later decided to permit women to travel to the affected area, but she was not included in the party of 38 nurses chosen by Florence Nightingale. Instead, she borrowed money to make the 4,000-mile (about 6500 km) journey by herself. She distinguished herself treating battlefield wounded, often nursing wounded soldiers from both sides while under fire. When the conflict ended in 1856 she found herself stranded and almost destitute, and was only saved from adversity by friends from the Crimean War who organised a benefit concert. In later years, she expressed a desire to work in India after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, but was unable to raise the necessary funds.

Seacole was honoured in her lifetime, alongside Florence Nightingale, but after her death she was forgotten for almost a century. Today, she is noted for her bravery and medical skills and as "a woman who succeeded despite the racial prejudice of influential sections of Victorian society". Her autobiography, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands (1857), is a vivid account of her experiences, and is one of the earliest autobiographies of a mixed-race woman.

Inspirational doesn't come close. But then, whether she's inspired you or not is another matter.

**Two_Sheds** · 24-03-2010, 03:46 PM

A girl in my class wants to be Katie Price ...!

**Alison** · 24-03-2010, 03:51 PM

Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post

A girl in my class wants to be Katie Price ...!

Well at least her ambitions are obtainable - can't be difficult surely.......

Not sure who I'd put for somebody I've found inspirational, can think of loads of ordinary people who I've been impressed by but nobody would have heard of them. Some of the names above I find to be very impressive (and some rather less so) but I'm not sure they've inpsired me to do anything and impressive is rather different to inspired.

**dexterdoglancashire** · 24-03-2010, 04:49 PM

Originally posted by elsie-scot View Post

Hi
I have been asked to give then name of a woman (relative, friend, famous etc) who has been inspirational to me. Names are being collected and I think displayed (not sure about that bit, as been asked second hand). Anyway OH and myself are having difficulties thinking of someone who has inspired us. Plenty women been an influence on my life, but can't think of anyone who has been inspirational.

Have any of you got someone?

Yes, I have. My Mum and Dad-in-law. For lots of reasons. I know no-one else knows them on the Vine, but I'm sure you would love them just as much as I do if you were to meet them. I'm a very lucky person, not only to be married to Mr DDL, but to have his mum and dad in my family.

**Alison** · 24-03-2010, 05:07 PM

Originally posted by dexterdoglancashire View Post

Yes, I have. My Mum and Dad-in-law. For lots of reasons. I know no-one else knows them on the Vine, but I'm sure you would love them just as much as I do if you were to meet them. I'm a very lucky person, not only to be married to Mr DDL, but to have his mum and dad in my family.

Your FIL is a woman - wow, sell that story to the press

Seriously though, I don't have a FIL but my MIL is fab and rather easier to get on with than my mum....

**organic** · 24-03-2010, 05:27 PM

Originally posted by Alison View Post

Your FIL is a woman - wow, sell that story to the press

Seriously though, I don't have a FIL but my MIL is fab and rather easier to get on with than my mum....

Surely if a persons Mother and Father in Law are the same person - not only does that make for a tabloid-class bit of story (or even daytime TV) - it also means they've married a sibling - or possibly themself.

**rustylady** · 24-03-2010, 06:43 PM

Any of the suffragettes? They actually got women the right to vote.

**elsie-scot** · 24-03-2010, 07:10 PM

some great ones. OH came back from work today and had come up with Mother Teresa (as already mentioned) and Anne Frank. I remember as a child really liking Beatrix Potter - partly for her books but also for trying to protect so much of the Lake District (went to her hill top house on a family holiday)

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