Inspired by the 100 Men idea, my friend and colleague Carolyn O’Donnell presents her 100 Women.
1) Claudia is from Medellin in Colombia but has lived in Bedford for 24 years. As well as holding down more than one job she still finds time to create beautiful gift wrappings for friends and clients.
2) Diana has lived in Luton for more than 20 years and works in office administration. What she really loves to do is to travel and meet people and believes we should never be judgmental.
3) Grace is originally from Zambia but has lived in Bedford for more than 20 years as a nurse. She loves to cook and to read and her sunny personality must surely bring cheer to many patients.
4) Freda from Zambia has lived in Bedford for 3 years and is a retired nurse/midwife. Before moving to Bedford she lived in London for 30 years.
6. Emma is a Teaching Assistant working in Bedford with students over 16 years old. She loves to spend time with friends and family and walking her dog. She used to play roller derby and is till in one piece to talk about it!
5. Charlotte is a builder and site manager working in St Albans. She lives in Clophill now after spending many years in Haynes. As you can see from her photo, she is very flexible.
7. Kazzarya works as a bus escort and loves learning and helping people. Her first language is British Sign Language, but she is learning other languages too. She has been in Bedfordshire for 10 years having moved from Lowestoft.
8. Kamilla has been a caregiver and is an aspiring author and a trained first aider. She loves stories with a hidden meaning and has strong intuition. Her friends say that she, “wears her heart on her sleeve”.
9. Priya is a political science graduate working with the Citizens’ Advice Bureau. She lives in Bedford but loves to travel with her sister. She records some of her travels on a food and travel blog and just loves to experience new things
10. Anju works as a mental health support worker and according to her friends, she never tires. She is often described as Superwoman! She loves to cook, one of her favourite dishes being lamb curry.
11. Esther comes form Kumasi in Ghana and has been in Bedford for just a few months. She works as a carer but in her spare time loves to sing, dance and read. She is always smiling and laughing.
12. Kasia comes from Elk in Poland but now lives in Switzerland where she works as a personal assistant. She loves to cook, especially Italian food, and to travel. She was on holiday in Bedford when this photos was taken.
13. Elaine is Bedford born and bred and works as a full-time mum. Before that she was a carer and an Ambassador for Children’s Centres. She loves to create through her art and craft and spends time gardening, which she really enjoys.
14. Lola has lived in Bedford for 20 years but was originally from Nigeria. She works in the field of clinical biology. She likes to chill with friends and describes herself as an adventure junkie! Her most daring exploit was to paraglide from a mountain in Turkey.
15. Chloe has always lived in Bedford and, for the last 11 years, her passion has been roller skating. She can often be seen skating in the Kempston area and down her street which, she says, is a little risky as it’s quite steep. At home she spends some quiet time with her cat, Pocket.
17. Keeny is from Nigeria originally but has lived in Bedford for 12 years. She recently graduated with a master’s degree in finance. She spends some of her spare time writing a blog about her personal experiences and lifestyles in general and has published her own book, entitled, “The Girl You Don’t Know”.
16. Amelia was originally from Sierra Leone, like her husband, Emmanuel (also featured on the 100 men page). She now lives in Tottenham and is a keen football supporter. She works as a health care professional and in her spare time loves to travel, especially to the USA and loves to cook. Her speciality dish is Jollof rice with chicken. Sounds delicious!
19. Emily lives in Bedford and has four children. She is an instrument scientist working in the field of weather on a convection project taking place in Wessex. She loves all water activities, especially paddle-boarding and sailing.
18. Helen lives in Irchester with her husband of 51 years, Doug. (If you look on the 100 men page, you will see Doug.) She worked in the local Co-op for 10 years. A committed Christian, she loves to walk, garden, and take holidays. She regularly looks after her family’s dogs -a Cockapoo and a Cocker Spaniel.
20. Donna lives in Wheathampstead but was over here supporting her son who was taking part in the Bedford Regatta. She also has a daughter who is a keen hockey player. I met her while she was busy serving refreshments at the regatta.
21. Ivana was on holiday in Malta when I met her but lives in Belgrade, Serbia. Although she has recently been working as a nanny, she is a qualified dental nurse. She lives with her son Luka but when she can, she loves to travel and take photographs.
23. Pauline is a Maltese photographer, living in Sliema, across the water from Valletta. She is a retired pharmacist who loves to combine photography with travel. She also loves to learn and can speak five languages. She is photographed here next to the building where the Malta Photographic Society, of which she is a keen member, meet.
22. Marthese is Maltese, living in Rabat, Malta with her artist husband, Marco. She runs an Airbnb and loves to relax in the town square with a coffee and the local speciality, pastizzi. Typically of the Maltese people I met, she was friendly and welcoming as I’m sure she is to all her guests.
24. Carmen was born in Cudillero, Spain but now lives in Perth, Australia. She is the CEO of a not-for-profit organisation providing legal support for people who cannot afford it or who have mental health issues. When I met her, she was visiting the Covadonga lakes and Cangas de Onis in Asturias, Spain.
23. Elvira works in a wonderful bar in Gijón called “Arca de Noe”. She has worked there for 2 years and always has a smile for her customers. In her free time, she likes to walk, skate go to the theatre and cook for her 15-year-old daughter, Nuria.
25. I met Kate on a rainy day in Gijón, Spain. From Noosa in Queensland, Australia, Kate was on a 6 week tour of Spani and Portugal with her partner. She has retired from her work with the Air Force as a Logistics Officer. She loves dogs and has a French Bulldog at home.
26. Leyre is from Barcelona and works in communications for “Fundación Badalona”. She runs and does pilates in her spare time and enjoys spending time with her friend Robyn who she was in Gijón with on a “best-friend-getaway”. I met her while she was celebrating her 27th birthday
28. Maya is from a small town in Poland called Pabianice although she has lived in Bedford for 15 years. I met her as she was finishing one of her regular training sessions on the river which, she says, takes up most of her free time these days. She has been rowing for four years and has taken part in the 4s Head on the Thames, and Tideway among other competitions. Her job with the NHS working in data assurance keeps her busy otherwise.
29. Hatice was visiting her nephew in London although she normally lives in Marash, Turkey where she stays at home to look after her family. She is pictured here in front of her nephew’s wonderful shop in Brick Lane.
30. Josephine is a recovering addict who I met in Brick Lane, London. Originally from London she has spent time in care in Essex but is now back in London where she works to help other recovering addicts. She sells magazines on the street and makes gift cards to sell, making good use of her love of art.
31. Isabel works in the delightful Sorolla Museum in Madrid and lives in Ajalvir, close to Madrid. I met her in San Fernando market where she works in the afternoon and where she gives her many customers a warm welcome.
32. Carmen is a hairdresser and is Isabel’s sister. She also works in San Fernando market and lives in Ajalvir. She is pictured here in from of a wonderful selection of drinks and sauces.
33. Lula has worked in Can Fernando market for four months but has also worked marketing for the Madrid theatre Nuevo Apolo. Her lovely smile made all of her customers feel welcome.
34. Mary has lived in Cardington for most of her life, and although, at 85, she is now retired she is still very active around the village. She comes from a farming background but worked a s a dental nurse for many years. It was such a delight to meet her on her home turf and she was able to tell us loads about the village, pointing out the best spots to take photographs.