Celebrating March 8 International Women’s Day, we look at Yorkshire female role models who have changed the world of politics, science, sport, art, literature and popular culture.
1. Mel B
Melanie Janine Brown is an English singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Scary Spice. With more than 100 million records sold worldwide, the group became the best-selling female group of all time.
2. Kay Mellor
The Leeds-born English actress, scriptwriter and director best known for her work on several successful television drama series. They include Band of Gold and Fat Friends. Her daughter Gaynor Faye is one of the country’s favourite leading ladies on stage and small screen.
3. Barbara Taylor Bradford
The writer grew up in Leeds and once worked as a typist at Yorkshire Evening Post. Her debut novel A Woman of Substance has sold 30 million copies and is one of the biggest-selling books of all time, helping her become a literary phenomenon.
4. Barbara Hepworth
A former pupil of Wakefield Girls’ High School, Hepworth was one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century and the inspiration behind Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth Wakefield. She blazed a trail for others to follow.