A Southport woman has been named winner of the Community Champion award at Merseyside Women of the Year 2025 awards.
Southport-based ASDA Community Champion, Sharon Gregory-Wareing, was named the category winner at the glittering ceremony on Friday (27th June 2025).
Originally from Stoke-on-Trent, Sharon has embraced Southport as home and is celebrating 25 years in the town. Over the years, she has personally raised £34,000 for Tickled Pink, and £15,000 for BBC Children in Need.
Her work inspires those around her through hands-on action, heartfelt care, and a drive to create lasting change.
Sharon is a member of the Lord Street In Bloom volunteers, who last year looked after all the flowers and tributes left in the Town Hall Gardens after the Southport tragedy. This year they have been busy transforming the gardens into a beautiful space full of thousands of pink and white flowers, plants and planters as a community space for all.
Sharon is also on the Southport BID Board of Directors, an unpaid role, supporting businesses in Southport town centre.
She said: “Wow, thank you so much to Brenda Porter for nominating me; also to everyone who voted for me; and to the Amazing Ellie Kerr for putting this together with Moira O’Shaugnessy from Financial Planning Corporation (FPC) in Southport.
“I’ve had the most amazing day ever. I couldn’t be more proud of winning the Merseyside Women Of The Year Community Champion category. Thanks also to the category sponsors Merseyrail.
“What a way for Sam Gregory-Wareing and I to spend our 18th Wedding Anniversary!”
Paula Johnson of Sparkles Boutique was named runner-up in the category, which was sponsored by Merseyrail.
The overall Merseyside Woman of the Year 2025 was revealed as Stephanie Barney, 23, CEO & Co-Founder of rapidly expanding social enterprise, Girls On The Go (GOTG) – the youngest ever winner of the top accolade in the awards’ history.
Driven by her own experiences with isolation, Stephanie co-founded GOTG to create the safe, supportive communities she wished she’d had. Under her leadership, GOTG has grown organically across Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham, fostering over 10,000 friendships through hundreds of accessible wellness and social events and raising over £65,000 for women’s and children’s charities.
The ‘Woman of the Year’ award was presented to Stephanie by headline sponsors, FPC, at a glittering ceremony at the Crowne Plaza in Liverpool City Centre on Friday (27th June 2025) – the 15th birthday edition of the prestigious awards.
Receiving the award Stephanie said: “Winning this award is one of the biggest honours of my life, it’s absolutely amazing and I am so proud of myself and my co-founders Caitlin and Martin.
“I also think my younger self would be really, really proud of me right now. What we’ve created with Girls On The Go (GOTG) is what she needed when she was feeling really isolated. Winning Merseyside Woman of the Year will allow us to grow GOTG, make sure no one ever feels as lonely as I did and help as many women as we can.
“I also want to congratulate the other winners and finalists, who are all doing incredible things to help and support women. It’s an honour to share this stage with you all.”
MWOTY Founding Director, Ellie Kerr, said: “What Stephanie has built in such a short time and at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable, not only has she built a safe, inclusive and diverse community women and girls, that is actively tackling the issue of loneliness and isolation, she has made it financially sustainable, with delivering social impact at the heart of all that it does.
“She is demonstrating how social activism and business leadership can go hand in hand, and how we can make an enormous difference through collaboration and co-working. Girls On The Go is only at the start of its journey, and it has enormous potential, we’re so excited to see – and support – what comes next.
“I would like to congratulate Stephanie, and all of our category winners and runners-up, the energy, passion, expertise and commitment to making in change in our 2025 alumni group is incredible. I am proud to welcome them to the MWOTY Movement, and I look forward to seeing what magic we can all create together over the next year, and beyond!”
Ten winners were revealed at this year’s MWOTY awards and celebrated across a range of categories for supporting and improving the lives of people in Merseyside and beyond, through business leadership, voluntary work, activism, charitable organisations and entrepreneurial and creative endeavours.
The 15th birthday event also marked Pauline Daniels’ final year presenting the awards, with the renowned comedienne, singer and actress retiring from her longstanding role as MWOTY commère, who was celebrated by MWOTY founding director, Ellie, during the event.
Throughout the afternoon, attendees heard from guest speaker, Nicola Carragher, who is currently completing a challenge to run all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors consecutively within 12 months, to raise as much money as possible for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Guests were entertained by Liverpool-based singer-songwriter, Emilie Culshaw, and The Liverpool Signing Choir, whose creator, Catherine Hegarty was overall “Woman of the Year” in 2010, and there was delicious food and drink and a silent auction and fundraising for the Community Foundation for Merseyside’s Women’s Fund and the MWOTY Legacy Fund.
The Community Leader award, sponsored by NEO Community & ADDvanced Solutions, was presented to Racheal Jones, CEO of One Knowsley. She was recognised for her commitment to social justice, dedicating +20 years to advancing socio-economic policy and practice and growing the impact of One Knowsley under her leadership. Cultivating cross-sector collaboration at local, regional, and national levels and ensuring that VCFSE and underrepresented voices are heard in decision-making processes, she has played a pivotal role in integrating VCFSE perspectives into public service design and delivery, championing underrepresented groups and driving investment and resources into community led responses.
Community Leader Runner-Up: Tamara Gilbert, The Positivitree
Katie Bowater, founder of the Young Entrepreneurs Club, was awarded the Entrepreneur accolade, sponsored by Rathbones, for her remarkable journey from international athlete to entrepreneur at 18, when injuries left her temporarily in a wheelchair, forcing her to rethink her future. She launched Beautification by Katie and invested in her first buy-to-let property while juggling multiple jobs and university studies. She created the Young Entrepreneurs Club to provide a community for 18–35-year-old entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate and make friend, hosting sell-out events in Liverpool and Manchester and is building an online platform to provide further support.
Entrepreneur Runner-Up: Megan Kimmance, Red Run
The Inspirational Women award, sponsored by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, was won by Andrea Newton. Self-employed for 26 years and working across a variety of sectors, Andrea encourages people to have conversations about often sensitive subjects that can save and change lives; from training IDVAs in suicide intervention to teaching men about menopause. She recently launched “Actually, she can!” – a programme by women, for women – and the inaugural event raised £32k to support future female talent in Halton.
Inspirational Women Runner-Up: Stephanie Barney, Girls on the Go
The Women of Courage award, sponsored by Auteur Media, was presented to Mel Kelly, for her work with Motivating Minds, an organisation dedicated to empowering individuals through workshops and community support initiatives, which she founded after being diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2022. Mel established the organisation to foster resilience, self-awareness, and well-being in her community. Her innovative programs, which blend psychological insights with practical life skills, have touched countless lives, aiding in recovery and personal growth. Mel is also a young ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity, and she has fundraised more than £11k for various charities.
Women of Courage Runner-Up: Hayley Smallman, Woodlands Hospice
Winner of the Business Leader award, sponsored by McIver Scott Executive Recruitment, was Gillian Ashcroft, founder of Exceptional Care and Think Tank Academy, through which she has revolutionised the care sector, providing therapeutic homes for vulnerable children and offering innovative training for care professionals. Gill has built 10 successful businesses across the care, training, and renewable energy industries. A committed philanthropist, she supports 20+ charities and advocates for policy change to improve social care.
Business Leader Runner-Up: Justine McLaughlin, Phantom Digital
The Social Impact award, sponsored by Morecrofts, was presented to Gemma Gosling, founder of Iconic NW CIC. Gemma was recognised for her passion for breaking down barriers in the fashion, beauty, and performing arts industries. As A&R for Big Condo Records, she plays a key role in discovering and nurturing talent. And she also runs the Queen Cobra Netball team. Gemma works tirelessly to support those with mental health challenges or hidden disabilities and is committed to creating inclusive spaces that foster personal growth, confidence-building, and empowerment.
Social Impact Runner-Up: Ciiku Sondergaard, 4Wings
The Women Making a Difference Award, sponsored by Merseyrail, was awarded to Dr Rebecca Dobson, Consultant Cardiologist and Cancer Lead at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. Since joining the hospital in 2019 she has established the groundbreaking Cardio-Oncology Service at the hospital, which cares for hundreds of people living with heart disease who have developed cancer or who have cancer, or those who are at risk of heart disease due to the high toxicity of their chemotherapy treatments. Thanks to her expertise and the skill of the team she has built, many hundreds of people are today enjoying a life that without them might not have been possible.
Women Making a Difference Runner-Up: Professor Adetoro Adegoke
The 2025 MWOTY Fellowship award was presented to Cynthia Cartwright, commercial director at Wongs Jewellers. Joining the business in 2014, Cynthia’s commercial skills, fearlessness and natural enthusiasm and passion have driven the business forward, leading to her 2022 board appointment, when she became the first ever non-family member to join the board. Since then, the business has experienced its best ever trading year in 2023, making it the most profitable 12-month period in Wongs’ 45-year history, and continued to grow its market presence, including expansion into Manchester. Cynthia has also helped the business to achieve Great Place to Work certification in 2024 and seen it recognised as one of the top small businesses in the UK at the Best Workplaces Awards and overseen its work in communities, raising £250,000 for charities in the last decade.
Full information on all winners and runners-up can be found here: www.merseysidewomenoftheyear.co.uk/alumni/
Moira O’Shaughnessy, Managing Partner at FPC said: “As a proud mother of two daughters, now aged 28 and 31, I am especially delighted to celebrate Stephanie Barney’s remarkable success. Both my daughters left home at 18 and have since lived, studied, and worked away, so I understand first-hand the challenges young women face when forging new paths in unfamiliar places – building friendships, navigating careers, and establishing themselves in new communities.
“MWOTY is for women of all ages and backgrounds, and a winner like Stephanie will undoubtedly help broaden the reach of the movement, making it more inclusive and accessible to young women who are seeking inspiration, mentoring, and connection.
“FPC is honoured to support Stephanie as she embraces everything that comes with being part of the MWOTY community. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners – thanks to their energy, impact, and passion, MWOTY continues to go from strength to strength. We look forward to continuing our support for Ellie and the team in the months and years ahead.”
The Merseyside Women of the Year Awards will return in 2026, on Friday 26th June, with 2026 nominations set to open in January.
To find out more, visit: https://merseysidewomenoftheyear.co.uk
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