This month we sat down with our favourite photographer, the talented Penny Bird who is responsible for all our website & social media images.

Meeting Penny is one of those moments in life that I am incredibly grateful for. Not just for her talent as a photographer and how she has brought my vision to life, but also for her beautiful, kind, encouraging personality and generosity of spirit.

Today we are putting your talent as a photographer aside and talking about another passion project that you champion .... #SHE INSPIRES

“I love my life. Drawing inspiration from the extraordinary people around me is how I live the sparkly life of my dreams.”

What is #SHEINSPIRES all about?

It’s an annual initiative aimed at getting women to tell their stories of courage, kindness and generosity and inspire the women around them.

During International Women’s Month, the people of Harpenden nominate inspirational women in their midst and then vote for them. The People’s Choice is announced at the end of the month. pennybird and camera gifts a series of portraits to the winner to showcase their acts.

Why did you start the initiative?

I started this initiative three years ago when I realised my mother genuinely didn’t have any idea of how many lives she had positively influenced during her lifetime as a dance teacher. It made me realise that everyone inspires people around them, but most don’t realise the impact of what they do. I want to change that.

What do you love most about #SHEINSPIRES

I absolute adore meeting these incredible women, hearing, and learning from their stories. It’s so uplifting to discover them and realise we stand amongst such amazing humans.

Who won #SHEINSPIRES 2020?

Rachel Mackie. Athlete, mother and driving force behind Run Redbourn. She is also involved in Active in Redbourn and was instrumental in creating the Redbourn mile.

Read Rachels full story along with those of the other amazing nominees by clicking on this link here to Penny Bird's website.

Read Rachel's Story

www.pennybird.co.uk/sheinspires

I'm sure some of our readers would love to learn more about She Inspires and how to take part. Where should they go?

That would be FAB! Join the inspiration conversation over on facebook. We have a page here and everyone is welcome to take part. We love to hear everyones story!

JOIN HERE

Our recipe for inspiration

On 31 March, instead of an awards event featuring cocktails and canapés at a swishy venue, nominees for #SHEINSPIRES 2020 hosted a Zoom conversation to share their expert views on the ingredients for inspiration.