InspirationAll Award winners and highly commended women and girls
Eleven of Barnet’s most inspiring women and girls have been recognised in a council-backed awards programme held at Hendon Town Hall yesterday (Monday 2 March).
For the third year running the awards were given out for outstanding contributions and accomplishments in the fields of business, sport, environment, and community and culture.
Ahead of International Women’s Day 2026 (Sunday 8 March) the InspirationAll Awards were presented to the winners and highly commended individuals at a ceremony hosted by former Mayor of Barnet and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, Cllr Alison Moore.
The awards winners and highly commended for each category were:
Inspiring Young Woman
Winner: Christiana Rose, Events and Development Office Middlesex University
Environment and Sustainability
Winner: Wendy Alcock, Incredible Edible Barnet and Have a Grow
Highly commended: Mia-Ming Steel, Rooted City Project
Sport and Wellbeing
Winner: Naomi Lerer, CEO and Founder of Noa Girls
Highly commended: Marian Gureng and Mary Vergara, The Mum Club, Barnet
Business and Construction
Winner: Amber Francis, Head Chef and Senior Food Educator at Christ’s College Finchley
Highly commended: Emma Louise Mattocks, Founder of The One Network
Community and Culture
Winner: Janet Matthewson, CEO of the Young Barnet Foundation
Highly commended: Monna Rizvi, Service Development Liaison Librarian at Middlesex University
Special Recognition Award
Hadiya Masieh, Founder and CEO at Groundswell Project
Hadiya was given a special recognition award posthumously, following her tragic death after a sudden illness last month. She was a trusted voice in Barnet’s voluntary and community sector through her community interest company, Groundswell Project. She was recognised for the inter-faith, peacebuilding and community cohesion work she had led in Barnet and beyond.
Barnet Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure, Arts & Sports, Cllr Anne Clarke, said:
“This year we have celebrated 11 exceptionally talented and dedicated women and girls in Barnet. In their own fields, their accomplishments set them apart. They were nominated by people who live, work or study in our borough, showing the difference, they have made to so many people’s lives. I congratulate and thank them for all they have achieved and given to our communities. They have inspired us all.”
The InspirationAll panel of judges included Cllr Zahra Beg, Cabinet Member for Equalities, Poverty Reduction and the Voluntary & Community Sector, Cllr Sara Conway, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Community Cohesion and Ending Violence Against Women & Girls, William Cooper from Barnet Council, Yogita Popat from Barnet Council, Bina Omare, CEO of the Colindale Community Trust, Shiri Atsmon and Naomi Verber both previous InspirationAll Awards winners, and young person and previous winner Snnehal Vijay.
For more information on the InspirationAll Awards visit: Celebrating Barnet's women and girls 2025 to 2026 | Barnet Council