Celebrating Women Of London

Women who shaped our lives: Vote for your favourite

At least a dozen women from minority ethnic communities are among the 40 most influential women in the UK chosen for a City Hall exhibition

The women are described as some of the most influential women the world has seen.

The influential women are wide ranging, from politicians - former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher; Emmeline Pankhurst, the leade of the British suffragette movement, whose efforts led to women being given the right to vote; sitting MP Diane Abbott, civil rights activist, Claudia Jones, civil liberties campaigner Shami Chakrabarti; to sports women - double Olympics gold medalist, Kelly Holmes, writers and  entertainers, including singer Leona Lewis and Princess Diana.

The exhibition, entitled Celebrating Women Of London, focuses on those who have lived or worked in the capital in the past century and have made groundbreaking contributions in their fields.

The City Hall exhibition running for two weeks from March 4, feature 40 photos of the women who have shaped the lives of generations in the past 100 years and include a poll to allow you to vote for your favourite.

The event put on by Greater London Authority, the Press Association and Metro is to celebrate the centenary of International Women’s Day.

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, commented; “I am delighted to stage this exciting exhibition to celebrate the centenary of International Women’s Day. The outstanding women featured provide a snapshot of the pivotal roles London’s women play in every part of the capital’s life.”

To read biographies of all the woman and vote for your favourite London woman .Click here  .

40 most influential women:

Millicent Fawcett
Margaret Thatcher
Ruth Lea
Angela Sarkis
Patricia Scotland
Rose Hudson- Wilkin
Camila Batmanghelidjh
Justine Roberts
Tanni Grey- Thompson
Kelly Holmes
Kate Moss
Zadie Smith
MIA
Emmeline Pankhurst
Betty Boothroyd
Andrea Levy
Clara Furse
Diana, Princess of Wales
Tracey Emin
Angela Hartnett
Shami Chakrabarti
Martha Lane Fox
Marai Larasi
Vanessa-Mae
Leona Lewis
Virginia Woolf
Elizabeth Butler-Sloss
Sally Hamwee
Claudia Jones
Judi Dench
Moira Stuart
Cicely Saunders
Barbara Windsor
Zaha Hadid
Rosalind Franklin
Vivienne Westwood
Diane Abbott
Lynne Owens
Cressida Dick
Twiggy

Winsome-Grace Cornish (not included):

Main picture: Claudia Jones, Diane Abbott and Shami Chakrabrti.