Trailblazers leading a new gender revolution

Entrepreneurs, activists and inspiring creatives, London’s women are changing the world for the better this International Women’s Day

- Claire Cohen

Natalee Barnett, 23 
CEO of The Girls Spot Gym

Influencer Natalee Barnett is tackling the problem of gym harassment, raising pre-seed funding for The Girls Spot, women-only gyms. “It’s about providing a safe and inclusive space for women to be women and train without the fear of being harrassed,” she says.

Seren Jones, 27
Co-founder of the Black Swimming Association (BSA)

It was after hanging up her goggles at 22 that swimmer Seren Jones turned to journalism. In 2019, the Hackney-based former sportswoman made a radio documentary called Black Girls Don’t Swim about the lack of diversity in competitive swimming. In fact, statistics from Sport England show that 95 per cent of black adults and 80 per cent of black children in England don’t swim. The radio documentary was heard by Danielle Obe, a mother of three who was then trying to design a waterproof swimming cap that would make detangling her children’s hair easier. The two met up before joining forces with Alice Dearing, Britain’s first black Olympic swimmer, and filmmaker Ed Accura. Together they founded the BSA in March 2020 to break down the barriers that ethnic minorities face in swimming. Despite launching into the midst of a pandemic, the success of the BSA in London means it is now being backed by Sport Wales to expand its work outside of the capital.

Hannah Karpel, 23
Fashion and documentary writer