International Women’s Day 2024
The best runner in the world, an Irish wrestler, and an award winning artist...
March 06, 2024
Inspire Inclusion for International Women's Day 2024.
Louise, Rhia and Amy - 3 GoodGym women enabling countless others to do good in their communities. Inspiring inclusion, the tagline for International Women's Day 2024, is about championing the inclusion of women and girls at every level.
Let's explore some of the incredible achievements of these 3 women, starting with the best runner in the world...
Louise Cheong - the best runner in the world
You might think it’s Mary Keitany or Eliud Kipchoge but have they completed 394 good deeds in a single year? That’s what Louise did in 2023.
Whether it was delivering hot meals to Mrs. N last January, being a guide runner supporting visually impaired runners as part of Achilles International, or delivering lashings of elbow grease to community garden projects such as planting bulbs with the Wilberforce Trust in York - Louise has done it all.
Such selflessness earnt her the Sean Coxhead Inspiring Individual Award in 2023.
The prior winner of the award, Sheila Attenborough, said:
Sean Coxhead Inspiring Individual Award: https://www.goodgym.org/v3/stories/sean-coxhead-winner-2023
Rhia Docherty - combining running with… wrestling??
Rhia Docherty has sat on the GoodGym Board of Trustees since 2020, bringing her passion for fitness and community alongside her fundraising skills to the team. Making a name for herself as part of The Big Issue Foundation, the impact of her fundraising can be seen across the streets of the UK on any given day. To date, she has raised over £2 million and is currently working for Sumatran Orangutan Society to protect wild orangutans and their rainforests.
But that's not all, outside her fundraising career, Rhia is also a professional wrestler.
In the realm of professional wrestling, Rhia is known as "The Fighting Irish" Rhia O'Reilly. She has performed across the world including the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, and Japan, holding several titles throughout her career. As a trailblazer, Rhia has championed inclusivity in wrestling, creating training opportunities for women, non-binary, and trans individuals. She is also part of the team behind Galzilla, a women's wrestling promotion, and Fist Club, a queer wrestling promotion, and is dedicated to breaking barriers and fostering a more inclusive and diverse wrestling community.
Rhia is one of the ‘good guys’ inside and outside of the ring, and an incredible asset to the team at GoodGym.
Rhia’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhiadocherty/
Amy Lovell - award winning artist and tireless GoodGymer
Amy Lovell is the GoodGym Area Activator for Windsor and Maidenhead, and a talented artist to boot. Focusing on life in her art, Amy paints everything from life models to cherished family moments. She even won an award for the painting of a GoodGym task, beautifully capturing the essence of GoodGymers in that moment.
A mum of 4, pilates instructor, GoodGymer Area Activator and award winning artist, Amy seems to have done it all. And although success seems to follow her at every opporunity, it's not without it's hardships to get there. Launching GoodGym Windsor and Maidenhead in 2020, just 3 weeks before national lockdown, she has managed to forge one of GoodGym’s busiest locations. Attributing her success to being adaptable and capitalising on momentum to build a strong team around her, she says it’s become a virtuous cycle of growth.
Empowering others is the name of her game, and Amy delivers consistently.
Most recently, Amy (left) helped Mandy (right), a TaskForce member of Windsor and Maidenhead, launch a session of her own, making it easier for folks from Windsor to join group sessions.
A devoted mother and pillar of her community, Amy is an asset to GoodGym, her local area, and her family.
Check out more of Amy’s artwork: https://www.instagram.com/amylovellcreative/
Raising awareness of issues of inequality is the first step towards correcting them, the next step is action. This year, International Women’s Day looks to inspire inclusion on both an individual and a group level. From forging an economic path forward in the workplace, to seeking to understand and value the inclusion of women, it will take a united effort. Collectively, anyone can participate in whatever activity they feel is most relevant and impactful to their context.
With a rich history of over 100 years, International Women's Day 2024 invites you to become part of that history. Choose to step forward and inspire inclusion for women and girls worldwide.
Read more about this years theme of inclusion: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme