First West of England Women’s Summit takes place in Bristol

Almost 100 leaders and experts gathered in Bristol for the first West of England Women’s Summit.

West of England Mayor Helen Godwin (L), Women’s Commission Chair Penny Gane, and Avon & Somerset Police & Crime Commissioner Clare Moody (R) at the Women’s Summit in Bristol in September 2025

Organised by the newly-formed West of England Women’s Commission, the event on 17 September 2025, saw representatives from local authorities, NHS, police, universities and colleges, businesses and the charity sector come together under one shared mission - to improve the lives of women and girls in the region.

Notably, both keynote speakers at the summit were elected female leaders - West of England Mayor Helen Godwin and Police & Crime Commissioner Clare Moody. 

Mayor Godwin said: “We must focus on economic growth that benefits all of us, women included. Considering the themes of the summit today there are clear themes and opportunities for the regional authority to support and make progress against these challenges. From young people into careers to making sure our streets and transport hubs are well lit and, of course, access to toilets.”

Women’s safety in focus

The PCC, working with Avon & Somerset Police’s first female Chief Constable Sarah Crew, focused her speech on women’s safety. “We have to focus on prevention,” she said. “It does require attention - designing out threats, and designing in safety. We must allow and enable women to feel safe in our public spaces. Young women are still holding keys in their hands as a defence mechanism, as we did. It is not just making sure women are safe, it’s making sure women feel safe. So that the next generations don’t have to feel they have to take those measures.”

The event was chaired by Penny Gane, who helped set up and run the former Bristol Women’s Commission for over a decade until it was disbanded last year - making way for a bigger, better regional commission. As Chair of the West of England Women’s Commission, Penny oversaw the planning of the summit, which included dedicated roundtables on issues including tackling misogyny and inclusive growth.

A national leader in equality

Penny said: “It feels amazing to have got this far with our new commission. We are still working on some finer details, but there is a huge appetite to get on with the important work and make a difference for women and girls across the whole region. The Commission brings together leaders from key organisations local authorities, business, education, healthcare, policing and community organisations across the West of England; and it is through these organisations that we can exert influence and bring about lasting change. This region has the opportunity to become a national leader in tackling women’s inequality. Not through speeches, but through sustained, strategic, collective action and that is exactly what this summit is about.”

The event at Triodos Bank in Bristol comes exactly one year after the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority re-affirmed its commitment to improving the lives of women and girls by backing the West of England Women’s Commission.

Events for change

Much of the time spent since has been creating the commission - securing representatives from all constituent authorities (Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire), NHS, police, fire and rescue, universities, colleges and schools, business and the charity sector. And building new task groups, bringing in even more partners to work together on women’s equality. It’s also developed its strategy and unveiled a new website and brand to help bring everything together. The summit marks the first - it is hoped of many - events to shine a spotlight on women’s inequality, and foster the connections and collaborations needed to tackle it.

Mayor Godwin, elected earlier this year, filmed a video for the newly formed commission pledging her commitment to taking action to help women and girls in the region thrive. She reiterated this at the summit, saying: “It’s a full room, lots of good conversations. We are thinking, as a group of women with all different backgrounds from across the region, about how we can tackle things like women’s safety. We can think about how women can succeed in business, how we improve skills options, how we promote the caring economy, how we get more women and girls into STEM. Really thinking about what we do as a region to make sure that we are delivering for the region and giving more people pathways to skills, to jobs and mostly to hope.”