THREE Wirral women have been named as finalists for the Merseyside Women of the Year Awards 2024.

Amanda Unsworth of Trinity Logistics, Jayne Hughes of Amy and Friends, and Lynne Akwei-Howe, of Crea8ing Community are three of 20 finalists who have been recognised for their work supporting and improving the lives of people in Merseyside and beyond.

Category winners and the overall ‘Merseyside Woman of the Year 2024’ will be revealed at a ceremony at the Crowne Plaza in Liverpool City Centre on Friday, June 28.

Founding Director, Ellie Kerr, said: “This year we saw the largest number of entries we have ever received, and the quality was outstanding. It wasn’t an easy decision for our judging panel, being presented with nominations for so many inspiring women, but we are so excited to be able to reveal our 2024 finalists.

“The MWOTY movement is committed to providing a platform for women to be seen, heard and found. Our finalists are business and community leaders, volunteers, campaigners and creatives who are using their time, skills and expertise to help others, change whole industries and make our region a better place.

“Many do this away from the spotlight and ask nothing for themselves. However, we believe their work should be visible and celebrated, and that by stepping onto the MWOTY platform and becoming part of our community, we can work together to help make even more difference.

“Congratulations to all of our finalists, every single nominee, and thank you to everyone who took the time to make a nomination. It’s truly humbling to know how many brilliant women are out there in the region.”

Lynne Akwei-Howe is the Founder and CEO of Crea8ing Community, a youth employability service that supports vulnerable families experiencing issues with mental health, SEND, bullying, domestic violence, and substance abuse.

Her vision is to address systemic causes and not isolated symptoms using a trauma-informed holistic approach which meant growing multi-faceted support services, which influenced community provision across Wirral and Merseyside.

Amanda Unsworth is the Managing Director of Trinity Logistics, a female-led business in a male dominated industry.

Amanda's career story has humble beginnings, with her working as a docker at Liverpool Port at the age of 17.

From there she worked for a number of shipping lines in the UK and Europe, eventually holding a global management position in India.

After 14 years Amanda moved into freight forwarding, setting up a Liverpool supply chain department which flourished.

It was while in this position and after falling pregnant with her second child that she decided to go it alone and established Trinity Logistics. She took her first company to a turnover of £42 million in 2022 and opened a sister office in Shenzhen, China – all before the age of 40.

Jayne Hughes is the CEO of Amy and Friends, a charity supporting children suffering from DNA repair disorders in childhood, and their families/carers.

In 2005 Jayne and her daughter Amy travelled to America where Amy was diagnosed with Cockayne Syndrome (CS), after eight years of struggling.

The condition has no cure and only palliative treatment. Jayne decided to create something not just to help Amy, but also other families like theirs.

The charity holds an annual conference bringing together +300 family members from across the world and 42 scientists/medics to collaborate with research, make diagnosis, and provide help and guidance, as well as offering 24/7 online support, respite for parents/siblings and weekly zoom activities to reduce isolation.

The overall Merseyside Woman of the Year 2024 will be selected from 20 finalists, following a public vote (contributing 50% of the overall score) and being marked by the organisation’s judging panel against its criteria, contributing the remaining 50% of the final score.

The public vote is open until midnight on Sunday, June 2, 2024.

To cast your vote for Merseyside Woman of the Year, visit: https://merseysidewomenoftheyear.co.uk/finalists-2024/