Baroness Floella Benjamin & Women of the Year

To celebrate our newsletter launch, we asked the magnificent Dame Floella Benjamin, one of our most staunch supporters, to share what Women of the Year means to her…

“I was first invited to the Women of the Year Lunch in 1984 and was so excited, as I had seen the event being covered on television. It was in the days when ladies wore hats and gloves as it was a dress to impress occasion. I remember wearing a red and black hat to go with my ‘Dallas style’ padded shoulder suit.

I was greeted by a charismatic character with a black eye patch over one eye. ‘Darling Flo,’ she declared, “I’m Tony. Welcome to the lunch. You are the Pied Piper for children”. I was taken aback because I had been receiving letters from someone called Tony who I assumed was a man and didn’t realise it was the Marchioness Antonella Lothian, who called herself Tony.

From that day on a deep, lasting relationship developed between us. She was a tour de force; an intrepid visionary; a pioneer who dared to go where others feared to tread. You knew you were with a strong powerhouse for good when you were in her presence. One of her grandchildren called her a ‘monument’ because she was such a tower of strength.

Tony created the Women of the Year Lunch together with the war heroine Odette Hallowes in 1955. It was the year Ruth Ellis was hanged for murder, the last woman in the UK to be executed, and three years before women were allowed to be appointed to the House of Lords.

She and Odette recognised that women’s contribution to society, especially after the Second World War, needed to be celebrated. But when they first came up with the idea they were told they would be lucky to find more than fifty women to honour. Five hundred women attended that first lunch at the in the lavish ballroom at the Savoy Hotel, and there has been a celebration each year ever since.

Tony believed when women meet, there is always more to unite than divide us. She made sure the the lunch welcomed women from every, race, culture, social class and background. She wanted everyone to have an uplifting experience. There was no other place where you could meet a truck driver, a shepherdess, a pilot, and a policewoman alongside writers and actresses, Prime Ministers and Presidents. What was most noticeable was the noise level in the room excited women, it went off the decibel scale!

In the early days there was always a royal guest of honour who attended the lunch and a message from the Queen who, of course, achieved like no other monarch.

Tony was a great motivator and cheerleader and encouraged me to get involved in the planning of the lunch. I started off being in charge of the speakers, then became the Chair for five years. For my first year I got the chef to create a Caribbean menu for the guests. Tony and I worked together as a harmonious team, inviting several eminent world leaders to speak at the lunch, breaking down barriers, pushing for equality and showcasing diversity in society.

Because Tony wanted the lunch be a fundraiser as well as a celebration, she used the occasion to raise money for the blind and in 1987, the Frink Award was created to acknowledge women who had overcome disability.

It was Tony’s dream to have a millennium celebration and for the 2000, lunch to honour great people of the 20^th century. Valentina Tereshkova and Nelson Mandela were chosen as the two exemplary leaders to recognised.  It was the first time men were invited to join the women – only for tea after the lunch though.

Over the years the lunch has evolved, and for the past four years Tony’s granddaughter, Lady Louise Vaughan, has been at the helm as its Chair. People question whether there is still a place for an event dedicated to women and their achievements and I believe very firmly that there is, not least because there are many areas in the workplace where the glass ceiling is still firmly in place.

There is still a long way to go, and women are finding themselves at the target of aggression and violence from men more than ever. But we have to be determined, to never give up and show resilience, the way Tony did seventy years ago, when the idea of celebrating women’s achievement in society was deemed impossible.

I also believe as we progress our way to the top we must take our men with us and not leave them behind struggling, the way they left us. That’s what Tony would have wanted.

Tony and I spoke on the phone almost every night before she went to bed, especially during her last days before she passed away in 2007. She wanted reassurance that her mission to create the lunch was worthwhile and made me promise faithfully to keep the lunch alive until every woman felt that they would not be held back from achieving their ambition.

I used to sing her one of her favourite songs, ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ at the end of our long, sometimes animated conversations. It was her signature tune and I will continue to sing it as a mark of respect, affection and devotion to her…my beloved Tony and continue to support the lunch to keep her legacy alive.”

Baroness Floella Benjamin, OM DBE DL – Chair 1995-2000