International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8th celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women worldwide. The day also marks a call to action for advancing gender equality with this year’s theme being ‘Give to Gain’ encouraging a mindset of generosity and collaboration.
When people, organisations and communities give generously…. opportunities and support for women increase.
Giving is not a subtraction! It’s intentional multiplication. When women thrive, we all rise.
Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring or time, contributing to women’s advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.
In 2026, IWD marks an extraordinary milestone: 115 years of collective action and progress toward gender equality.
For more than a century, IWD has helped drive transformative change. Each generation has built on the courage of those before it, pushing boundaries and redefining what is possible.
Surrey has a plethora of successful women achieving amazing things day after day. These remarkable women are revealing all in this feature on what it’s like being a woman in 2026. We hope you enjoy these inspiring Surrey ladies stories…..
THE MOTHER
DEBBIE CLACK
Debbie is the devoted mother of Lillie Jane Clack who at only 22, lost her life following a road crash on Christmas morning in 2021. The driver, was under the influence and Lillie was sober. It is every parent’s worst nightmare… two police officers knocked on her door on Xmas Day and explained Lillie had been involved in an accident it was critical. The days that followed were an emotional roller-coaster, with the family hanging on to any little bit of hope. However, sadly on the 28th December 2021 at 4.55pm, Lillie’s heart stopped beating. The family asked, “How can it be right that Lillie has been left to lay in a hospital mortuary for 3 weeks, needing a postmortem to prove how she died while the driver is free to enjoy his life? Something needs to change.” Help the family get justice for Lillie and other innocent victims. People that cause ‘death’ whilst driving should have their licence suspended immediately. People who are convicted of ‘death by dangerous driving’ should receive 25 years in prison – the maximum the courts can give. People that are sentenced for ‘death’ by driving whilst under the influence should never permitted to drive again… it should be a lifelong consequence for their actions. It has been a long journey to get justice for Lillie but Debbie is almost there. There are 42,347 signatures so far. “We will keep going to make sure we get justice for our Lillie,” Debbie says. Click this link and take 2 minutes to fill out the form: www.change.org/Justice4OurLillie
WHAT HAVE YOU “GIVEN AND GAINED” RECENTLY?
Time and presence, plus a calm, safe physical space, listening without fixing and giving my emotional availability – that kind of presence is deeply valuable and is often an invisible labour. I have also supported my friends and family through their grief. Plus, carrying emotional weight after difficult conversations – that’s a genuine form of giving, even if it doesn’t show up on a balance sheet.
IF ANYONE IS GOING THROUGH GRIEF/LOSS – WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THEM?
Supporting grieving people means hearing difficult stories, plus being able to manage and cope with empathy and compassion. If you get invested in community and connection – find a place where people feel less alone, doing rituals (tea, conversation, familiarity) and having gentle normality in hard times – that can really help. I set up Lillies in the Garden – the tearoom to help raise money for Lillie’s cause. That’s a powerful psychological return.
Helping people through grief often deepens. The emotional insight being around loss and healing tends to build compassion. If you have perspective on life priorities, emotional resilience you can change how you see both joy and hardship.
HAVE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME ANY DISCRIMINATION OR HARDSHIPS?
Owning a tearoom like Lillies In The Garden means hard work. You’ve invested your ideas your taste and atmosphere, your personal values and I feel I have shaped an environment that reflects something of myself & Lillie. I feel I have more of a meaning and purpose now.
Helping people through grief often deepens, with a sense of contribution and alignment with personal values, feeling that your work matters beyond profit. These often become the heart of community-based businesses. My tearoom has brought the community spirit back.
WHO ARE THE WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
Family members, in particular my mother, who battled cancer 3 times, she never gave up. My Nan also – she is definitely a tough old bird. My sister who is my soul mate and caregivers…..these souls I am in awe of.
Teachers or mentors (I suppose I have to say this) as I wouldn’t be here today if they were not part of my life. Plus, women who just keep going despite money worries, poor health, sadness – yet they always manage to smile and carry on – as well as mothers who have had to live without their child.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO GIRLS/WOMEN?
You can be anything you want to be! Be a leader not a follower. Don’t shrink yourself to make others comfortable! Grow into who your meant to be. Always follow your dreams.
WHAT’S YOUR MANTRA IN LIFE?
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Also “Live life love” – And importantly, it doesn’t mean becoming hardened. You can be empathetic, nurturing, strong, and expansive all at once. Be kind … kindness cost nothing and last a lifetime, but never at the cost of abandoning yourself. Always tell the people around you love them. Tomorrow isn’t promised have no regrets.
I am dedicating this IWD entry to Mothers who have had to carry on in life without their child.
THE ACTRESS
DEBBIE ARNOLD
Debbie is an actress, an author, an altruist, a writer, a producer, a content creator, a podcaster and a voice artist. She has raised funds and supported numerous charities. She’s a mother to 2 daughters, grandmother to 3 grandsons and dog mother to 3 canine kids! She has enjoyed a successful career in television and theatre. She is the only actress in the UK – or maybe even the world – who has appeared in 2 soaps at the same time….and every major UKTV soap in the last 30 years as a regular character.
Debbie started her career in television and went on to appear in the most iconic comedy and drama programmes of the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s! Everything from ‘Miss Marple’ to ‘Minder’ – comedian Ronnie Barker even created a character especially for her in the ‘2 Ronnie’s’.
She’s also created many extremely successful online shows with her business partner Dee Anderson including ‘Wonderbirds’ with Sherrie Hewson and Harriet Thorpe, ‘Beauty Angels’ with Linda Lusardi which metamorphosised into ‘Beauty Investigates’ again created by Debbie and starring Debbie, Dee and Debbie McGee. Debbie is a regular contributor to ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’, ‘This Morning’, ‘The Jeremy Vine Show’, ‘GB News’, BBC’s ‘Newsnight’ and many other current affairs and news programmes.
Apart from her soap career, Debbie has worked with some of the most legendary comedians and actors in the business on stage and on screen. Most notably starring opposite Omar Sharif in ‘The Sleeping Prince’ at the Haymarket Theatre. Debbie is currently Ambassador of the National Bullying Helpline, The Retired Police Railway Dogs. As well as her distinguished career Debbie is also the producer of ‘Actors at Sea’ for Saga Cruises.
WHAT HAVE YOU “GIVEN AND GAINED” RECENTLY?
I’ve always tried to help people coming into our business – getting agents, getting jobs, navigating everything – as I was born into the industry, I’ve probably got a contact or an answer for everything.
Recently I did panto at Esher Theatre, working with some young performers on their first professional job and I loved guiding them and in return they gave me confidence in what I was doing and really helped me too.
YOU HAVE APPEARED IN ALL 4 OF THE MAJOR UK SOAPS – HOW DID YOU CARVE OUT SUCH A SUCCESSFUL ACTING CAREER?
I was born into show business – my father was an impressionist, and my mum was an Agent so I knew I wanted to do something in the industry.
But acting really happened by accident – I applied for a job in ‘The Stage’ and the rest is history!
WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED AND OVERCOME?
Far too many to list professionally but personally it was having my children. I had 9 miscarriages, but I did it….I had my girls – I never gave up.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO OVERCOME ANY DISCRIMINATION OR MISCONDUCT BEING “A WOMAN IN A MAN’S WORLD?”
I think being an actress it’s hard to answer that because as ‘actors’ are always equal and until recently we couldn’t play the other genders parts!
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE ASSUMPTIONS MADE BY MEN OF WOMEN?
That if you show off your figure you want them to ogle you!
Everyone knows women only dress for other women to look at them!
WHAT DOES BEING A ‘POSITIVE FEMALE ROLE MODEL’ MEAN TO YOU?
In public and private being supportive, kind and always seeing a glass half full.
WHO ARE THE WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
My mother and my grandmother – and now my two daughters.
My mother’s parents were murdered in Auschwitz and she came here on the kinder transport when she was only 4 years old.
She made a huge success in her life – she taught me values. ‘As long as you have love, a roof over your head and food to eat nothing else matters’.
My father’s mother lost her only son (my Daddy) when he was 34. She brought me up so my mum could work – and she never was sorry for herself or sad.
She was amazing – and my beautiful daughters are a mix of both of them.
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO GIRLS/WOMEN JUST STARTING OUT IN ACTING?
This is a vocation – when working remember to leave your ego outside and watch and learn. No histrionics – actresses who are easy to work with will get more jobs than the temperamental ones. And if you don’t get a job, it’s not because you’re not good enough it’s because you’re not right.
WHAT’S YOUR MANTRA IN LIFE?
I always get what I want!
THE PHILANTHROPIST
VICTORIA FEATHERSTONE PEARCE
Victoria is a former pro model whose career in the 1990s spanned major television commercials, music videos and international campaigns, seeing her also work on productions alongside Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. She appeared in numerous national adverts, most notably for Birds Eye Peas and Guinness, as well as the iconic “Japan” campaign. She danced in the video for ‘Power’ with Helloween, appeared alongside rock legend Lemmy and featured in projects connected to The Prodigy. Her early career was high profile and fast paced, a life that stood in stark contrast to the path she would later choose.
Today, Victoria is co-founder and director of K-9 Angels, alongside fellow co-founder Pola Pospieszalska. Now in its 14th year and run entirely by volunteers, the charity has rehomed over 2,000 dogs and sterilised thousands more, preventing millions of unwanted births and significantly reducing long-term suffering. The charity’s patrons are Eamonn Holmes OBE and Sue Barker MBE and its work is practical and hands-on: building and supporting shelters, raising funds through organised events and endurance challenges, delivering ongoing medical care and food donations through its established international network, and maintaining a continuous sterilisation programme to address the root cause of overpopulation.
Over more than a decade in rescue, Victoria has witnessed the realities of neglect, abandonment and abuse first-hand. The work is emotionally demanding and often heartbreaking, but the team remains focused on measurable impact: fewer dogs born into suffering, more placed into secure homes, and sustainable systems built locally to prevent future crisis.
She is a long-standing vegan, mother to six rescue dogs and four rescue chickens, and regularly fosters traumatised dogs requiring rehabilitation before rehoming.
Victoria modelled at our Surrey Fashion Week celebrity charity catwalk show in 2022, at which her fellow K-9 Angel – BRIT Award-winning S Club star Jo O’Meara – headlined. Victoria, Oti Mabuse’s husband Marius Iepure and ‘Bond’ star Jason Burrill wore matching outfits with Victoria’s Romanian rescue dogs as they walked them down our star-studded catwalk! Alongside her charity work, Victoria co-founded The Vegan Women’s Club with close friend Karin Ridgers, building a values-led community of likeminded women committed to ethical living, leadership and creating a kinder, more accountable world.
Victoria is also a judge for this year’s Autism Hero Awards, which recognise and celebrate excellence within the autism community. A life of two contrasts, from commercial modelling and rock videos to frontline rescue and community activism, she says she wouldn’t want it any other way.
WHAT HAVE YOU “GIVEN AND GAINED” RECENTLY?
Recently I’ve given more time to prevention, particularly expanding our sterilisation work through K-9 Angels. Rehoming changes individual lives, but prevention changes the future. Every sterilisation stops generations of suffering before it begins. I’ve also invested more energy into strengthening The Vegan Women’s Club, building a solid community of women who don’t just talk about values, but live them.
Personally, I’ve given time to myself in a way I hadn’t before. I’ve worked seriously on my mental health and addressed childhood trauma, abuse and domestic abuse that shaped many of my earlier years. For a long time, I lived in survival mode. I functioned, achieved and pushed forward, but I was surviving. What I’ve gained is self-love, stability and perspective. I’m not saying life is perfect – it isn’t – but I am the most well-rounded and happiest I’ve ever been. I now live with the understanding that anything is possible when we have the right people around us and when we do the internal work alongside the external work.
HOW DID K-9 ANGELS COME ABOUT?
We saw a Facebook plea from a complete stranger asking for 40 euros to help a dog who had been abandoned and was “living” in a cardboard box in a forest. We took a chance and sent the money.
That decision changed everything. The dog was saved, and we later named her Angel. We found her the most beautiful home. Seeing that transformation made something very clear. If one small action could change one life, what could we do collectively?
With our extensive network of contacts, experience and determination, we realised we could help many more dogs. That is how K-9 Angels was born. It is not easy to run a charity. The responsibility is constant. The emotional weight is real. But it is absolutely worth it.
WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED AND OVERCOME?
The biggest challenge has been emotional endurance. When you work in rescue for over a decade, you see everything: neglect, cruelty, abandonment and suffering that could have been prevented. You witness the very best of humanity and the very worst. Learning how to stay compassionate without becoming hardened is something I have had to consciously work at.
Financial pressure is a constant reality. Running a volunteer-led charity means responsibility never switches off. You are always thinking about the next vet bill, the next transport, the next emergency case. There is no corporate safety net. It is built on trust, transparency and relentless fundraising.
Personally, I live with PTSD, shaped by childhood trauma and domestic abuse. For many years I operated in survival mode. That survival instinct helped me achieve and push forward, but it was not sustainable. Addressing my mental health properly has been one of the hardest and most important things I have done. Resilience is not about pretending nothing affects you: it is about recognising what has affected you, doing the work, and choosing to build a stronger foundation.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO OVERCOME ANY DISCRIMINATION OR MISCONDUCT BEING “A WOMAN IN A MAN’S WORLD?”
Yes, but not always in obvious ways. Often it is subtle: being underestimated, being spoken over, having compassion mistaken for weakness, or having your authority quietly questioned. In my earlier career in modelling and media, image often spoke louder than substance. Later, in charity and leadership spaces, I ensured my work spoke louder than perception. I do not try to lead like a man, and I do not feel the need to. I lead in alignment with my values: clear, firm, collaborative and accountable. Consistency builds credibility. Results build respect.
WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE ASSUMPTIONS MADE BY MEN OF WOMEN?
I would challenge the assumption that strength has to look dominant, loud or traditionally masculine.
Strength comes in many forms, including physical strength. I recently pushed a 250kg sled in training, something often associated with rugby conditioning. I am not saying women naturally have greater physical strength than men, but a woman who trains consistently and pushes herself can become exceptionally strong. And this is being seen more and more.
Women have historically been the carers and nurturers. Those roles require enormous endurance, emotional intelligence and resilience. Only in more recent times are those strengths being fully recognised. Women have always had an array of strengths. We are simply no longer shrinking them.
WHAT DOES BEING A ‘POSITIVE FEMALE ROLE MODEL’ MEAN TO YOU?
It means alignment. If you advocate compassion, you practice it. If you speak about resilience, you build it. If you talk about integrity, you uphold it. Role models are not perfect. They are accountable. They show that rebuilding is possible. For me, it’s about demonstrating that you can be physically strong, emotionally aware, ambitious, nurturing, disciplined and compassionate at the same time.
WHO ARE THE WOMEN WHO HAVE HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
Growing up, I did not have a clear personal role model or cheerleader. I learned to rely on myself. For many years that independence came from survival rather than confidence.
I have always been inspired by women who challenged the status quo. The suffragettes stand out profoundly. Women who were willing to be imprisoned, force-fed and publicly ridiculed so future generations could have a voice. Their courage reshaped history. I also admire Pamela Anderson for consistently using her platform to advocate for animal welfare. She could have remained silent and simply enjoyed fame, but she chose to speak up for animals long before it was widely embraced. That takes conviction.
In the past five years, the greatest shift has been internal. I realised it is important not only to look outward for role models, but to become one for yourself. To build your own standards and lead from within?
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO GIRLS AND WOMEN?
Do the internal work early. Build your self-worth before the world tries to define it for you. Choose your circle carefully. The right people will expand you. The wrong people will drain you. Do not shrink to make others comfortable. Become your own standard.
WHAT’S YOUR MANTRA IN LIFE?
Be you, everyone else is taken. Every day is a chance to become 1% better. Growth does not have to be dramatic to be meaningful. Small improvements compound. If that 1% does not happen, do not beat yourself up. The fact you tried is more than good enough. Progress is not perfection. It is effort. It’s showing up again the next day. Lead with action, not noise. Fourteen years of rescue. Continuous training. Ongoing community building. Discipline. Integrity. Compassion in action. Be kind, the world needs more kindness.
