MEDIA RELEASE

Ground breaking UK project makes online headlines around the world!

First Women UK is making waves around the world as this ground breaking project continues to inspire the imagination of those who are supportive of equality wherever they are in the world.www.1stwomenuk.co.uk

The brainchild of ex Sunday Times photographer Anita Corbin, who now has her home in Somerset, First Women looks at how women will be remembered over the past 100 years. In the years leading up to 2018, the 100th anniversary of Women's Suffrage, Anita is shooting and collecting 100 iconic portraits of 21st century women who have achieved the landmark title "First Woman" across a range of fields.

With over three quarters of the portraits now completed, interest is rapidly increasing and it is not just in the UK that First Women is making waves. Thanks to coverage in the online award winning magazine Slate, a much wider international audience is becoming aware of the achievements of women in the UK.

Editor of Slate, David Rosenberg, was asked what caught his eye with First Women and said, "Ambitious projects always grab my attention. Honestly, I can't remember how I initially discovered the work but no matter, once I began looking at the images I was immediately hooked. Of course great images speak to you on a gut level without knowing a backstory but with First Women, once I learned Anita's story and then as I learned more about each of the women she featured, how can you not feel awe for both the individual subject's achievements as well as the collective body of work Anita is creating?"

Anita is delighted at how news of the project is being received and comments, ""I hope that the series will inspire future generations and help them see that it is possible to break down barriers. I want these powerful images to offer emotional support to women who seek to be the best they can be who want to aim high and will look at my pictures and see they are not alone. When the 100 portraits go on display I am confident that the power of the group as a whole will inspire every woman who goes to view them; empowering them and enabling them to feed off their energy and achievements. If you like it is a creation of a sisterhood, a gathering together of woman to support and champion women's collective energy and power."

Some of the well-known and not so well-known UK women featured include the Patron of First Women, the Rt Hon Betty Boothroyd, 1^stwoman speaker of the House of Commons; Baroness Patricia Scotland - 1st woman Attorney General; Becky Frater RN, 1st woman to fly a Black Cat helicopter; Charlotte Budd, 1st woman to ride in the Grand National (1977) and Sarah Outen, 1^stwoman to row solo across the Indian Ocean.

And Anita says, "I haven't yet made my final selection, but what I have worked on is selecting a good cross section of women working in different sectors who come from all walks of life and backgrounds. I want ordinary women, not just those who have achieved through privilege and birth right. I still have around 25 spaces to fill before I reach my 100 and so would welcome any suggestions as well as like-minded sponsors who can help me bring First Women to the public eye in 2018."

Picture captions (as they appear):

Patron of First Women, the Rt Hon Betty Boothroyd, 1st woman speaker of the House of Commons

Becky Frater RN, 1st woman to fly a Black Cat helicopter

Sarah Outen, 1st woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean

Baroness Patricia Scotland - 1st woman Attorney General

Charlotte Budd, 1st woman to ride in the Grand National (1977)

Further information: Anita Corbin, Tel: 01823 662329 or mob: 07802 613911 or check out:www.1stwomenuk.co.uk

Press information and hi res images from Jane Adkins, Tel 01935 813114 or email:jane@aheadforpr.co.ukor visit:www.aheadforpr.co.uk

Editor's notes

Anita Corbin's First Women Series will reach its culmination in 2018, a significant date marking 100 years of Women's Suffrage. Her vision is to provide answers to important questions that will be posed at that historic juncture: "How will women be remembered over the past 100 years?" "What have women achieved in the fields of Sport, Science, Politics, the Arts and Education?" "Who were these remarkable "first" women"?

June 2015 (PR 16)