WISH Yorkshire & Humberside: The Power of Giving Back

On Thursday 5 March, we threw open the doors at Vico Homes in Castleford and welcomed around 88 brilliant women — and supportive male colleagues — from across the social housing and construction sectors for our first in-person event of the year. And what an afternoon it was.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Give To Gain, and it couldn’t have been more fitting for the energy in the room. Give To Gain is all about the power of giving back - when we give our time, knowledge and support to one another, everyone benefits. That’s what WISH has always been about, and it’s exactly what happened on the day.

A Bit of History

As part of our welcome, we took a moment to reflect on the incredible history behind International Women’s Day. IWD has its roots in the early 1900s, when women were campaigning for shorter hours, better pay and the right to vote. The first official International Women’s Day was marked in 1911, with over a million people attending rallies across Europe. Over 115 years later, we’re still coming together — still pushing for equality, still lifting each other up. It felt really powerful to connect our event to that legacy.

Speakers Who Left a Mark

We were so lucky to have three fantastic speakers share their personal journeys with us.

Anne Reynolds had the room hanging on every word. Her message really stuck: getting more women in the room matters, but that’s only step one. Step two is having the confidence to step into your power once you’re there. Influence over attendance. That landed deeply with so many of us.

Elyse Hodgess gave a brilliant speech that had people buzzing long after she’d finished. And Dr Sarah Cooper brought her own experiences to the table with real openness and honesty. All three reminded us why events like this matter , hearing other women’s stories gives us the courage to write our own.

Connecting, Chatting and Quizzing

The whole afternoon was designed to get people talking, and it worked. We dotted discussion prompts around the venue, themed on IWD values, and asked everyone to share their ideas for future events and topics. We want to know what matters to you, and we got some cracking suggestions.

Then came the quiz! We asked everyone to get into 12 teams and — here’s the important bit — match up with people they didn’t already know. It’s a networking event after all, and what better way to live the Give To Gain spirit than by making a new connection over a tricky quiz question? The room was buzzing.

And we can’t not mention the cupcakes. Our Vice Chair Liz made handmade WISH cupcakes for the event and the verdict from the room was unanimous,  absolutely delicious.

Supporting a Great Cause

Alongside the networking, we were proud to be fundraising for MHA (Methodist Homes), adding a really meaningful layer to the afternoon.

A Huge Thank You to Our Sponsors

Events like this don’t happen without the support of some brilliant organisations, and we want to say a massive thank you to:

RE:GEN Yorkshire — our headline sponsor and a regeneration specialist doing fantastic work across social housing in the North. They’re committed to enhancing lives through safe, sustainable regeneration, and they also run the RE:GEN Academy bringing fresh talent into our industry.

Adecco -  the world’s leading workforce solutions company, whose purpose of making the future work for everyone sits perfectly alongside everything we stand for.

Vico Homes — formerly WDH, managing over 32,000 homes across the north of England. They generously opened up their lovely Castleford offices for us once again, and we’re so grateful for their ongoing support.

Blue Moon Marketing — for their valued support in helping make the event happen.

Thank you all — we genuinely couldn’t do this without you.

Meet the Board

One of the highlights of the afternoon was introducing our new board members and ambassadors. We’re thrilled to have such an enthusiastic team who are already buzzing with ideas for what’s next. Our board members — Aimee, Claire, Abbey, Ruth Oye, Ruth, Gemma, Sarah,and Charlotte  — were all there on the day, along with our two fantastic ambassadors, Ann and Hollie. We know they’re going to bring some brilliant things to life this year.

What’s Next?

This IWD event follows our webinar on homelessness in February, and we’ve got plenty more planned throughout 2026 — both in person and online. If you came along to the event and you’re not yet a WISH member, we’d love to hear from you. Speak to any of our board members about becoming an individual or corporate member and be part of what we’re building.

 The Last Word

The LinkedIn posts that followed the event said it all. People talked about the quality of the speakers, the warmth of the networking, and the power of bringing people together to support and inspire change. One attendee summed it up perfectly: representation plus empowerment equals real change.

That’s what we’re here for. That’s what Give To Gain looks like in action.

To come along to our next event, please visit our regional page and look out for upcoming events. To join WISH and get exclusive benefits such as free access to events, coaching sessions and workshops, and for discounted leadership development courses, visit our membership page, or contact [email protected].