Two women are killed by a current or former partner each week in the U.K and last year over 1.2 million women and 750,000 children were affected by domestic abuse. Since Refuge opened the world’s first safe house in London in 1971, the charity has been working tirelessly to protect women, men and children escaping domestic violence ever since.
We held a brunch in collaboration with Guerlain to celebrate the phenomenal life saving work that Refuge do. We invited some of our favourite influential women from the fashion, fitness and entertainment industries to discuss everything from female empowerment and self-love to world peace and life goals.
We dined on incredible two-Michelin star cuisine and champagne at Sketch in Mayfair, the most decadent and innovative destination for food, cocktails, music and art in London. Sketch is unrivalled in vision and style, this multifaceted 18th century townhouse, is an aesthetic playground that will seduce all of your senses.
As well as our generous partners Guerlain and Maison Ves, guests donated a treasure trove of gifts for the women currently in Refuges’ shelters. The gifts will be wrapped and given as Christmas presents to the powerful and inspirational women escaping domestic violence, because everyone should feel special at Christmas.
MENU
Amuse Bouche
Spiced Kombu Broth
Starter
White Alba Truffle with Chestnut Foam and GoldRush Apple
Hand-Dived Scottish Scallop Carpaccio with Oscietra Caviar
Main Course
Tyrolean Schupfnudeln with Red Cabbage and Lingonberries
Wild Turbot Roasted with Lemon Mango, Paris Mushrooms and Sauce Dugléré
Dessert
Pierre Gagnaire’s Pink Dessert with Raspberry Mousse with Pink Champagne Rose Jelly served in a Pink Meringue Shell
@sketch.london
9 Conduit St, Mayfair, London W1S 2XG
@guerlain
@maisonves
@refugecharity
Lilah Parsons
TV and Radio Presenter on Heart Radio (Friday & Saturday nights, 10pm to 1am)
@lilahparsons
Who is the most powerful woman you know?
My Aunt, Eliza Manningham – Buller. She has had an incredible career – she was Director General of MI5 and now runs one of the biggest charities in the world, The Wellcome Trust. She’s been a huge part of my life and is an amazing, strong female role model for me.
What advice would you give to younger girls on how to love themselves?
Be kind to yourself. So often it’s easy to speak to yourself in a way that you’d never speak to others. Give yourself a break and realise that you’re probably doing OK! As long as you do your best, that’s all you can do. Also, remember that “Comparison is the thief of joy” It never makes you feel good.
What was your personal highlight from the last year?
Getting my own radio show on Heart. Three years ago I was still on local radio, with probably about 20 listeners! It’s incredible to think that I now work for a station that has 9.7 million listeners!
Do you think enough is done to support women in the entertainment industries?
I’m lucky enough to work for a radio station that really champions women. I think other stations are slowly but surely following suit, which is great to see.
What changes would you like to see in the the world and in yourself for 2019?
I’d like to see the closing of the gender pay gap and a better understanding and education of the issues that women face across all aspects of life.
In myself, I would like to work on becoming stronger and more resilient to any knocks that life might throw at me. I want to be a woman that knows who she is, what is important to her, and how to stand up for herself and her beliefs.
Natalya Wright
Model
@natalyawright_x
Who is the most powerful woman you know?
My mum inspires me in every way. She’s always putting others before herself, she would do anything and everything for anyone.
What advice would you give to younger girls on how to love themselves?
Believe in yourself and never let anybody put you down. Never compare yourself to others, you are who you are and that’s what makes you you.
Do you think enough is done to support women in the fashion and entertainment industries?
With the Me Too movement and campaigns surrounding it we are definitely getting more support and hopefully this will continue to improve in time.
What changes would you like to see in the world for 2019?
I would like to see a lot more peace in the world as well as people caring for the environment more, so we can save our beautiful planet.
Montana Brown
Television personality and ambassador for CRY, a charity that supports those affected by young, sudden cardiac death.
@montanarosebrown1
Who is the most powerful woman you know?
My mum, she raised me on her own and somehow I managed to turn out alright! My mum was always driven with her career which is why she has been so successful, I definitely have a lot of ambition that stems from her.
What advice would you give to younger girls on how to love themselves?
We all have things about ourselves that we dislike, I certainly do. But that’s okay, we are all flawed in some way but the most important thing is what is on the inside. Especially nowadays, there are a lot of good looking people but not nearly as many that are kind and good. So aspire to be the latter.
Do you think enough is done to support women in the fashion and entertainment industries?
I think it is very hard mentally to compete in such a multi-faceted industry where everyone is so talented. Instead of just being happy for others, and their successes; people end up beating themselves up over why they didn’t they get that opportunity. It is a massive issue that people should speak out more about.
What changes would you like to see in yourself and the world for the years to come?
For me, I would like to do more to help others and be a bit more selfless. I also would like to get involved with nature and animal conservation as it’s something that I have always been passionate about, especially raising awareness on the prevention of poaching.
For the world, I would like people to just be happy for each other, for everyone to appreciate their lives and how lucky we are for even just little things, such as living in a safe country and having access to running water and food.
Danielle Peazer
Fitness entrepreneur
@daniellepeazer
Who is the most powerful woman you know?
My mum was the first woman who taught me to be strong. I feel so grateful that I am constantly surrounded by independent women who go after what they want and inspire me without necessarily even knowing it.
What advice would you give to younger girls on how to love themselves?
We live in a such a comparative society and I wish younger girls would stop doing that and damaging their views of themselves. I’d love for girls to treat themselves in the same way they would their friends, with so much encouragement and support.
What are you most thankful for?
As I’ve got older I’ve definitely become more thankful for the simpler things. Having breakfast with my family on a Sunday morning or a nice catch up phone call with a friend. I’m obviously so grateful for the opportunities I get in my career but my family and general support network is what motivates me.
What was your personal highlight from the last year?
Seeing my fitness brand develop and reach so many people. When something that you’ve started from scratch and put your heart and soul into starts to take shape and be appreciated by people globally, it is a huge professional achievement but a major personal highlight too.
Sarah Lysander
Model
@sarahlysander
Who is the most powerful woman you know?
As cheesy as it sounds, my mum inspires me. She was always there for the kids growing up, she was a full-time mum to all four of us and she’s part of the reason I am who I am today.
What advice would you give to younger girls on how to love themselves?
Treat others how you want to be treated, the love you project to the world will come right back to you.
What are you most thankful for?
Having a roof over my head, experiencing how people live in less economically developed countries makes me appreciate the simplest things in life.
Do you think enough is done to support women in the fashion and entertainment industries?
No, something as simple as just being able to speak to someone isn’t as easy as some might think. It’s important for girls who feel pressured to be able to speak to someone they can trust, especially someone who will ensure that action will be taken.
What has been your personal highlight of the last year?
The development process of creating my bikini brand. It’s all happened so naturally, I’ve had so much help from friends, friends of friends and family friends. It’s made me realise how kind and supportive the people around me are. I know that the hard work I’ve done this year to build the brand is going to change my life forever in 2019, it is very exciting.
