Wise Words: Ashley Carney
Ashley Carney, from County Durham, has championed more fantastic examples of women’s entrepreneurship and positivity than anyone I’ve ever met.
As North East Chamber of Commerce events manager she has created events where hundreds of people have heard how women have tackled business and personal challenges, head on.
Her career now is a perfect blend of all her skills which started to develop at a County Durham College, where she studied business management and marketing. One of her first experiences of work was in Europe for the Venice tourist board, answering visitor queries.
Ashley said “Every day questions could vary from when did the famous Venice Carnival take place to where can I play golf, or where was best to eat? It was the days before the internet so all the answers had to be sent back in the post. It took a while!”
She travelled every day from Padova, getting a train, then a waterbus and finishing with a 40 minute walk. Despite the travelling there were great highlights including one where from her office, which was in a basement, she could regularly see a gondolier singing his heart out as he sailed past her window.
After finishing her time in Italy, Ashley did an apprenticeship and studied hard to achieve a degree and post-graduate qualification in International Marketing and Strategy. While studying for her degree part time Ashley worked in a College marketing department for eight years, before joining the Chamber 18 years ago.
She said: “The Chamber was very different when I started as an events co-ordinator, to what it is now. We used to organise a small number of events around the region whereas this year there will be over 200, including two of the biggest business awards in the north east. One is for Inspiring Females and the other is our prestigious Annual Business Awards.
“There are also our 1815 lunches for larger businesses who recently heard from the Prime Minister Keir Starmer.”
When Ashley started at the Chamber there was a very small number of businesswomen meeting with coffee, to share ideas and support each other. She always loved hearing stories of how they overcame their challenges and she worked to develop Chamber events.
The regular Coffee and Connections events, seminars and conference, with a leading businesswoman as key speaker sell out all 100-200 tickets within minutes of going on-line and the Inspiring Females awards ceremony, now in its fourth year is similarly popular.
Ashley said: “I always hunt for the very best and most inspirational role models I can find, people who are comfortable in sharing their stories and without exception they are all amazing women.
“There is a huge list of previous speakers but some really stand out in my mind. For example, Nicola Wood, from the Wonderful Wig company, who provided a wig service for cancer sufferers while battling the disease herself.”
Ashley’s work also shone a light on Juliet Sanders, who spoke about the organisation she created, Feeding Families. It was set up after she gave away an old sofa to a woman who she realised had no furniture, or food in the house. Once she realised the family’s predicament Juliet helped rally the whole community to support them. This initial response then grew to ensure others in need got the help they needed, all year round.
“Gemma Lowery, who set up the Bradley Lowery Foundation in memory of her son has also been a fantastic speaker.”
She says the story of Surbhi Vedhara of Sweeney Miller’s career was also inspirational and the work of Alison Maynard at New College Durham.
In the time Inspiring Females has been going Ashley and her team have arranged over 150 speakers from across the North East, at all different stages of their careers and include women who work in male-dominated industries.
Other highlights for her were the speeches by Helen-Ann Hartley, The Bishop of Newcastle, Chloe Clover of Wander Films, Becky Chapman of the NE Business Resilience Centre and Alisar Taylor of True Colours Theatre Company.
It is fair to say it’s Ashley’s mission to continue to spread the word and celebrate women’s success stories. This year’s Chamber Inspiring Females Awards are currently open to recognise the very best in the region.
She said: “I would encourage everyone, men and women, to put forward someone they know who has achieved great success, despite whatever has come their way. The awards close on 11 September and there will be a huge celebration of everyone’s achievements at Newcastle Civic Centre on 29 November. This is my favourite day of the year. No question.”
Ashley’s role also covers the wide range of Chamber events including the Wynyard Hall Summer Dinner & House Party. She had also just had a successful Chamber ‘Netwalking’ event around Beamish Museum.
In her personal life Ashley is married to Colin, with two daughters, Ellie and Erin.
She has always loved hearing great stories and as a child she really enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and James and the Giant Peach were favourites.
Now, as an adult, Ashley enjoys novels by Cecila Ahern, Sophie Kinsella and Gill Simms books.
My novel The Stand-Up Mam has funny family stories in it. Do you have any to share?
“For about seven years my eldest daughter thought my husband put up the Christmas tree on the main roundabout where we live. Every year she asked when he was putting it up and got so excited when it appeared!
“My youngest was always up to mischief. One day unbeknown to me after I put her in her cot she climbed out of it. She was knocking on the window to my husband who was outside, He shouted to me, ‘Do you know where Erin is?’ I said ‘She’s asleep.’ So, he replied, ‘I don’t think she is.’ She was absolutely covered in her sister’s blue Smurf face paint and lipstick, shouting ‘Da Da’.
“Every time she saw a water feature she’d climb in shouting ‘Bath. Bath.’ Then if she could she’d got her tea set she’d use the tea pot to pour the water over her head.
“Also, whenever it snowed in March, both girls used to think it meant Santa was coming, which was awkward!”