Forty ladies from Wiltshire attended the first anniversary celebration of I Am Woman Swindon, a club set up to empower women in business across the county.

The group met at the Marsh Farm Hotel, Royal Wootton Bassett, and toasted the success of the year which started with just a handful of women as members.

Speakers for the evening included Margaret Carter, who runs Patchwork Paté, a company which started at her kitchen table and now has a £2.2m turnover, and Jackie Dunn, of Mindset Matters.

I am Woman is a franchise operation that started more than two years ago, and members at the event included Alison Cross-Jones who set up the Malmesbury charity HEALS to help vulnerable people in the community.

I Am Woman meetings are held ten times a year and members can also access free workshops and mentoring. For more information, visit www.iamwoman.biz