Young people are often portrayed as being permanently fixated on their electronic devices.

My conversations with the girls at Bedford High School this week showed me how wrong such a preconception can be.

On 7th March, I joined pupils and staff at Bedford High to watch the pupils take part in the Biggest Ever Football Session, a nationwide celebration of girls’ football supported by The Football Association.

It was inspiring to see young people so passionate and enthusiastic about football.

These pupils play in all weathers on an almost daily basis, and a number even now play for East Leigh, Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United.

In 2022, the FA set an ambitious target for 75% of schools to deliver equal access to football in PE lessons.

Whilst this target has been met, there is still a long way to go to break down long-term barriers and ensure girls and young women believe they belong in football and do not drop out.

It’s about creating opportunity and improving access, which is why the works of schools, local clubs and places like Leigh Sports Village are so crucial.

We need to do everything we can to support them and nurture talent here in the constituency.

In January, I spoke in Parliament about the wealth of talent and potential for growth in Leigh and Atherton, highlighting that 80% of the community organisations thriving in Leigh Spinners Mill are owned by women.

I also asked the Leader of the House for a debate in Government on how to better support and foster future women entrepreneurs.

If we’re going to turn around our town centres and improve our communities, we need to champion local entrepreneurs of all backgrounds and stages of life – women play a vital role in these discussions.

Women currently make up 40% of the UK Parliament.

Although there’s still work to be done to achieve even better representation, I’m incredibly proud to be the first woman to represent Leigh and Atherton, and the 462nd woman ever elected as an MP.

There are countless incredible women across the Leigh and Atherton constituency working all year round to support the communities in which they live, and International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate them.

The dedication and commitment of these women to help our communities is unmatched.

It is so important for us to step back and fully appreciate the value that they continuously bring to the lives of people across Leigh and Atherton.

I have worked with and seen firsthand the great [efforts] that many of these stalwarts of the community do.

Though it’s far from my exhaustive list, I wanted to take this opportunity to mention a few of those working in the voluntary, community and charity sector: Lynn Bibby at HSP, Dorothy Bowker at The Bridge, Pam Gilligan at Compassion in Action, Lynn Hayes and Laura Hopkins at The Green Grass Centre, Ellie Palma-Cass at Epic Hope, Elizabeth Twigge at HF Works and Julie Whalley at Excel in Life.

I would strongly encourage you to look into their brilliant work to create opportunities and support residents across Leigh, Atherton, Tyldesley, Golborne and Lowton.

These women and the organisations they run deserve our ongoing thanks, not just on one day a year.

If you are a constituent in need of assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact my office at jo.platt.mp@parliament.uk.

Note: This article was originally published on the Leigh Journal website, on Thursday 13 March, 2025.