To mark International Women’s Day, we are celebrating 15 inspirational women with strong links to Blackpool, Fleetwood, Poulton-le-Fylde and Lytham St Annes.
The list includes trailblazing figures such as Olympic gold medallist Lucy Morton and boxing pioneer Jane Couch, alongside well-known names from television, music and entertainment including Jenna Coleman, Zoe Ball and Little Boots.
It also recognises women who have helped shape the area itself, from tourism leaders and business figures to community champions whose work continues to influence the Fylde coast today.
Here are 15 women from across Blackpool and the Fylde coast whose achievements continue to inspire:
7. Little Boots (Victoria Hesketh)
Singer-songwriter Victoria Hesketh, better known as Little Boots, grew up in Blackpool. Her 2009 debut album Hands became a UK chart success and helped pioneer the use of social media and online platforms to launch a music career. | Nicky J Sims/Getty Images
8. Coleen Nolan
Raised in Blackpool, Coleen Nolan rose to fame as a member of the chart-topping family group The Nolans. She later became a well-known television presenter and long-standing panellist on ITV’s Loose Women. | Carla Speight/Getty Images
9. Tania Mallett
Blackpool-born model and actress Tania Mallet achieved international fame in 1964 when she starred as Tilly Masterson opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond film Goldfinger. She was also one of Britain’s most successful fashion models of the 1960s. | Larry Ellis/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
10. Pauline Moran
Actress Pauline Moran was born in Blackpool and is best known for playing Miss Lemon in the long-running television series Agatha Christie's Poirot. Alongside acting, she has also worked as a presenter and professional astrologer. | Avalon/Getty Images
11. Vanessa Sims
Vanessa Sims is editor of Blackpool Gazette. Leading the area’s historic newspaper, she has championed community reporting and local campaigns across Blackpool and the Fylde coast. | Contirbuted
12. Hayley Tamaddon
Blackpool-born performer Hayley Tamaddon trained locally before building a career in television and theatre. She appeared in Coronation Street and Emmerdale, and won the ITV series Dancing on Ice in 2010. | Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images