Meet the women making a difference in Sheffield city centre đ
Every single day, inspirational women are making a difference in Sheffield city centre.
They lead businesses, run major organisations, support people needing help and spark innovation.
Ahead of International Womenâs Day 2026 (Sunday 8 March), we spoke to four women about their work, challenges, highlights and why the movement matters.
Sophie Barber, founder of Sheffield Food Tours đ
When Sophie Barber spotted signs of Sheffieldâs transformation, she created an original new venture to amplify the cityâs food and drink gems.
That was a decade ago, and Sheffield Food Tours now incorporates five different tours, educational work and pop-up activities.
Since 2024 there has been the A Taste of Sheffield city centre food tour, calling at spots such as The Old Shoe bar for tasting drinks and Chakra Lounge for Indian street food.
And last month the inaugural The Steel City Food and Beer Tours took place.
Sophie, who previously worked in a corporate job in London, said: âI decided to roll out a city centre tour with all the new developments there and itâs gone pretty well.
âI am proud of what myself and the guides have created, because weâve only ever had five star reviews. People rave about the tour.
âWeâve created something where people can step off the treadmill of life and do something really different in their home town.
âAt the same time, itâs promoting the city and independent hospitality businesses, helping them in what has been a difficult few years.â
Today, Sheffield Food Tours has branched out into education and cultural enrichment.
GCSE food and nutrition students from across the region come to the Sheffield Plate food hall in Orchard Square to taste international dishes.
They also learn how the food is made, and hear about careers in hospitality.
Sophie added: âItâs an experience that will stay with them, and perhaps theyâll go on to do something they might never have considered before.â
While Sophie finds hospitality ownership tends to be male, her business barriers are more linked to the economy and the isolation self employment can bring.
She employs two female tour guides and would welcome more resources for female business owners, such as dedicated co-working hubs, in the city centre.
âFor me one of the hardest things has been sitting at home on my own and trying to work it all out.
âI think a community of women that offers help and resources, really backed by the council, would be great for female business owners.â
Sophieâs city centre food tours start at Sheffieldâs Women of Steel statue in Barkers Pool.
Her grandmother was one of the women the statue commemorates for keeping the steel industry going during two world wars.
She said: âI like to tell people what the statue is about - itâs a really personal nod to my grandmother, and the women who came before.
âInternational Womenâs Day is important, but I donât think it should be just one day.â
Lucy Revis, director of Sheffield Music School and TRACKSÂ đ
Her music project brought Ed Sheeran to perform in Sheffield city centre, and has just launched a campaign to create a new record label.
But musician, educator and changemaker Lucy Revis has still faced her fair share of sexism.
She said: âOne of the first things I realised, very quickly, was that I was going to be quite outnumbered in spaces I worked in.
âIâve experienced different levels of sexism. One example is when I had my cello on my back in a venue to do a show. My husband, and my bandmateâs boyfriend, were sitting on a sofa holding our bags and coats.
âInstead of staff asking the two women with instruments how we would like the stage set up, they asked the two blokes holding handbags on the sofa. Stuff like that happens constantly.â
These experiences can be fuel to Lucyâs fire for pushing forward and uplifting others, especially through the grassroots TRACKS initiative.
This started life as a holiday club at Sheffield Music School, after Lucy joined as director in 2019 and the schoolâs model changed to donations-only rather than fee paying.
TRACKS is now a âlife-changingâ inclusive youth charity and alternative provision.
Lucy added: âWe fell in love with working with children in care, reaching people struggling in school, who have been excluded or have no schooling because it does not meet their needs.
âAnd we grew an alternative provision from that, which is why we are working seven days a week to cover lots of different areas of music.
âOur aim is for young women and marginalised genders to feel empowered and they want to see different types of role models in the women they work with.
âWe all need to have our voices heard and be someone they can trust and look up to.â
The free music education work of TRACKS is based at Red Tape Central, Shoreham Street, and Mary St Live. It offers various clubs, mentoring, works in hospitals and more.
Last month, a 12-month campaign to raise ÂŁ50,000 for TRACKS The Label was launched. This will enable care-experienced and marginalised young people to write, record and release their own music, and also build their skills to work in the music industry.
Lucy added: âWe want to have our own youth paid internships, and concentrate on the most unheard voices, in getting them uplifted so they can help bridge gaps in the industry.
âWeâve had 10,000 streams on Spotify with test runs so far, which is amazing considering weâve done it without the funding.â
2025 was monumental for TRACKS. In May, superstar Ed Sheeran, DJ AG and rapper JME performed with its young musicians in a surprise pop-up gig outside Sheffield Town Hall.
Members also performed their music, with an orchestra, on the Tramlines main stage.
Of the pop-up gig, Lucy said: âIt felt like after all the years of struggling for funding and telling people what we are trying to do, it was a great moment.â
Despite backing from The Ed Sheeran Foundation, TRACKS is 50 per cent self funded and working with more young people than ever.
The team wants to collaborate with Sheffield city centre businesses through sponsorship or donations, creative fundraising, skill sharing or volunteering. In return, TRACKS members could perform at Christmas parties or create personalised jingles.
Mum Lucy, aged 37, said: âItâs life changing, what we are doing. Without people throwing in ÂŁ10 here and there, we wonât be able to continue.â
Around International Womenâs Day, Lucy will be working on writing songs with girls and marginalised genders as part of the Girls of 7 Hills sister project.
She said: âIt (IWD) just gives you that moment in a year to remember to celebrate women and remember that work still needs to be done.â
Hellen Stirling-Baker, founder of Clothes The Loop đ
Empowering women through pre-loved high end and designer fashion is a daily mission for Hellen Stirling-Baker.
She opened Clothes The Loop in retail destination Leahâs Yard last August as a way to combine her interests in sustainability, clothes and community.
The result is an alternative to fast fashion, providing timeless pieces that are each minimally worn and hand-picked.
Hellen, who previously ran the environmentally friendly childrenswear store Small Stuff in Crookes, was working as a banking environmental manager when inspiration struck.
She said: âI started offering styling for clients, curating high quality designer pieces that you couldnât find anywhere else.
âI made a little collection which lived in my kitchen for a while - I was literally doing a lot of it from my kitchen table!
âI thought we have all these amazing online platforms, but what you donât get with those is the touching of clothes, the empowerment, the trying on of something new.â
Clothes The Loop offers a range of seasonal pieces, from vintage brooches to a stunning, hand-embellished Alexander McQueen gown.
Hellen says the business is going âfrom strength to strengthâ and her motivation is the impact on customers.
She added: âYou donât have to be into the height of fashion and follow Vogue to shop here, sometimes you just want something a little bit different.
âWeâve got pieces from ÂŁ15 - you canât get a T-shirt from Primark for that.
âWhen I am able to buy pieces and put them in the shop for people to see - things I have never seen in real life - it is a massive highlight and the other is my customers.
âItâs the change in who they are when they try on these pieces.
âThey are like new people.â
Mum Hellen has come up against barriers as a woman in business.
The 39-year-old said: âI have had lots of business mentors who told me my pricing structure is wrong, I was not going to get anywhere.
âBut it is working and itâs about the experience, making connections and going back to community shopping.
âI also have that great balance between my family and doing what I love.â
Hellen has collaborated with other businesses, including the many other female-led outlets in Leahâs Yard, and has exciting plans in the pipeline.
Sheâd love to see even more âwomen-owned, interesting independentsâ in the city centre.
On International Womenâs Day, she added: âHaving that one day puts us on the map- however I do feel like it should be celebrated every day.
âWeâll keep doing what we always do, empowering women to come in and try things on, to discover different fashion.
âItâs not about collecting lots of expensive pieces and being someone you donât want to be. âItâs enjoying fashion and helping it elevate what you are already creating on your own, however you live your life.â
Diane Jarvis, CEO of Sheffield BID
âVisibility really mattersâ, says Diane Jarvis, the woman helping Sheffield city centre thrive as a vibrant place to work, live and visit.
Sheâs one of only two women leading major city business improvement districts in the north of England, and has been at the helm of Sheffield BID for ten years.
Diane added: âBeing a woman in placemaking has meant having to find my voice and use it to make sure others are heard.
âVisibility really matters. When women are at the decision making table, cities become more inclusive, creative and resilient. But it has been, over the last few years, quite male dominated.
âLeadership for me is not about being the loudest voice in the room. Itâs about staying true to your values and building partnerships that make a difference.
âIâve been at the BID for ten years and I think the most important lesson has been that collaboration always beats competition. Sometimes when you are in a male dominated environment, it can feel like a competition.â
Chief Executive Officer Diane started her career in manufacturing marketing, moving into professional services and then economic development.
A role with Renaissance South Yorkshire, part of the Yorkshire Forward regional development agency, introduced her to Sheffield. In 2015, she was recruited to launch Sheffield BID.
After two successful terms BID 3 is about to begin. The organisation will represent and collaborate with over 500 city centre businesses from 2026 until 2031.
Diane said: âThere was no guidebook on how to set up a BID and it is a unique industry. It was a big task when you look back!
âOne of the highlights so far has been the Bricktropolis trail. When we first did that in 2018, we were the first BID in England to try a visitor trail across multiple business venues.
âIt brought thousands of people into the city centre during a quieter trading period. Everywhere you went there were people crowding around models, walking around with the trail maps, from Ponds Forge to The Moor.
âNow every BID in the country has had a LEGO trail of some sort. To have pioneered something unique, now replicated everywhere, is something I am proud of.
âWe are entering an exciting new phase as we shape BID 3.
âI am focused on making sure the BID is forward-thinking, partnership driven and rooted in what businesses need to thrive.â
The not-for-profit BIDâs work includes supporting events, such as last monthâs packed Lunar Chinese New Year Festival and the Tramlines Fringe.
It also runs innovative initiatives to boost footfall and visitor spend, while providing additional cleaning services.
On International Womenâs Day, mum Diane said she would like to see more âstrong networksâ for female entrepreneurs in the city centre.
Diane added: âIt is a moment to pause and recognise the women whose work often happens behind the scenes.
âItâs both a celebration but also a call to push for balanced perspectives in decision making.â
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