ABL Celebrates Women in Sport

Shauna Graham, MD of ABL Insurance Northern Ireland with Lady Mary Peters at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast

ABL Insurance is partnering with The Mary Peters Trust, Northern Ireland’s leading sporting charity, to kick off a year of celebrations with an inspiring event at the Waterfront Hall. The ‘In Conversation with’ Women in Sport event hosted by sports journalist, Ruth Gorman will feature a panel of extraordinary sportswomen.

The event will be the first in a series of events to mark 50 years since Lady Mary won her gold for pentathlon at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Inspired by her win, Lady Mary Peters set up the Trust in 1975 as a way to help fund other young athletes on their sporting journey.

The panel Q&A event will be headed by Lady Mary Peters. She will be joined by Olympic gold medallist runner, Dame Kelly Holmes, Women’s Northern Football Team manager Marissa Callaghan and six-time Paralympic gold medallist swimmer, Bethany Firth. The panel will take place on 10th March – two days after International Women’s Day.

shauna graham, md of abl insurance with lady mary peters at the waterfront hall

Shauna Graham, MD of ABL Insurance said:

“ABL is committed to levelling the playing field in the workplace and encouraging ambition and drive in young women. Lady Mary and these fantastic female athletes are an inspiration to the next generation and we’re delighted to help celebrate their achievements through this sponsorship.”

In their 2021 report, UK charity Women in Sport reported that girls continue to be less involved in sports than boys with 41% of girls being part of a sports team in comparison to 63% of boys. Moreover, an estimated 4-10% of all UK sports coverage is about female sportspeople in comparison to 80% of coverage about men.

Lady Mary comments:

‘I have been so fortunate to enjoy a life filled with sport and the comradery that comes with that. I want to encourage women of all ages to try something new in 2022. I am thrilled to be joined by such a fantastic panel of inspirational female athletes and hope you will join us to learn more about the future generation of gold medal girls’.

The Mary Peters Trust In Conversation With….. tickets are available at the Waterfront box office.