Powering Women in Business
I get asked at least once a week which women's networks and communities are worth joining in Bristol. It's one of my favourite questions, because the honest answer is: so many, and they're all a bit different.
Some are structured referral groups where you'll walk out with warm leads. Some are giving circles, coaching containers or running clubs that just happen to be full of business owners. Some are brand new and finding their feet, others have been quietly changing lives for a decade.
What they all share is women choosing to show up for each other, which, if you know me, you'll know is exactly the kind of rising tide I believe in.
So here's my running list. I've done my best to research and summarise each one, but if you spot a gap or a change, do let me know. This is a living document, much like the community it's mapping.
The list
BANES WLN (led by Hannah Wilson) A regional women's leadership network Hannah founded on relocating back to the West Country, running coffee mornings, book clubs, coworking days, dinners and an annual summit across Bath and Bristol. hannah-wilson.co.uk/networking and BANES WLN group on LinkedIn.
Barclays Women in Business (led by Kelly Burge) Barclays' national Women in Business programme, championed locally by Relationship Development Director Kelly Burge, offering free coaching, funding routes and events to help female founders start, run and grow. barclays.co.uk/business-banking/sectors/women-in-business Locally, Kelly hosts lovely net-walking sessions too.
Barclays Eagle Labs: Female Founders Eagle Labs' dedicated female founders programme, run in partnership with AccelerateHER, offering free mentoring and a vibrant network aimed at accelerating the growth, visibility and backing of women-led businesses. labs.uk.barclays/what-we-offer/inclusion-at-eagle-labs/female-founders
Bath Women's Fund (Emma Beeston and Isobel Michael) A Bath-based giving circle where members pool monthly donations to fund local groups supporting women and girls, alongside quarterly potluck gatherings to learn about the causes they back. bathwomensfund.org.uk
BEntrepreneurial: The Female Forum (led by Julie Book, Burges Salmon) A network for female founders run by Burges Salmon partner Julie Book, connecting inspiring women in business through events built around collaboration, commercialisation and championing one another. burges-salmon.com/events/bentrepreneurial
BOLD women (led by Amy Weidner) A fun, fast-growing community from LinkedIn Top Voice and brand strategist Amy Weidner, turning Bristol women into confident solopreneurs and creators through events, bootcamps and storytelling evenings. instagram.com/theboldagency11
Bristol Women in Business Charter (led by Sandra Gordon, Kristal Macnamara and Sarah Rice) A not-for-profit Charter supporting West of England employers to commit to gender equity goals, offering signatories peer mentoring, exclusive events and annual accountability on their progress. bristolwomeninbusinesscharter.org
Electra (my community, where awesome women unite) An event series and online community for ambitious, connected women. Find out more.
Freelance Mum netwalks Freelance Mum's local Bristol netwalks pair gentle movement with real connection, part of a wider freelance membership community that first launched in Bristol nearly a decade ago. freelancemum.co.uk
Generate-HER (Clockwise Bristol) A monthly community for women in business, launching at Clockwise Bristol with honest panel talks on career setbacks, resilience and the kind of mentoring that happens naturally when women start talking. eventbrite.com/e/generate-her-tickets-1997446422018
MotherBoard(powered by ADLIB) A Business Charter, community and event series tackling why half of women leave the tech industry before 35, supporting employers to become more inclusive of mums and parents through signatory accountability, events and content. motherboardmovement.co.uk
She Scales: Women Founder Networking (Bristol NatWest Accelerator) A monthly in-person gathering at the NatWest Accelerator, giving women founders and business leaders a two-hour moment each month to pause, connect and recharge together beyond the usual coffee-and-catch-up format. Accelerator events.
S&W Women's Community: Women in Business Series An in-house series bringing women in business together throughout the year to connect, share and support one another. Get in touch with Alex Milner or Tara Meadus to find out more.
Six Degrees A national community offering Flourish, a six-month programme of coaching, workshops and retreats built for female founders craving strategic growth alongside deeper mindset support. sixdegrees-group.com/flourish
This Mum Runs Founded in Bristol in 2014 by Mel Bound (now nationwide as This Woman Runs), this warm, pressure-free running community offers free weekly runs, a supportive app and genuine friendships for women rebuilding fitness and confidence. groups.runtogether.co.uk/ThisMumRunsBristol
West of England Women's Commission (co-chaired by Zara Nanu and Penny Gane) Established in 2025, this commission unites cross-sector leaders from local government, the NHS, universities and business to tackle the barriers facing women and girls across Bristol, Bath and the wider region, with task groups spanning health, transport and education. westofenglandwomen.org
Women Mean Biz (founded by Philippa Constable) A long-running South West networking organisation with structured, referral-focused lunchtime meetings across Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham, Wiltshire and Somerset. womenmeanbiz.co.uk
The Women's Work Lab A South West social enterprise (CIC) helping unemployed mums on Universal Credit rebuild confidence and get back into work through classroom training, work placements and career coaching.
womensworklab.co.uk
National Initiatives with a local footprint
Female Founders RISE A B Corp community of over 11,000 female and non-binary founders, founded by Emmie Faust, offering fundraising accelerators, expert workshops and events across the UK, London-born but with a handful of local Bristol members. femalefoundersrise.com
Bold by Veuve Clicquot The champagne house's international Bold Woman Award, now in its 54th year, is the longest-running global accolade recognising audacious female entrepreneurs. London-based, but worth knowing about. veuveclicquot.com/en-gb/boldlp.html
Cavendish Women of Influence (led by Charlotte Knight) A London network from corporate finance firm Cavendish, supporting female C-suite leaders with educational resources, networking events and guidance on financing, scaling and exiting their businesses. cavendish.com/women-of-influence
Women in Business Network (WIBN) One of the UK's biggest women's networking organisations, with over 100 monthly groups nationwide. A dedicated Bristol or Bath chapter doesn't appear to be running yet, worth watching this space. wibn.co.uk/page/Bristol-Bath-Networking-Group
As always, this data forms one part of my Greater Bristol crib sheet which will soon be available. If you’ve got suggestions for it, you can add them here.
Interested in Equity Funding as a Woman in Business?
And one last thing, I prepared some resources on the same topic for an event earlier this year, which might be useful too - they’re more focused on being an angel investor and raising equity funding as a woman in business.
Recently, a handful of initiatives have popped up in this space including https://xxinvest.co.uk/ so please shout if you know of others.