Wonder women

WHETHER it be on the sports field, in the recording studio or even in the labour ward - there has been plenty of female activity to salute during 2000. Motherhood was a buzz word this millennium year. It all began with the race to produce the first baby of the new millennium - an honour which went to New Zealander Milika Fetuani, whose seventh child, daughter Tupou, was born ten minutes after the bells.

Closer to home, Christine Lucas produced York's first baby of the year 2000: little Chloe born at 12.28am on January 1.

It set the tone for the shape of things to come. The showbiz bibles Hello and OK became more like a mother and baby mag as week after week they revealed 'at home' pics of the latest celebrity mum with her cherished new offspring.

Kate Winslet, Melinda Messinger, Ulrika Jonsson. Lowri Turner and Catherine Zeta Jones were just some of the famous mums to grace their pages. No doubt Zoe Ball, who has just given birth to son Woody, will be next.

However, my vote for milleni-mum of the year goes to Cherie Blair, who gave birth to Leo at the age of 45, working right up to the birth and returning to work soon afterwards - like thousands of other ordinary women across Britain.

Another mum worthy of our thoughts is North Yorkshire cancer patient Gail Hepworth, whose sheer spirit, courage and determination have enabled her to look forward to another Christmas with her family: husband David and two young sons Tom and Jack. The generosity of Evening Press readers helped pay for Gail to visit the Schachter Centre for Complementary Medicine in the States to learn alternative ways to cope with her condition and improve her quality of life.

Team GB's success in the Sydney Olympics gave us a patriotic shot in the arm. The gritty win by Brit heptathlete Denise Lewis, who fought off injury to secure the gold in the nail-biting two-day event, provided plenty reason to wave our Union Jacks. But surely it was paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson who stole the show. She cleaned up the medals in her field, taking gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metre events at Sydney.

Another triumph, be it of a different kind, was achieved by Joanne Rowling - better known as JK to her legions of young (and not so young) fans.

She penned the phenomenally successful Harry Potter books, which have turned her from a penniless single mother into a millionaire many times over - as well as an OBE.

But her real worth lies in the fact her fantastic tales about young wizard Harry have made reading books an appealing pastime again for children.

Actress Hilary Swank also deserves a toast for winning an Academy Award in the coveted best actress category, despite playing a man in the movie Boys Don't Cry.

And let's not forget that other Hillary's considerable achievement - Mrs Clinton beat the odds and her many detractors to win a Senate seat in New York state and became the only First Lady ever to be elected to public office.

In doing so she has paved the way for a potential return to the White House, but this time as the boss.

One woman who bowed out of public office this year was Betty Boothroyd, the former Speaker of the House of Commons - and the first women to hold the post. However, she has not left public life altogether and has chosen to remain the patron of the York-based campaign to build a memorial to the women of the Second World War. Betty, we salute you.

For reaching her centenary, the Queen Mother deserves our congratulations - not least for having to put up with all those feuding relatives year after year.

From royal queen to pop queen, there have been quite a few disco divas battling for that crown this year. Aussie upstart Kylie Minogue made a sensational comeback with her number-one hit Spinning Around, followed by Kids, a coup of a duet with boy wonder Robbie Williams.

And don't forget Sophie Ellis Bextor, the upmarket model who proved she was no Posh-over when she beat Spice Girl Victoria Beckham to the number one spot with her debut single Groove Jet.

But my vote goes to the queen mum of pop herself: Madonna, who at 42 gave birth to son Rocco and saw her single Music go straight to number one just days later. A wedding in Scotland beckons, so she's got the Guy too. Talk about striking it Ritchie.

Looking ahead to next year, it's a safe bet Ffion Hague will be making a lot of headlines. It's likely to be an election year, and as tradition (or more likely desperation) dictates, political wives are to brought out along with the knives in the battle to win over Britain.

And let's face it, the Tories are not exactly spoiled for choice on the female front are they?

If they don't exploit Mrs Hague, they'll have to roll out Miss Widdecombe or Mrs Thatcher, although some might think that would not be such a bad thing.

On the music scene, the teen girl trio Sugarbabes are being tipped for great things and - believe it or not - it's predicted that 2001 will see a revival of fortunes for Sheena Easton.

Of course, should she re-release her 1980 top-three hit 9 to 5, she'd have to rewrite the lyrics to take account of the shambles of today's railways: "My baby takes the morning train, he works from nine till five and then, he takes another home again...should he find one waiting for him".

Who gets your nomination, or what is your prediction for next year? Write and tell us who we've missed out and why they get your vote.

The best letter wins a recipe book.

Write with your name, address and daytime telephone number to: Women of the year, c/o Maxine Gordon, Features department, Evening Press, PO Box 35, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN. Or email: maxine.gordon@ycp.co.uk