AN event to mark International Women's Day was launched by a woman hoping to make her mark on the North-East over the coming months.
Vera Baird QC is aiming to be the next Labour MP in Redcar, stepping into the shoes of one of the most famous British women of the 1990s, Mo Mowlam.
On Saturday, Ms Baird opened a free event at the Redcar Bowl organised by Redcar and Cleveland Women's Network, to celebrate International Women's Day.
Events included salsa dancing, tai chi and African dancing. There were also advice stands run by women's groups, the police, Citizens' Advice Bureaux and the Samaritans, and a free creche.
Almost 1,000 women attended the event, which has been run annually for eight years.
Ms Baird said: "It is a great pleasure to be invited to open this fantastic event. I am looking forward to making many new friends and listening to their ideas and opinions about women's role in modern society.
"I am delighted that there is such an active women's movement in the constituency."
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