NWR's Woman of the Year Award

Presented annually in honour and memory of Mary Stott to a member who has accomplished something exceptional during the year.

Mary Stott Woman of the Year Award Explained

In 1960 Mary Stott, as editor of the first Guardian Women's page, published an article by Betty Jerman drawing attention to the social and intellectual isolation of so many housebound wives at that time. The published response from Maureen Nicol was the starting point for National Housewives' Register (NHR). In 1980 Mary became one of its first Trustees and was made NWR's first Honorary Life Member in 1991.

Mary Stott died in 2002 aged 95. She was a great friend of NHR/NWR for more than forty years and was instrumental, along with Maureen Nicol and Betty Jerman, in creating our organisation.

As a lasting tribute to Mary, in 2003 the Trustees introduced an award to be presented annually (starting in 2004) to a member who has achieved something exceptional during the previous year. Mary's family was delighted by the idea of the award and was happy for us to go ahead. The award takes the form of a quaich, the Scottish Cup of Friendship, to be held by the winner for the year. A book token is also presented as an acknowledgement of Mary's profession.

Click here to read the criterion.