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A Nation’s Inspiration:

Naomi Thomas wins the

Daily Mail’s Inspirational Woman of the Year 2013

Naomi Thomas is an inspirational woman – the sort of person who can sweep you along with her enthusiasm for life and ‘wow’ you with her attitude. From her sunny outlook, you would never know that this is a lady with secondary breast cancer; rather than letting her diagnosis define her, Naomi has embraced the challenges that life has thrown at her and dedicated her time to helping others.


Naomi is the founder of the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation, an amazing charity that funds and organises weddings for couples affected by terminal, and life-limiting, illness. Inspired by the help she received organising her own nuptials following her cancer diagnosis, Naomi has taken it upon herself to make dreams come true, and to ensure that other couples are able to experience the day of their dreams.

Her hard work and tireless determination were recently recognised by a national newspaper’s campaign to find Britain’s most inspirational woman. Nominated by Breast Cancer Care, Naomi was shortlisted alongside four of the country’s most amazing women for the Daily Mail’s seventh annual awards; Janis Feely, who works tirelessly with addicts to help them rebuild their lives; Susan Belgrave, a determined lady who has helped hundreds of London’s impoverished children to read; Jeanette Orrey, the lady who inspired Jamie Oliver’s School Dinners Campaign; and Pat Rogers, a mother who channeled her grief into helping to educate young people about binge-drinking and violence. All five women were invited to Number 10 Downing Street to meet Samantha Cameron, and were then honoured at a fabulous gala dinner at the Marriott Hotel in London’s Grosvenor Square.

The culmination of the evening was the award for the Daily Mail’s Inspirational Woman 2013; a prize of a £5,000 luxury break presented by TV icon Bruce Forsyth. Bruce described the evening as “one of the most emotional nights I’ve been to,” before announcing Naomi as the overall winner in front of a host of family, friends, and celebrities including Anton de Beke, Esther Rantzen, and Sian Williams.

Of her amazing win, charity founder Naomi says, “I was in shock when my name was read out; I wasn’t sure if I’d heard them right! I just couldn’t believe I’d won. Going to Downing Street and meeting the other nominees was such a dream, and an honour in itself. I really hope that the coverage from these awards will raise awareness of the work of the Foundation, and in turn encourage companies to join Johnson’s Cleaners in sponsoring us.”

Please visit the Daily Mail’s website for a full report of the evening’s events, along with some fantastic images of Naomi and the inspirational women she stood alongside for the evening.

Congratulations, Naomi – you are an inspiration to us all.

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