Buckle your seat belts.. its time to review our Costa Women Year!
We were delighted to welcome the arrival of 945 new faces, creating a network and community of 3,360 members
We featured 50 members via interviews here including the launch of new Google Hangbags with host Fiona Catchpowle. If you would like to be interviewed to share your business, charity, hobby, or project, let me know by emailing costawomen@gmail.com
You shared
¨ 263 Blog stories
¨ Created 133 new discussions about life in Spain
¨ Posted 161 Jobs and requests for work
¨ Made 270 introductions
¨ Created 240 classified posts
¨ And we now have 88 interest groups for hobbies, ideas, business, writing, gardening – including groups in German and Finnish
You Met Up
Thanks to our lovely group of volunteers, we started Costa Women meet ups in new locations. If you want to meet other Women in your area join the Facebook groups for:-
¨ Almeria – https://www.facebook.com/groups/costawomenalmeria/
¨ Axarquia – https://www.facebook.com/groups/CostaWomenAxarquia/
¨ Breakfast Group in La Cala – https://www.facebook.com/groups/381079598700953/
¨ Costa Tropical – https://www.facebook.com/groups/CostaWomenCostaTropical/
¨ Malaga – https://www.facebook.com/groups/CostaWomenMalaga/
¨ Marbella – https://www.facebook.com/groups/CostaWomenMarbella/
¨ West of Marbella – https://www.facebook.com/groups/CostaWomenBusinessNetworkingMarbellaWest/
¨ Mijas – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1584585201761387/
Or join one of our existing groups
¨ Fuengirola – https://www.facebook.com/groups/519540014762292/
¨ Las Costeñas – https://www.facebook.com/groups/514081575356260/
¨ Gibraltar – https://www.facebook.com/groups/cwgibraltar/
Events –
Costa Women hosted 85 events and you created and hosted 525 events.
We also got involved in projects:-
¨ Took part in the 5 x 50 challenge – www.5×50.org (thanks Françoise)
¨ Hosted our first International Women’s Day Fayre with Britta
¨ Collaborated with Claudine Reid’s “Women on the Frontline” event
¨ Set up Action August during which you launched 2 new businesses
¨ Hosted the International Women’s Day conference with 90 of you attending and taking part
¨ Had 23 Costa Women businesses represented with stands at The Over 50s Show in Estepona
¨ In November, took part in 1230, The Women’s Company – Business Women in Action Conference
¨ Started Crowd Writing a Business Book with Pepita Bos (and you can get involved too http://costawomen.ning.com/profiles/blogs/want-to-help-write-a-book)
Appeared in the Press
¨ We were featured in Telegraph Expat – The Future’s Female in Spain article http://costawomen.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-future-s-female-in-spain (thanks Suzie Dixon)
¨ Listed as one of the Top 101 Feisty, Fun And Fabulous Women Bloggers To Follow by Birds on the Blog http://birdsontheblog.co.uk/women-bloggers-2014/ (thanks Sarah Arrow)
¨ Featured in 3Plus International http://3plusinternational.com/2014/07/interview-ali-meehan-founder-costa-women/ (thanks Dorothy Dalton)
¨ Featured in Suit & Pie http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=17236e7ebbfd4b74d6965bebc&id=f116f811aa (thanks Foong Ng)
¨ Featured in Sur in English http://costawomen.ning.com/profiles/blogs/in-the-frame-interview-with-sur-in-english (thanks Debbie Eade)
Enjoyed TV and Radio promotion
¨ Regularly appear via Mijas 360 Comunicación – radio and TV features to promote Costa Women events and YOUR businesses, charities and projects (thanks Karen McMahon)
– Have a weekly slot on RTV Mi Marbella to feature YOUR businesses, charities and projects – thanks Nicole King and Fiona Catchpowle
– Were interviewed by Talk Radio Europe (thanks Gillie Revill and Penny Hogg)
– Talked on Croydon Radio (UK) about moving to Spain (thanks Claudine Reid)
Had articles published in:-
- Key to the Mijas Costa (thanks Sandie)
- Insider Abroad
- Olive Press
- Euroweekly News
- ExpatFinder
Connected on Social Media
¨ Our Facebook page now has 3340 friends and followers
¨ Twitter – @costawomen 4761 friends and followers
¨ Linkedin Costa Women Entrepreneur’s group – 133 members
Made a Difference by raising for charity
¨ Collect over 300 items of clothing, shoes and accessories for Cudeca and raised 240€ at the Costa Women Marbella relaunch coffee morning
¨ 430€ for ‘Igualdad y Valor’ (a local Costa del Sol charity that works with victims of domestic violence) at International Women’s Day Fayre
¨ 1,200€ for Danii’s Charity. Watch the wonderful video Fiona has put together from the night here and click this link to read Danii’s story. http://costawomen.ning.com/page/costa-women-summer-party-2014?xg_source=msg_mes_network ;
¨ donated 40 Christmas gifts for Women that suffer domestic violence
¨ Set up a KIVA group to connect people through the use of microloans; lending to alleviate poverty http://costawomen.ning.com/profiles/blogs/what-is-kiva
Wow what a year. Thank YOU Costa Women for making this such a fun Year. Here’s to an extraordinary 2015!
Ali x