International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

To celebrate, we've compiled a list of women with connections to Barry who made waves in their fields, from local government, to painting, and charity work.

Mary Holland

Mary Holland (1884-1968) was elected the first female Mayor of the Borough of Barry in 1945. During her first year as Mayor she played an important part in the negotiations for Distillers Ltd (later BP) to bring their chemical works to the town, leading to the arrival of many companies along with well-paid jobs.

She was elected Mayor for the second time in 1957 and later became a Freeman of the Borough. The residential street Holland Way was named in honour of her.

Sister Amy Evans

Sister Amy Evans (1860-1925) became the first lady nurse of the Barry & District Nursing Association in 1891 and later became Lady Superintendent when the institution became the General Accident and Surgical Hospital, a voluntary institution to meet the needs of the sick and poor.

In 1898 she resigned in a dispute over the imposition of levies and took over a hotel in Holton Road in order to establish a "voluntary hospital for the destitute sick and dying" - the Amy Evans Hospital.

Laura Jenner

Laura Frances Jenner (1852-1926) of Wenvoe Castle owned the land upon which Jenner Park is built, which was part of the Wenvoe Castle Estate.

She first appears in the deeds for the stadium site when she leased the land to Barry AFC in 1920. The stadium is named after her and her family.

Any reference to Jenner in the town is a reference to the Jenner family

Grace Williams

Grace Williams (1906-1977) was one of the most important and influential 20th century Welsh composers who wrote highly expressive music which reflected her love of the sea and the Welsh landscape.

She was born in Barry and attended the Royal College of Music.

In 1969 she wrote the orchestral fanfare, Castell Caernarfon, for the investiture of the Prince of Wales. A portrait of Grace is on display in the County Library in Barry.

Eirene Lloyd White

Eirene Lloyd White (nee Jones) (1909-1999) received a life peerage in 1970 following an ambitious and successful political career. She attended primary school in Barry and as a little girl, Mrs Pankhurst came to visit her parents at their home in Park Road and Eirene remembered being dressed up in a white dress and a green purple and white suffragette sash.

Her father sent her to the Methodist Chapel to learn Welsh. At the age of 10 she moved to London where her father worked with David Lloyd George. She became a determined anti-racist after she was unable to eat in the same restaurant as Paul Robeson.

She was a political journalist with the Manchester Evening News, the first woman to hold such a post. In 1950 she was elected MP for Flintshire East, and persuaded the Labour Party to vote for equal pay for women in the public sector. In the 1960s she was Under-Secretary of State in the Colonial Office, later Minister of State at the Foreign Office and at the Welsh Office.

Her ashes were scattered in Barry where she spent a very happy childhood.

Elvira Gwenllian Payne

Councillor Payne (1917-2007), who was born in Morgan Street, Barry, was the 1979 Barry Town Council deputy mayor and the Vale of Glamorgan mayoress from 1974 to 1976.

She was the first black female councillor elected in Wales, and dedicated her life to civic life in our town.

Lucy Dickenson

Lucy Dickenson (1980-2012) was an award-winning social entrepreneur and created the SAFE Foundation, an international development charity, with twin sister Hannah in 2006.

The Foundation operates in Sierra Leone, Ghana, India, Uganda, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and the UK.

Lucy died in Zambia in 2012. Each year Lucy and her sister celebrated their birthday with a picnic at The Knap, Barry

Sue Husband

Sue Husband was born in Cardiff and began working at MacDonald's on Queen Street aged 16.

She worked her way up the company and took on an education role, helping employees gain crucial literacy and numeracy qualifications.