HAMPSHIRE business coach and trainer Claire Godwin will celebrate five years of supporting fellow women in business with a “Daring Greatly” event, on Wednesday at the Lysses Hotel in Fareham.

The event will help businesswomen tap into both the creative and rational sides of their brains to help them become more daring in 2016.

Claire, pictured, director at the Coaching Works and founder of Women on the Business Stage (WOBS), hopes support groups like hers and events like this can help women boost their confidence and start to close the gender pay gap.

“Five years ago I set up WOBS as I was so frustrated with the all-male speaker panels I saw at events. I kept wondering where all the women were, so I decided to do something about it,” Claire explains. “I wanted to give women the encouragement and support they needed to claim the spotlight, helping them grow their confidence, skills and earnings.”

Claire says she has seen a real shift in the number of women working for themselves over the last five years, particularly women over the age of 35.

“Seventy-eight per cent of WOBS members are between the ages of 35 and 54. Over half of them have chosen self-employment to give them the freedom to do things their way. I want to help them make sure they can achieve this,” she says.

WOBS has evolved into much more than speaking opportunities and now has on and off-line mentoring and coaching programmes. To find out more visit womenonthebusinesstage.co.uk.

Tickets for the Daring Greatly event, which starts at 9.30am, cost £39.30 and can be booked on the same website.