THE Daily Echo has been a great supporter of the Venus Awards from when it first came to Southampton and the SO postal region in 2011.

This year we are sponsoring the popular public vote category Business Mother of the Year, that pays homage to the extraordinary role played by women not only in the workplace but as working mothers.

The semi-finalists are:

Laura Bowyer – Employment Matters

Sharon Dawson – Eye Candy

Melissa Edmunds – Zinch Designs

Verity Edwards – Southampton Pamper Parties and the Pink Room

Marie Haverly – Isabella Weddings

Kerry Herdman – Urban Eden Beauty Ltd

Caroline Payne – Maraka Jacks Ltd

Marie-Claire Prettyman – The Movement Specialist

Lucy Shrimpton – The Sleep Nanny

Victoria Vickery – V:Squared

Marketing Video clips of the 10 can be viewed and voted for on the Venus Awards website at https://www.venusawards.co.uk/southampton/

Voting closes at midnight on Tuesday, January 26.

The three semi-finalists who have received the most public votes will be revealed along with other categories at the Finalists Announcement on Thursday, February 11 at the Botleigh Grange Hotel in Hedge End.