Festival of The Girl Selects the North East to Host Its First Event Outside the Capital in Partnership With NorthStandard

5 November 2025

Breaking new ground beyond the capital, the not-for-profit organisation founded in 2019 to challenge gender stereotypes and empower young girls, Festival of The Girl, has announced its first-ever event outside London. Scheduled for March 2026 in Newcastle upon Tyne, the event is being delivered in partnership with Newcastle-based global marine insurer, NorthStandard.

Designed for primary school aged girls and their families, including siblings of any gender, the event will take place on Sunday 22 March at Newcastle University.

To date, the Festival of The Girl team has directly supported more than 37,000 girls, showing them that their voices matter, their passions are valid, and their futures are limitless. The festival provides a safe and inclusive space where girls can try new and exciting activities and meet inspiring female role models from a wide range of fields.

Past events have seen girls exploring topics that include aviation, wrestling, farming, robotics, TV production, wellbeing, confidence and more.

The decision to bring this inspiring festival to the North East stems from a connection between the two organisations that began earlier this year. The spark was ignited when one of Festival of The Girl’s founders, Jen Toll, attended NorthStandard’s International Women’s Day breakfast, where the idea to expand the festival beyond London first took shape.

NorthStandard’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion employee resource group provided generous funding support, reflecting their commitment to empowering young girls.

Andrea Preston, Chief People Officer at NorthStandard, said: “We believe every girl deserves to see the limitless possibilities ahead and to grow up in an environment that nurtures her passion and confidence.

As an organisation, we are committed to our region and we understand how important it is for girls in the North East to be exposed to new opportunities, encouraged to try new activities, and feel empowered to become the next generation of female leaders and innovators in the North East.”

This partnership embodies a shared vision of creating safe and inclusive spaces where girls can discover their potential and find inspiration from female role models across a variety of industries, including traditionally male-dominated sectors such as maritime and insurance.

Working closely with NorthStandard and other Newcastle-based organisations, the Festival of The Girl team envisions this as just the beginning of a series of impactful events designed to inspire, support, and empower girls across the North East.

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