LADIES from Liphook Golf Club, The Rosemary Foundation and Wenham Holt Nursing Home, in Liss, celebrated International Women's Day with a special lunch.

Held at the Liphook home of Julia Hardy, she wanted to honour her chosen "woman of the year," Rosemary Gorvin, who runs the care home where her late husband, John spent his last days.

Julia (right) told The Herald: "I was so impressed with Rosemary's dedication, who leads her staff by example, that I felt I had to do something to acknowledge her services to patients and families at a time when they need it most."

Julia's late husband John was the former captain and president at Blackmoor Golf Club, while Julia is a long-standing Liphook GC member.

Among the guests was her neighbour Patricia, widow of Ken Wood, who designed the Kenwood Chef mixer and founded Forest Mere Health Farm. A keen golfer he also invested in Old Thorns Golf and Country Club with TV commentator Peter Alliss.

International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialised world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies, Thousands of events are held annually worldwide, on March 8, to inspire women and celebrate their achievements, ranging from political rallies, business conferences and networking events, through to craft markets, theatrical shows and fashion parades.