V-Insider: Preston Beer Girls — International Women's Day Special 🌸
This International Women's Day, we speak to Becca Sharples, Vidsy's very own Senior Product Manager and founding member of Preston Beer Girls.
Preston Beer Girls is a social group for local beer-drinking women of all ages. They aim to make 'beer-drinking culture' a more approachable and accessible place for women who enjoy beer and to build a strong local network of like-minded women.
Get ready to feel inspired 👇
Hey Becca, Happy International Women’s Day! For those who may not know. Who are you? Where are you from? What magic do you work at Vidsy?🪄
Hey! I'm a Senior Product Manager here at Vidsy. I work on the Creative Excellence squad, which means I manage the products that touch our creators and internal teams working with them, as opposed to other areas of Vidsy that may touch our clients instead. I've worked from start-ups to corporate, ecomm to video. You're all in good hands!
Tell us a little bit about Preston Beer Girls. What made you want to set the group up?
Before lockdown, a handful of females in Preston either worked in hospitality and brewing or had partners who did that felt as if they weren't catered for when they went for a drink. In short, we were sick of being handed the gin or wine menu when we wanted a pint!
It also meant creating a safe space for women to drink, knowing you had a group of women to depend on. It has a more profound effect on us than we could have imagined. Growing from 10 or so to over 100, and two more groups in the UK (with plans for more!), we found our tribe.
One notable moment was back in lockdown, we shared zoom calls that fell deep into the eve, and we talked about our jobs, wages, and working environments - all this led to us sharing salaries which was huge and scary! Women didn't have those chats... 20 of us left our jobs in a mass exodus of knowing we're worth more - none of this would have happened without these women telling each other they could excel. Honestly, I get emotional thinking of the day we handed our notices in!
Do you have a favourite beer? If so, why?🍻
I am an impy girl! An imperial stout is a strong dark beer; some of my favourites are over 13%! It's more of a meal sometimes! My current favourite is called Imperial Mocha by Vocation and Pomona Island (a collab at 12.4%). It's a double coffee imp aged in bourbon whiskey barrels.
Where do you see the brand and its impact in 5 years?
The group will grow and grow. I have no doubt. We have a Book Club, Yoga Club, and Running, Walking, and art classes. Each branch we build creates more safe spaces for women - and I can't think of a better reason to keep going than that! We will work with universities at some point to encourage societies for new women to the area to feel safe, and there's so reason we can't get into public speaking! We have a number of beers we've made in breweries as collabs so far. We will certainly make more of those too. We will continue fundraising and bringing out more merch for our growing groups.
If you could change one thing in the brewing world for women; what would it be and why?
I love the idea that we say 'female brewing group' as an impactful statement right now, but how great would it be to simply be a 'brewing group' without it being out of the norm... we're proud to be women, but we want equality and equity (the theme this year) to be part of everyday life for women in this industry.
Finally, is there a woman you admire the most?
So many... my beautiful friends who are mommas, workers, NHS workers, socialites and much more (sometimes all at once!).
My best friend Rosie battled some severe illness and complications after her second baby, and I couldn't do life without her. She's a superwoman who works so hard every day on her career and family. I also couldn't go without mentioning my momma bear too, who, after fighting skin cancer not long ago also earlier this year, had the all-clear from breast cancer. She was a policewoman, a Girl Guide leader, and a volunteer at CAB. She now works freelance as a bereavement councillor after returning to uni in her 50s to gain that degree. I have her picture in every room of my house to remind me that I can do anything if she can do all that. She's also doing a fire walk to raise money for Maggie's Cancer Charity if anyone can donate!
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