British adaptive rower and Paralympic gold medal winner, Naomi Riches MBE DL, has been revealed as guest speaker at the Cheshire Sportswoman’s Lunch 2026.

The keenly anticipated event, which is now in its fourth year, will take place at Chester Racecourse on Thursday 11th June 2026. 

A former member of Paralympics GB, Naomi won a gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. During her incredible 10-year career in the sport, she achieved six World Titles, a World Silver, and a Bronze medal at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Since her retirement from elite sport in 2013, Naomi has established a career as a motivational speaker, facilitator and resilience coach. Guests at the 2026 Cheshire Sportswoman’s Lunch can expect to be inspired by Naomi’s tales of adversity, mental resilience, peak performance and teamwork.

A limited number of tables and individual tickets are still available but selling fast. The Cheshire Sportswoman’s Lunch has become a firm fixture in the county’s social calendar since it was established by Bathgate Business Finance in 2023. To date it has raised a grand total of £37,000 for good causes including Melanoma UK and The Inclusive Hub.

Pictured L-R: Darren Mercer (Mercer & Associates Wealth Management Ltd ), Abi Smith ( Eventure Ltd), Frances Williams (HM3 Legal), Chris McLoughlin (Bathgate Business Finance),Nicola Arrowsmith (Handelsbanken), Emma Cookson (Bibby Financial Services (UK) Limited),Andrew Hopwood (Champion Accountants).

Last year’s event raised £12,500 for The Joshua Tree, a vital charity supporting families affected by childhood cancers across the North West and North Wales and the event will be raising funds for the charity again this year.

Chris McLoughlin, from Bathgate Business Finance, said: “Naomi has such a fantastic message for our guests this year. While she recognises her Paralympic Gold as her most significant and visible public reward, realising that what people saw as her disability or ‘problem’ was actually the reason she was able to achieve everything she did in her career. In challenging times for business, seeing the opportunity in adversity is vital, so I’m excited for Naomi to bring her positive and transformational mindset to our event.

“This year’s event is on track to be a sell-out, and we can’t wait to welcome our guests to Chester Racecourse for an afternoon of fantastic food, company and coming together to support a fantastic local charity, The Joshua Tree, for the second year running.”

Rich Driffield, CEO, The Joshua Tree, said: “On behalf of everyone at The Joshua Tree, I would like to say a huge thank you to the organisers of The Cheshire Sportswoman’s Lunch for their continued and generous support of our charity. The funds raised through this incredible event enable us to provide vital emotional, health and wellbeing support to families affected by childhood cancer. We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing commitment, which allows us to reach more families and deliver real impact. We look forward to another fantastic event in June and to continuing this special partnership.”

The event is sponsored by Bathgate Business Finance, Bibby Financial Services, HM3 Legal, Mercer & Associates Wealth Management, Handlesbanken, Champion Accountants, BSC Socials, Boodles, and Allianz.

Tickets are on sale for

£90 for an individual ticket or £850 for a table of ten.

Email hello@eventure.ltd to book or call 07540063255

 

Photograph by Visual Hub Supply.