Josephine Reynolds

Hailed as the first female firefighter in Britain, Jo joined Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service in 1982 at 17. Using determination and inner strength to overcome prejudice, she proved that women could make great firefighters.Adventurous and free-spirited, Jo left a promising fire service career to join expeditions in South America and Southeast Asia, founded the Silk Road Design Co in China, and moved to the island of Koh Samui in 2006.Exposed to huge inequalities around the world, Jo relocated to Cambodia to help a local NGO. Travelling on one of the first planes after Typhoon Haiyan hit, she spent a month in the Philippines writing articles, and as Nepal’s 2015 earthquake struck was commissioned to write for UN Women.Jo is regularly in the media and published her memoir Fire Woman in 2017.