Sorry, Your Majesty, but it's JK all the way for our city's women

NOTTINGHAM women have voted Harry Potter author JK Rowling as their most inspirational British female.

Nationally, the poll by Oxfam saw the Queen and Jessica Ennis voted joint number one.

But 43 per cent of women in Nottingham voted for the writer, pushing the Queen and the athlete into second place in the city.

Robert Cockayne, manager of Nottingham Mechanics' Institute, in North Sherwood Street – which hosts meetings of various clubs and societies, including Nottingham Writers' Group – said: "I think it is not surprising that JK Rowling was the number one choice for women in Nottingham because there is a lively and flourishing literary scene for readers and writers groups across the city."

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Steve Harrison, manager of the Oxfam bookshop in West Bridgford, said: "In our shop, we get regular donations of the Harry Potter books and they fly off the shelves as soon as we put them out.

"JK Rowling has also brought out a new adult book, which has renewed interest in the author and her books.

"Several of my shop volunteers are members of reading and writing groups across the city too, so it is not hard to see why women in Nottingham voted for a female author over the Queen and Jessica Ennis."

When asked about the groups of women they found most inspiring, women in Nottingham tended to look closer to home, with more than a quarter of women (31 per cent) saying female friends and family were their biggest source of inspiration.

Businesswomen came second in the Oxfam survey results in Nottingham, with one in seven votes.

Nationally, the survey reveals British women are inspired by a broad range of talents in their fellow females, with third position taken by Helen Mirren and fourth by actress Joanna Lumley (35 per cent).

The poll was carried out for Oxfam's Get Together fundraising campaign ahead of International Women's Day on March 8.

Ron Lodge, senior community fundraising manager for Oxfam in the East Midlands, said: "As we prepare to mark International Women's Day on March 8, it is very positive to see such talented women represented in this survey, showing that women in Nottingham are inspired by dedication and achievement."

Who is your most inspirational woman? E-mail newsdesk@nottinghampostgroup.co.uk.