Queen Mary's College unveils purple plaque for innovator

The plaque, which honours Sam Godfrey-Moore, was installed at Queen Mary’s College in Basingstoke in recognition of her being named a Women in Innovation Award winner by Innovate UK.

Cllr Colin Philimore, Mayor of Basingstoke, and MP Luke Murphy joined guests at the college to celebrate Ms Godfrey-Moore’s achievement.

The Innovate UK award supports female entrepreneurs with up to £75,000 in funding and a year-long support package to help scale their businesses.

Sam Godfrey-Moore was honoured with a purple plaque at QMC, unveiled by Mayor of Basingstoke Cllr Colin Phillimore and Luke Murphy MP (Image: WhatsOn4Kids)

Ms Godfrey-Moore, founder of What’s On 4 Kids, said: "Seeing the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Purple Plaque fixed to the walls of Queen Mary’s College is both surreal and thrilling.

"The plaque doesn’t just celebrate my own journey; it is inspiration for every student for years to come.

"I want them to glance at it: ‘Innovation isn’t reserved for Silicon Valley or London tech hubs—it can start right here, in Basingstoke, with my idea.’"

The purple plaque scheme is Innovate UK’s take on the traditional blue plaque programme, which commemorates historic figures across the UK.

The scheme aims to address the underrepresentation of women in public honours, with only 15 per cent of London’s blue plaques currently dedicated to women.

Mark Henderson, principal at Queen Mary’s College, said: "We are immensely proud to host the purple plaque for Sam Godfrey-Moore here at Queen Mary’s College.

"This recognition not only celebrates Sam’s remarkable achievement as a Women in Innovation Award winner but also highlights the vital role of female innovators in shaping our future.

"Representation matters—by showcasing pioneering women like Sam, we inspire our students to see what is possible and encourage the next generation to lead with creativity and ambition."

Ms Godfrey-Moore, a three-time INSPIRE Business Awards winner, has spent 20 years driving change in the children’s activities sector.

Her achievements include launching the first business awards in the sector, raising more than £260,000 for Caudwell Children through the first national PR campaign, and founding the Children’s Activities Association to promote industry standards and collaboration.

The Innovate UK award is supporting her most recent project, a collaboration with 24 organisations and George Bevis, founder of Tide.

The project uses digital technology and artificial intelligence to encourage grandparents to take part in preschool and extra-curricular activities with their grandchildren.

The Generations platform, now in pilot, is already being used by families and class providers across the UK.

Purple plaques are being placed at schools and colleges across the country to honour Women in Innovation Award recipients and to inspire future generations.