This September will bring with it a milestone birthday for me as I turn 60 and I wanted to mark this by doing something truly special for Petals, the charity I founded over a decade ago and which has played such a significant part in my life over that time. So, on the 9th September, along with a team of Petals' supporters, counsellors and my office colleagues,  I am taking on the Thames Bridges Trek. I can't think of a better way to celebrate! 

When I founded Petals all that time ago I could only dream of the impact it would have and I am incredibly proud of all we have achieved so far but there is still so much more to be done; Demand for our specialist counselling service has never been so high and we are determined to make our vital support available to all bereaved parents when they need it.

We partner with a number of different NHS hospitals and are able to support the bereaved parents who come under their care but for the ever-increasing number who come to us from outside of these partnerships, we rely on charitable funds.

Heartbreakingly, last year we were forced to turn away 738 people who came to us for support as we simply did not have the funds to support them.  Having to turn away anyone goes against everything we stand for, and all of us at Petals are determined to rapidly expand our service and are working hard every day to achieve this.

It is our vision that all parents across the UK can access our specialist counselling support free of charge, when they need it.  Each counselling session costs Petals £80 and we would like the Thames Bridges Trek to fund as many sessions as possible so every donation counts!

Thank you so much for your support and for helping me mark my 60th birthday in this special way.🌸