We provide much-needed support to women and couples in Cambridgeshire who’ve been left heartbroken by the death of their baby or a miscarriage.
- Karen Burgess
The project has been plucked from over 750 entries to go into the public vote to decide the winners of this year’s National Lottery Awards – the annual search for the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded projects.
Petals is competing against six other organisations to win the Best Health category, scoop a £2,000 prize and rub shoulders with television, sport and music stars at the glamorous National Lottery Awards on BBC One in September.
Petals is a specialist counselling service for women and couples in Cambridgeshire who’ve been left heartbroken by the death of their baby or a miscarriage. Sadly, every year, over 12,000 parents in the UK are grief-stricken by the tragic loss of their babies. Thousands more suffer miscarriages.
The Petals charity was set up by Karen Burgess in 2011 after the successful counselling service that she ran at Addenbrooke’s Hospital was closed. She strongly felt that this valuable service should not be lost, especially as many women and couples would be unable to pay for private counselling.
Karen says winning the award and being celebrated on national television would be a dream come true: “We are really proud that Petals has made it into the finals of the National Lottery Awards. We provide much-needed support to women and couples in Cambridgeshire who’ve been left heartbroken by the death of their baby or a miscarriage. Getting people’s lives back on track is immensely rewarding. It would be fantastic recognition for our work to be named the UK’s Best Health project so please vote for Petals.”
TV star and actor John Barrowman will be presenting the National Lottery Awards for the fourth time this year: “Every year I am moved by the exceptional work that the finalists of the National Lottery Awards carry out. They typify everything that is right with society – the volunteering, community spirit and selflessness.
“I urge everyone to get behind Petals as they aim to get the recognition they so richly deserve. National Lottery players should be proud that the £33 million they raise for charities every single week goes to projects like this.”
To vote for Petals, please go to www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards or telephone 0844 836 9702 and follow the campaign on twitter: hashtag #NLAwards. Voting runs for four weeks from 9am on Wednesday 25 June until midnight on Wednesday 23 July.
There are seven projects competing for votes across seven categories, reflecting the main areas of National Lottery funding: arts, sport, heritage, health, environment, education and voluntary/charity.
As well as securing their place at the National Lottery Awards show, the project with the highest number of votes in each category will receive a £2,000 cash prize and an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy.
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