Petals, The Baby Loss Counselling Charity, Announces Double Olympic Swimming Champion Becky Adlington as Ambassador
Becky Adlington OBE, who has four Olympic medals from Beijing 2008 and London 2012, and runs her own learn to swim business, has today been announced as an Ambassador for Petals, a leading baby loss charity in the UK.
Becky, who fronted the BBC’s coverage of the swimming at Paris 2024 this summer, has joined the charity after being supported following her own experience of baby loss last year – something she spoke candidly about with Giovanna Fletcher on her Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast in July.
Petals provides a vital service, partnering with NHS Trusts in some areas but, outside of these partnerships, they rely entirely on charitable funds to support an ever-increasing number of bereaved parents who come to the charity for support.
The demand for Petals’ support has sadly never been so high and the charity is having to turn people away, which goes against everything they stand for. This Baby Loss Awareness Week, Petals is aiming to raise awareness of the specialist service they provide, along with vital funds, to help them be there for any bereaved parents who need them.
Following the loss of her daughter, Harper, during her fourth pregnancy, Becky has been vocal about the impact Petals had on both her and her husband Andy and how the support they received from the charity played a vital role in helping them work through their grief.
Becky, who is a mum of 2, wants this service to be available to everyone who needs it and hopes her involvement with Petals will help raise awareness of the amazing work the charity does. Announcing her new role as Ambassador, she said: “As a mum of two, losing Harper was the most devastating experience Andy and I have ever faced. We felt lost, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to cope with the grief. Finding Petals was a lifeline during that incredibly dark time. The counselling we received helped us navigate our emotions, allowing us to process our loss in a way we couldn’t have done alone. I’m incredibly proud to join Petals as an Ambassador because the work they do as a charity provides vital support. I hope to start more open conversations around baby loss and help raise awareness of the amazing work Petals does for bereaved families.”
Petals Founder & CEO, Karen Burgess, said: “We are honoured to have Becky joining us as an Ambassador. We have been so moved to see Becky already using her platform to bring this sensitive topic into the public eye and to start vital conversations around baby loss and the need for specialist support in the aftermath of such a tragic experience.
“It is our aim at Petals to make specialist baby loss counselling available to all bereaved parents across the country, no matter where they live or what type of loss they have suffered. Becky is a passionate advocate for the importance of specialist support and we are incredibly grateful she has agreed to become our Ambassador. We look forward to working together.”
Baby Loss Awareness Week (9th – 15th October), now in its 22nd year, is an opportunity for everyone in the baby loss community and beyond to come together to remember and commemorate much-loved and missed babies. The week also provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of pregnancy and baby loss; the importance that bereavement support plays in the ongoing bereavement journey; and of the vital work that is needed to improve pregnancy outcomes and to save babies’ lives.
