Petals

What Petals does

Petals is a UK registered charity (Charity Number 1150375, company limited by guarantee No. 07717126) that provides free, specialist one-to-one counselling to parents following pregnancy or baby loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth, termination for medical reasons (TFMR), neonatal death, and pregnancy after loss (PAL). Founded in 2011 by Karen Burgess, an NHS counsellor whose post was defunded, the charity formalised its status in 2013 and has since supported over 10,000 people nationwide. The core service is the Petals Counselling Programme, a structured, approximately five-session model delivered online via Microsoft Teams by Approved Counsellors who hold registrations on a Professional Standards Advisory Register and complete the charity's bespoke two-stage perinatal training. Outcomes are tracked using the CORE-OM self-reporting measure at intake, mid-therapy, and completion, with reported results including a reduction in clinical-level presentations from 75% to 36% post-counselling, 93% of clients reporting improved coping, and 84% reporting improved mental health.

The business model is a hybrid of contracted service delivery and charitable fundraising. NHS trust and Integrated Care Board contracts fund embedded counselling across 26 partner hospitals and trusts (including Birmingham Women's Hospital, Guy's & St Thomas', Oxford University Hospitals, North Bristol NHS Trust, and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals), with referrals routed via bereavement midwives and other healthcare professionals. A self-referral pathway via an online form serves parents outside NHS partner catchments. All counselling is provided free at the point of need. The remainder of the £1.2 million 2025/26 operating budget is raised through individual donations, the Petals Network monthly subscription programme, challenge events (Cambridge and London Landmarks half marathons, Ultra Challenges, Lace Up and Trek), trust and foundation grants, corporate partnerships, merchandise sales, and legacy giving. The charity reports 92p of every £1 spent goes directly to counselling delivery.

Operationally, Petals is a small organisation (1-10 employees on payroll) supported by a network of approved counsellors, a Board of Trustees chaired by Amy Butterworth with vice chair Dan Fisher, and a leadership team including Karen Burgess as Chief Executive and Director of Counselling, Paula Mothersole as Head of Partnerships & Operations, and Clare Edwards as Head of Fundraising & Communications. Supplementary product lines include the PAL group programme, closed Facebook support communities for Dads, Grandparents, and PAL (1,859 members), the Petals Counsellor Training Programme, Language Line translation access for non-English speakers, and the Missing 20 fundraising campaign addressing weekly unmet demand. The charity is a member of the Baby Loss Awareness Alliance, Maternal Mental Health Alliance, APPG on Baby Loss, International Stillbirth Alliance, and other sector coalitions.

Name

Petals

Legal name

Petals Charity

Website

https://www.petalscharity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Petals is a UK charity that delivers free, specialist online counselling to bereaved parents following pregnancy or baby loss, operating through 26 NHS hospital partnerships and a self-referral pathway, and serving over 10,000 people since 2011.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Swaffham Bulbeck

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. NHS Trust Contracts: Contracts with NHS trusts or ICBs that fund Petals services in specific geographic locations across the UK.
2. Individual Donations: One-time and regular donations from individual supporters, including regular giving through The Petals Network monthly subscription programme.
3. Fundraising Events: Revenue from challenge events including marathons, treks, ultra challenges, and community fundraising activities.
4. Trust and Foundation Grants: Grants from charitable trusts and foundations supporting core costs or specific programmes such as language line services or TFMR support groups.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with businesses including employee counselling packages, charity of the year relationships, and corporate fundraising.
6. Merchandise Sales: Online shop sales including Christmas stars, cards, wristbands, running tops, and other branded merchandise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Petals provides free, specialist one-to-one counseling for parents who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth, termination for medical reasons, neonatal death, and pregnancy after loss. Counseling is delivered online via Microsoft Teams by specially trained Petals Approved Counsellors using the proprietary Petals Counselling Programme methodology, with a triage assessment and an average of five sessions per client.

Product overview

Petals is a single-service charity offering one core programme (the Petals Counselling Programme) supported by several supplementary initiatives. The counselling service is delivered free to parents experiencing any type of pregnancy or baby loss via online sessions, supported by translation services. Supplementary offerings include a counsellor training programme (developed with Bereavement Training International), the Petals Network regular giving scheme, The Missing 20 fundraising campaign, and the Lace Up and Trek challenge events series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Petals Counselling Programme Free specialist one-to-one counselling programme for parents following pregnancy or baby loss including miscarriage, stillbirth, TFMR, neonatal death, and pregnancy after loss, delivered online via Microsoft Teams by specially trained Petals Counsellors using the proprietary Petals Counselling Programme methodology with triage assessment and an average of five sessions per client.
• Pregnancy After Loss (PAL) Programme Specialist psychological support coaching for women and couples who have previously experienced baby loss, providing a safe space to manage anxiety and fears throughout a subsequent pregnancy.
• Petals Counsellor Training Programme Bespoke two-stage training programme for health professionals interested in working with parents following baby loss, co-designed with Paula Abramson of Bereavement Training International.
• The Petals Network (Regular Giving Programme) Regular giving programme allowing donors to make monthly donations of £10/£15/£20 to fund counsellor training, grief support sessions, and the pregnancy after loss group counselling programme.
• The Missing 20 Campaign Awareness and fundraising campaign addressing the approximately 20 parents per week who are declined counselling due to funding limitations, raising funds to expand service capacity.
• Lace Up and Trek Challenge Events Series of fundraising adventure events including mountain treks and challenges at unique UK destinations, designed to raise funds while providing community and reflection opportunities; registration £69 plus £350 fundraising target or £99 self-funded.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of clients report improved ability to cope with their loss
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Birmingham Women's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched Petals counselling service to support bereaved parents in Birmingham. Provides specialist baby loss counselling to patients receiving maternity care at the hospital.
• Tommy'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Tommy's and FiveXMore collaboration. 100% of parents accessing counselling through this partnership reported understanding their grief process.
• FiveXMorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack maternal health charity partnership focused on improving outcomes for Black mothers and families experiencing baby loss.
• Twins TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting multiple birth families experiencing loss, including Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome and bereavement support.
• Language LinecoreTechnology or IntegrationTranslation service partnership enabling 45 people to access counselling in their native language. All 100% of parents using the service showed improvement in mental health.
• Guy's & St Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS hospital partnership delivering specialist counselling services to bereaved parents in the London area.
• Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS hospital partnership providing specialist baby loss counselling services to Oxfordshire patients.
• North Bristol NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS hospital partnership delivering specialist counselling services to bereaved parents in the Bristol area.
• Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS hospital partnership providing specialist baby loss counselling services in the Blackpool area.
• Lancashire & South Cumbria LMSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partnership supporting healthcare professionals with baby loss training and support resources.
• International Stillbirth Alliance (ISA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership organization uniting bereaved parents, health professionals and researchers to drive global change for stillbirth and neonatal death prevention.
• All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Baby LossminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-party parliamentary group working on policy to support families dealing with baby loss grief and raise awareness of government support needed.
• Baby Loss Awareness AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of over 80 baby loss charities committed to raising awareness, providing support, and improving bereavement care. Hosts Baby Loss Awareness Week.
• Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of over 90 UK organisations working to ensure all women get consistent, accessible quality care for mental health during pregnancy and after birth.
• Bereavement Training InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Paula Abramson to design and deliver the bespoke two-stage training programme for specialist health professionals working with bereaved parents.
• Small Charities CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership organization providing relevant support and voice for small charities with over 9,000 UK-wide members.
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership organization with over 14,000 member organisations, connecting and representing the voluntary sector.
• Pregnancy and Baby Charities NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of charity Chief Executives and Trustees committed to improving outcomes and reducing inequalities for new and expectant parents.
• CharityCommsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership organization helping raise standards of communications across the charity sector.
• Bereavement Midwife ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational group of bereavement midwives providing safe space to share practice and guidelines, peer support, and bereavement support training.
• Additional NHS Trust PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with 22 additional NHS trusts including: Colchester Hospital, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, Harrogate & District Foundation Trust, Hertfordshire Residents, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Hillingdon Hospital, Homerton Hospital, Imperial Hospital, Ipswich Hospital, Kettering General Hospital, Lister Hospital, LNWH NHS Trust, Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust, Northampton General Hospital, Peterborough City Hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Queen's Hospital BHR NHS Trust, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, St George's Hospital, ULTH NHS Trust, and West Suffolk Hospital.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sands (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society): UK charity focused on stillbirth and neonatal death, supporting bereaved parents with counselling, peer support, and research. Most directly comparable peer: similar cause area, similar NHS-facing delivery model, and overlapping supporter/fundraising ecosystem.
• Miscarriage Association: UK charity providing support and information for those affected by pregnancy loss, with a helpline and support network. Directly comparable mission (miscarriage support), overlapping NHS referral pathways, and similar fundraising profile to Petals.
• Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC): UK charity supporting parents through antenatal screening and termination for medical reasons (TFMR). Direct peer because Petals explicitly delivers TFMR counselling and the two organisations operate in the same clinical pathway.
• Child Bereavement UK: UK charity providing bereavement support for children and families, including after baby loss. Comparable delivery model (specialist trained counsellors, NHS-facing referrals) but broader age remit than Petals.
• Tommy's: UK pregnancy and baby loss charity funding research and support services. Listed by Petals as a strategic partner, but also a direct peer in the pregnancy-loss support space with overlapping NHS-facing programmes and supporter base.

Broad incumbents

• Cruse Bereavement Support: Large UK bereavement charity offering counselling and support across all loss types. Broader incumbent — overlapping counselling modality and volunteer/fundraising ecosystem, but not specialist in baby loss.
• Mind: Large UK mental health charity providing information, support and counselling. Broad incumbent — overlapping mental-health counselling domain, NHS-facing operations, and individual donor base, but not specialist in perinatal/baby-loss bereavement.
• Samaritans: UK-wide emotional support charity. Broad incumbent offering listening and support services; comparable mental-health/support charity model and volunteer-driven fundraising, but distinct service modality (helpline vs counselling).

Regional players

• Lullaby Trust: UK charity focused on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) support and research. Comparable NHS-facing bereavement support and supporter ecosystem, but focused on a different (post-neonatal) loss type than Petals.

Others

• Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA): UK coalition of 90+ organisations advocating for maternal mental health services. Listed as a Petals partner; not a direct competitor but an ecosystem participant that shapes commissioning policy Petals depends on for NHS partnerships.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Petalscharity
• Facebookfacebook.com/petalscharity
• Instagraminstagram.com/petalscharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/petals-charity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles29 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Petals