Petition campaign of the year
The Nominees
The Petition Campaign of the Year Award celebrates people who have used petitions to campaign for change.
These are the nominees selected by the Petitions Committee:
Jade's Law
Suspend parental rights when a parent is found guilty of murdering the other parent
3 Dads Walking
Make suicide prevention a compulsory part of the school curriculum
Owen's Law
Change the law around allergy labelling in UK restaurants
The Nominees
The Petition Campaign of the Year Award celebrates people who have used petitions to campaign for change.
These are the nominees selected by the Petitions Committee:
Jade's Law
Jade's Law
Jade Ward was murdered by her ex-partner in 2021. Her killer was found guilty and assumed guardianship of her children. Edwin Duggan, a family friend and campaigner, and Jade’s family campaigned to change the law.
Edwin started a petition to automatically suspend the parental rights of a parent found guilty of murdering the other parent. It received 130,179 signatures and was debated in Parliament in November 2022.
The petition creator, working with Jade's family, secured media coverage about the issue. They raised the profile of the campaign, and met with different MPs to seek support for this change.
In the Government’s response to the petition and in the debate, it said it had no plans to change the current law. The Minister agreed to a meeting to explore the issue further.
Following the campaign, the Government announced in October 2023, that it would introduce Jade’s Law by amending the Victims and Prisoners Bill.
"Campaigning has been both emotional and rewarding. I found a flaw in the legal system which failed families.
"After wording the petition in such a way not to conflict with any existing legislation (HRA for instance) I soon had a team of volunteers made up of Jade's family and close friends, TeamJade.
"We campaigned online, and then in cities including London, Blackpool, Manchester and Chester. After the petition closed, after the debate, I continued putting pressure on the Government to change their minds. The road to success has been long, however, worth it. Failure is not in my vocabulary. The legacy for Jade is complete."
3 Dads Walking
3 Dads Walking
3 Dads Walking, Mike, Andy and Tim, all lost a daughter to suicide. They have been campaigning to raise awareness of suicide prevention ever since.
Their petition to make suicide prevention a compulsory part of the school curriculum received 160,688 signatures. It was debated in Parliament in March 2023.
In 2021, they walked 300 miles between each of their homes to raise awareness of the issue. They then did a second walk of over 600 miles between the four parliaments of the UK in 2022, gathering signatures for their petition along the way.
In response to the petition, the Government said it would consider the issue as part of its review of the RSHE curriculum. The 3 Dads have since met with the Prime Minster, and had meetings with the Education Secretary. They were also invited to work with the Department of Education on its review of the RSHE curriculum.
"We are delighted that our campaign to make suicide prevention a compulsory part of the school curriculum has been nominated in the Petition Campaign of the Year Award.
"The petition played a key part in our campaign, it was the central theme of our walk in 2022. It allowed us to explain what we were asking for and why and it also acted as a call to action for those people who wanted to do something about suicide prevention for young people.
"Without the petition and the support of the Petitions Committee we wouldn’t be on the brink of achieving our aim - to save lives by having suicide prevention included in the school curriculum."
Owen's Law
Owen's Law
The Carey family lost their brother and son Owen in 2017. He died due to an anaphylactic reaction after eating food at a restaurant, which he had been assured was safe to eat.
Their petition to change the law around allergy labelling in UK restaurants received 12,889 signatures. It was debated in Parliament with another petition calling for the appointment of an ‘allergy tsar’ in May 2023.
The family have campaigned tirelessly and worked closely with the FSA. The FSA met with the family and started research into the outcomes of implementing Owen’s Law. The family have also worked with restaurants on encouraging them to be ‘Owen’s Law compliant’.
In December 2023, the FSA announced that it was backing calls for Owen’s Law. Chairwoman Professor Jebb said that she would write to the relevant ministers across the UK about the matter.
"We’re delighted to be nominated for this award and are immensely grateful for the opportunity it provides to highlight and promote our campaign to change the law around food allergy labelling in the UK.
"The Parliamentary debate in May last year was really the pivotal point for our campaign. Since then progress has accelerated rapidly with the support of the MPs who spoke, and increased media attention.
"We are grateful that we now have the backing of the Food Standards Agency and with the final hurdle in sight to cement the changes in legislation, we have great hopes that Owen’s Law will be realised by the end of 2024. I think Owen would be immensely proud of his legacy."
“As Chair of the Petitions Committee, I have seen first-hand the incredible campaigning of these three groups of petitioners.
“The work that each of them put it into their campaigns, often beginning in times of grief, have led to positive changes across the country.
“I want to pay tribute to each of them and wish them luck.”
Cat Smith MP
Chair of the Petitions Committee
The winner of the Petition Campaign of the Year Award will be announced at the end of March 2024.
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