Shropshire campaigner takes gold with international award

Michelle John, founder of the social enterprise PEGS, has been awarded gold in the Woman of the Year – Government or Non Profit category – at the Stevie Awards for Women in Business 2022.

The results were announced in Las Vegas over the weekend – each winner is categorised as a gold, silver or bronze recipient based on the amount of points awarded by a panel of esteemed judges.

Michelle attracted their attention for the work she’s been undertaking to raise awareness of Child to Parent Abuse, as well as supporting impacted parents and caregivers, training professionals, and helping develop regional and national policies.

Having registered the social enterprise, which has offices in Shropshire and Derbyshire but operates across the UK, in November 2019, Michelle launched its first services the following March.

The team has now helped more than 3,000 parents as well as working with statutory, voluntary and private organisations to help upskill, share knowledge and raise the profile of this little-known form of abuse.

Michelle said: “Winning this award sees Child to Parent Abuse being highlighted on the global stage, and I’m thrilled that this potentially means more professionals being aware of CPA and conscious of how they can support families experiencing it.

"It also hopefully means fewer parents feel alone and isolated, because they know there are organisations out there set up to support them, and they know CPA is finally getting the recognition the issue needs.”

One judge highlighted that PEGS was an ‘excellent initiative’, named Michelle as a ‘big influencer’, called her work ‘outstanding’ and her accomplishments ‘extraordinary’. While another of the judges said the founder embodied the saying ‘be the change you want to see’.

Visit pegsupport.com or search PEGS Support on social media for more information.