back to Awards & NomineesThe Inspiration Awards - Sarah Brown

Sarah Brown set up public relations company with school friend Julia Hobsbawm - Hobsbawm Macaulay Communications - that she met her future husband while organising Labour events.

She had strong ideas on the role of women in politics and in particular how their numbers could be boosted in the House of Commons. She was one of the first 75 women invited to sign a banner to mark the launch of Emily's List, the campaign to raise money to boost female representation at Westminster.

Sarah has appeared on the campaign trail with her husband but has tended to concentrate on her family and charity work.

When she became pregnant with the couple's first child she left her company, once ranked among the UK's top 50 PR firms. The Browns' daughter, Jennifer Jane, was born seven weeks early. Tragically, she suffered a brain haemorrhage and died in her parents' arms after 10 days.

In their daughter's memory Mrs Brown founded a charity, Piggy BankKids, which helps disadvantaged children. She also established the Jennifer Brown Research Fund, named after the baby, in 2002 to help research into pregnancy difficulties.

She supports the National Council for One-Parent Families, including writing the introduction to a short story collection for the campaign group in 2002. Her friend and Harry Potter author JK Rowling wrote the foreword.

She is also patron of domestic violence charity Women's Aid, Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre, and educational charity Shine. The Browns went on to have two sons, John, born in 2003, and Fraser, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis shortly after his birth last year.