Miss London, Alice Cutler, campaigning for bereavement leave

Alice Cutler, 27, was born in Salisbury, raised in Ringwood and currently lives in Southampton. She was seriously injured in a car crash, which claimed her mum Tereasa's life in 2015, after she lost her father to cancer a few years earlier.

Alice refused to let either tragedy stop her from living her life, and she went on to become a successful commercial property solicitor and entered the Miss England competition before being crowned Miss London in 2024.

Given the recent announcement that bereavement leave is to be extended to women who suffer a miscarriage before 24 weeks, Alice wanted to do something for people who suffer the loss of a loved one.

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Alice said: "There is currently no legal right to paid bereavement leave (time off work when a loved one passes away) in the UK.

"Introducing a legal right to paid bereavement leave could give employees the right to much needed time off when a loved one passes away without the financial stress hanging over them at an already difficult time.

Alice Cutler and her brother, Daniel, after coming out of hospital (Image: Alice Cutler) "Not having this time off when required can be hugely detrimental to people’s mental health at the time and later down the line. It would also put us in line with other countries such as France and Australia where these laws already exist."

Alice decided to use her platform as Miss London to start a petition to get the government to allow a paid right to time off when a loved one dies.

Alice said: "I have been reaching out to see if anyone would be interested in talking about this. Thirty per cent of companies have nothing in place, and I think something needs to be done."

The petition has been live since just before Christmas. It expires on June 4 2025, which will be around the 10th anniversary of the death of Alice's mum.

The petition needs 10,000 signatures before that date to be considered by the government, so if you want to sign it, visit petition.parliament.uk/petitions/701809