Dr Sara Payne

SaraJane, a Buckinghamshire girl, born into a large hard working family, comprehensive school educated, grew up to be a happy fulltime mum, housewife and part-time barmaid until the year 2000, when Sara and her family’s lives were changed forever.

One terrible day, in the summer of the new millennium, on the coast of Sussex, as the Payne children played together innocently, in the field just a few feet away from a family home, a convicted child rapist abducted and murdered Sara’s 8 year old daughter, Sarah. Like no other time in history or since, the nation and its media ‘moved as one’ to support this grief-stricken mother they were now calling ‘The Calm Crusader’. Alongside many, Sara worked solidly for a decade to ultimately bring in ‘Sarah’s Law’ AKA – The Child Sex Offenders Disclosure Scheme – the law that would change child protection for the better, forever.

During this time, with her Co-Chief Advocate and dear friend Shy Keenan, Sara founded the now multi-award winning ‘Phoenix Chief Advocates’ set up to help those victimised by paedophile crimes, to challenge the institutional Anti-Victim Prejudice and to help those managing civilian Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sara published her first book ‘A Mothers Story’ which was an immediate international bestseller which has consistently sat in the top 100 of any bookseller chart in its genre since its publishing in 2004. Sara’s second book ‘Where Angels Fear’ (2008) written by Sara & her Co-Chief Shy Keenan, about their victim advocacy work together at ‘The Phoenix Post’ is becoming part of the child protectors curriculum and is currently inspiring film scripts.

Sara has helped to make child protection/victims advocacy documentaries, has been a Justice Champion columnist for one of Britain’s national bestselling newspapers and done extensive TV/Radio work across the media (news & crime) board. SaraJane became the ‘Calm Crusader’ Dr Sara Payne MBE – law inspirer/changer/maker, academically honoured social engineer, awarded Phoenix Chief Advocate, Britain’s Children Champion, Pride Of Britain, Woman Of The Year, Most Inspirational Woman, Britain’s Bravest Woman, first ever British Government’s ‘Victims Commissioner’, Stroke survivor extraordinaire .. against all the odds and despite every single challenge put in her way Sara has survived a small brain bleed later followed by a massive brain aneurism leaving her partially paralysed down her left side ..even in the face of unspeakable adversity Sara refused to stay down and is now inspiring stroke survivors around the world. Sara is an inspirational public speaker, a sharp straight talking social commentator, a trusted media voice, a beloved national public treasure whose work has been awarded by those she advocates for, academically honoured, acknowledged and awarded by child protection, the British government and the Queen.