Judy founded Baby Lifeline in 1981 after losing her first three babies consecutively, all born prematurely. At the time, Judy was a state-registered nurse (qualified 1978), working in accident and emergency ITU, cardio thoracic ITU, and neurosurgery ITU, before leaving to become a corporate medical representative specialising in intra-operative cardiovascular products.

As a ‘sanity plan’, Judy founded Baby Lifeline and started to work with, and for, frontline maternity healthcare professionals to provide technology for maternity and neonatal units both in hospitals and in the community, as well as evidence-based multi-professional training, and now associated research for thousands of health care professionals.

To date, the training has been provided to many thousands of health professionals in the UK and internationally, and countless professionals worldwide.

Training content is based on evidence-based national findings and recommendations to improve mortality and morbidity in the UK.

One of the proudest moments of Judy’s career was providing training for nearly 300 Iraqi and Kuwaiti clinicians in Kuwait during a politically turbulent time in 2005. She worked with the British Ambassador Chris Wilton and his wife (and now Patron for Baby Lifeline) Dianne Wilton MBE.

More recently, Baby Lifeline has also provided £millions of medical aid to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war.

The charity has raised £millions from foundation to date towards providing equipment and training to the UK maternity sector.

Judy was awarded an Honorary Master’s Degree from the University of Coventry in 1994 in recognition of her work supporting women’s and children’s health.

She was awarded a national Pride of Britain Award as ‘Fundraiser of the Year’ in 2010, and was named in The Independent on Sunday’s ‘Happy List’ as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a happier place in 2011, and was one of the winners of the Forum3 ‘Alternative Rich List’, which recognises individuals who enrich other people’s lives in ways money can’t.

In June 2019, she was honoured to receive a Distinguished Service Medal from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for her dedication and achievement in the development of women’s healthcare.

In 2024, Judy received an MBE in recognition of her support for the maternity sector.