Daddy Cool!
Competition Winner Announced

It's taken two months of searching and resulted in hundreds of entries from all over the country but we can now reveal who has won our Top Dad competition. Dennis Julien, a customer services adviser from Reading and dad to 2 year old Molly, has been crowned winner.

Dennis was entered by his wife Charlotte who described him as a very “caring, patient and loving” dad and always willing to go that extra mile. “He was heavily involved in the pregnancy and birth, even supporting me when breastfeeding felt too hard and encouraging me when I was ready to give up,” she said. “He also helped with expressed feeds when I was just too tired.”

Our panel of judges, which included Dad's magazine FQ editor Andy Tongue, were also particularly impressed by the way in which Dennis has played a pivotal role in a community-led parenting group in his home town. They felt he’s not only passionate about being a dad but his enthusiasm was infectious and inspiring.

And the good news is that Dennis is now going to share some of that passion with us. Dennis will be joining the existing ‘AVENT Angels’ on www.mybabytalk.co.uk and will be giving regularly updated practical advice for new dads.

On receiving the news Dennis said: “I was ecstatic and surprised to be selected as Philips AVENT 'Top Dad'. I am now looking forward to sharing my experiences and talking to other dads about theirs.”

FQ Editor Andy Tongue added: “Having an active and involved father can offer some fantastic benefits for children, especially in the early stages, as well as provide invaluable support for mum. It's great to have someone like Dennis on hand to give first-time dads some encouragement and words of wisdom based on his own experiences of being a dad.”

The competition received a great response from fathers across the country, as well as their partners, friends and families who were also invited to nominate dads. Entrants answered a series of questions about their experiences of fatherhood and 20 shortlisted candidates were then invited to submit a short video diary with their children. Four finalists met the judging panel for a face-to-face interview and Dennis was chosen from those four as the overall winner.

Dennis will be making his first Top Dad appearance on the Philips AVENT stand at The Baby Show Earls Court on 17-19 October 2008 stand C52 and C60.