Eastbourne woman given OBE for services to young people with life-challenging conditions

The CEO of Momentum Children’s Charity Bianca Effemey has been given the title after setting up the group and giving 19 years to the charity – which supports families across south west London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition.

The charity, based in Surrey, was established in 2004 when Bianca was working as a receptionist on the paediatrics ward at Kingston Hospital. She quickly became aware of the side effects that chemotherapy treatment was having on young cancer patients, which included painful mouth ulcers.

It became Bianca’s mission to get a freezer donated to the hospital which could be kept full of ice lollies for children to help soothe some of the pain caused by the chemotherapy. John Lewis in Kingston promised to donate the freezer if Bianca set up a charity, which she did with the help of co-founders Alison Trigg and Jacqui Coppellotti.

Momentum has grown dramatically year-on-year, having now supported thousands of children and their families.

The charity now raises more than £1m of voluntary income a year to deliver its services while partnering with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support through its family support workers, both in hospital and at home, as well as respite breaks, hospital refurbishments, and bereavement support.

The former Eastbourne resident said: “Receiving an OBE brings tears to my eyes - it means so much, not only to me, but to everyone who has helped the charity evolve - friends, family, staff, and volunteers. I am incredibly proud of how far Momentum has come over the last 19 years and would like to dedicate this award to every single person that we have supported – it’s the memories I have of the children that keep me going. My hopes for the future are to be able to support more families and to grow our bereavement services, while staying true to the unique needs of each family.”

To find out more about the work of Momentum Children’s Charity, please visit www.momentumcharity.org

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