On Monday 7 April, he joined Kerrie, one of our Family Support Workers, as they delivered chocolate Easter eggs to children and their families at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.

Thomas is a Year Eight student at Sackville school in East Grinstead and, after speaking to the staff about his new role as a Young Ambassador, they encouraged other pupils to get behind his quest to collect Easter Eggs for unwell children by donating chocolate eggs.  His mum also got on board, with her colleagues at Wakehurst Botanic Garden in West Sussex, also generously giving lots of delicious eggs and sweet treats. In total 166 Easter eggs were donated – absolutely EGGstraordinary! A huge thank you to every person who donated chocolate eggs to the collection.

Thomas’s older brother, Andrew, very sadly died from cancer in 2019, when he was just 13 years old, and the family were supported by Momentum at this time. Remembering Andrew, Thomas said: ““When I think about Andrew, the first thing I think of is basketball. He supported LA Lakers, but he just knew everything about basketball. It was really hard losing Andrew because I grew up with him and then, suddenly, he wasn’t there anymore.  I keep as many pictures of Andrew as I can, because sometimes just looking at those pictures can help.”

Touching on the support that Momentum gave him, Thomas said: “They did lots of things that made me happy, like having a pebble painted, and sending Santa to my house with gifts. It really helped because it was different little things that helped to make me feel better.”

Reflecting on the Easter egg extravaganza, Thomas said: “I thought about collecting Easter eggs for children after a meeting I had with Momentum, and I thought it would be a really nice surprise for children who are being treated in hospital.  Distributing them made me feel like I’d really made a difference, and that I’d done something to put a smile on their face.  I’m so grateful to everyone who donated eggs, I couldn’t have done this without them.”

Talking about his role as a Young Ambassador for Momentum, Thomas said: “I am really looking forward to doing what I can to support Momentum by raising awareness and doing some fun things to raise money.”

Kerrie, a Family Support Worker for Momentum said: “A huge thank you and well done to Thomas, his mum Sophie and everyone who donated Easter eggs. Being in hospital at any time, especially during the holidays, can be incredibly hard for children, so it was lovely to be able to brighten their day a little with a chocolate treat. Thomas is such a kind and thoughtful boy, and we are lucky to have him as a Young Ambassador for Momentum – I know he will achieve a lot in his role.”

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