Today, Wednesday 11 October, the Founder and CEO of Momentum Children’s Charity, Bianca Effemey, was presented with an OBE by the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle.

Bianca, from Kingston, Surrey, was awarded an OBE in the King’s first Birthday Honours List earlier this year, in recognition of her services to young people with life-challenging conditions after setting up Momentum and dedicating more than 19 years to the charity.

Founded in 2004, Momentum Children’s Charity started when Bianca Effemey was working as a Receptionist on the Paediatrics Ward at Kingston Hospital. Side effects of chemotherapy treatment can be very painful and Bianca quickly became aware of the impact they were having on young cancer patients.

It became Bianca’s mission to get white goods donated to the hospital which could be kept full of refreshments, providing some relief to children suffering with mouth ulcers caused by chemotherapy. John Lewis agreed to donate the freezer if Bianca set up a charity, so she did this, with the help of two Co-Founders, Alison Trigg and Jacqui Coppellotti.

At no point did Bianca envisage becoming a CEO, or Momentum developing into a well-established charity, in fact, she initially planned to close it once she had received the freezer donation! However, Bianca soon realised that Momentum wasn’t going to be a temporary charity.

Momentum has grown from a relatively small charity to now supporting around 300 children undergoing treatment and 140 bereaved families every year. The charity now raises more than £1million a year to deliver its services in London, Surrey and Sussex, partnering with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support through its family support workers, both in hospital and at home.

Talking about receiving the OBE, Bianca Effemey said: “Today has been one of the most special days of my life. Being presented with my OBE by the Princess Royal was a true honour, an experience that will be etched in both mine and my family’s memories for years to come. Momentum really is like being part of an extended family for so many amazing families, and it is down to many trusted, dedicated individuals, that the charity has grown to be what it is today. As I say so often, it is the memories I have of the families we have supported that keep me going – nobody should face the challenges alone, we are a helping hand for as long as needed. It is difficult to put into words how I feel about Momentum’s achievements over the years, proud doesn’t come close.  All I hope is that we can continue to strive to be there for more families who are going through incredibly challenging times.”

Graham Smith is Chair of Trustees and Treasurer for Momentum. Recognising Bianca’s achievements, he said:  “On behalf of all of the Trustees, both past and present, I congratulate Bianca on being awarded an OBE. With her dogged determination to not take ‘No’ for an answer she has been able to take the charity to great heights, expanding its services into more hospitals, providing respite breaks at Momentum’s holiday homes, and developing the support services available to families.  As a result of all that she has done, Momentum has helped thousands of families and children with life challenging illnesses. The love that is felt for Bianca personally from all of those families and children is, I believe, the real reason for this great honour and how richly deserved it is too.” 

Philip Effemey, Bianca’s husband, also paid tribute to his wife’s OBE and dedication to Momentum. He said: “Bianca is the world’s most instinctively caring and compassionate person, and for this and her determination to improve the lives of so many children and their families to be recognised with an OBE was both unexpected and totally fitting. The memories of being in Windsor Castle with our two sons Angus and Matthew to witness Bianca’s investiture will be with us forever and was definitely a ‘pinch me, as I think I may be dreaming’ moment. However, it really happened, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

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

– Ends –

Photo: Bianca Effemey OBE

Notes to Editors:

Momentum Children’s Charity supports families across London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition. We partner with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support to the entire family through our family support workers, both in hospital and at home. Our services include counselling, creative therapies, special experiences and respite breaks. We also improve the environment for children treated in hospital with our children’s ward refurbishments, transforming bare, clinical areas into bright, child-friendly spaces. The charity receives no government funding and is reliant entirely on voluntary support. 

You can help support Momentum Children’s Charity by making a regular monthly donation of £3 by texting OWL to 70480*.  If you are interested in learning more about the work Momentum does, seeing the roles they are currently recruiting for or would like to get involved by attending an event, volunteering or making a donation please visit www.momentumcharity.org

* You will be charged £3 plus the cost of two standard rate text messages in the first month, and £3 a month thereafter. Momentum will receive 100% of your donation.  These funds will be added to your monthly mobile bill or taken from your Pay As You Go credit.  Our Text Giving service is provided by www.donr.com (0333 4444111)

www.momentumcharity.org Registered charity number: 1195373

For more information about Momentum and future press opportunities, please contact:  Claire Smith, PR and Communications Officer: clairesmith@momentumcharity.org  /  0208 974 5931