Speaker - Helen Lewis from the Momentum Charity

Wed, Jan 9th 2019 at 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Helen will give a talk on the work of the President's chosen charity the Momentum Children's Charity


Background 

In 2004, Bianca Effemey, Founder and Chief Executive, was working in the Paediatric Department at Kingston Hospital. She recognised that small touches could make a huge difference to families with seriously ill children. Along with two parents, she founded Momentum to fill a much-needed gap; initially buying a fridge for the hospital to stock ice creams for the children and putting families in touch with others who were in the same situation.

Today Momentum Children's Charity provides so much to so many families. Being told your child has cancer or another life-challenging condition is devastating. Day-to-day life is turned upside down.

We support the entire family during times of unimaginable strain – the children and their parents, but also siblings and grandparents. We're here to make sure that no family has to cope alone.

We support children and their families from all over South West London, Surrey and West Sussex. Families with children facing cancer or another life-challenging condition know we’re there for the whole journey and the whole family for as long as they need us.

All families are different, so we offer individually-tailored support through our family support programme, offering emotional and practical help as well as a range of therapy services including music, dance and drama. We aim to ease some of the stresses that come with a gruelling treatment plan, so provide tripstreats and respite holidays. We also work hand in hand with local hospitals to improve the facilities and healing environment for children during hospital stays.

Momentum was founded in 2004 and the charity has an office in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. At any one time, we support over 150 families whose child is in active treatment, and a further 100 bereaved families.

Our mascot is the Momentum owl, is a symbol of protection, wisdom and strength, all the ways in which we hope to be able to support a family through their challenging journey.

'What We Do' Main Pages:

Rotary on the Radio is presented every Friday afternoon between 2pm and 4pm by Anthony Beevor, Lesley Robinson and Ian King. The show is sponsored by Meridian Rotary here in East Grinstead.

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Monthly Newsletter for Meridian Rotary

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Isabel Afacan and Chloe Clark, both from Imberhorne School, represented Meridian Rotary in the District final held at Merton college, Morden on Saturday 4th February.

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Take a run through all our reports on this page and also our home page to find out what we do and when we do it.

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Worth School Senior Winner

The annual Meridian Rotary Youth Speaks debate to placate t Swithun's Church on Tuesday 21st November. The senior team and overall winner was the Worth School Senior Team and the intermediate team winner was Lingfield College Team B.

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Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbours, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

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Whilst Rotary is a world-wide service organisation and a Charity, it is community-based with local club membership. Meridian Rotary Club has therefore enjoyed a long history of service to the local community.

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Our Rotary Club actively supports the youth of our community with the aim of developing their skills through a number of events and initiatives.

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Lesley Robinson

Would YOU like:- ● the satisfaction of contributing to our local community and helping vulnerable people throughout the world? ● to use your skills and experience to make a difference? ● to make new friends and network with like-minded people?

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At Meridian Rotary we always put the FUN into Fundraising! Every year we raise £000’s for our local community and international causes and also for other Rotary Charities.

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