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.