Celebrating Momentum’s Volunteers

This Volunteers’ Week (2nd–8th June 2025), we want to celebrate and thank the 99 volunteers who, over the past year, contributed 2,382 hours of their time, making a real difference in the lives of the families we support.

Momentum offers a variety of volunteer roles, including:

💚Event Support: Helping at fundraising events, from marshalling to bucket collecting.

💚Community Engagement: Participating in local fairs and collections.

💚Riverboat Crew: Assisting with the operation of our ‘Moments on the River’ boat and taking care of families while on board.

💚Pebble Painting: Adding a personal, creative touch to hand-painted pebbles that are given to families as a keepsake. 

💚Seasonal Roles: Spreading Christmas fun as part of our Doorstep Santa initiative.

💚Office Assistance: We have some supporting administrative tasks across various teams. 

Claire Tiedeman (pictured below), Volunteer Coordinator at Momentum, shares her insights:

“A lot of people assume volunteering with us might be sad,” Claire notes. “But the truth is, the feeling you get from helping – from hearing how much it means to families – is incredibly uplifting. It’s joyful. It sticks with you.”

Reflecting on her experiences, Claire mentions an unexpected lesson:

“I’ve learned about ‘Red Boards’ on the river – warnings for strong currents. When they’re up, our boat ‘Moments on the River’ has to stay put… and we really don’t like them!”

When asked about her dream volunteer, Claire says:

“Jim Carrey! I’d give him a chance to be Santa at Christmas – something a bit more wholesome than the Grinch!”

Looking ahead, Claire envisions:

“In ten years, I’d love to see groups of volunteers coming together in their own communities to organise fundraising events. It would be amazing to have that kind of momentum – no pun intended! – right across the South East and beyond.”

Momentum Children’s Charity welcomes individuals from all backgrounds to join their volunteer team across London, Surrey, and Sussex. Whether you have a few hours to spare or wish to get more involved, there’s a role where you can make a real difference.

To find out how to get involved, visit momentumcharity.org/volunteer

Also make sure to check out this special message to our volunteers from our new CEO Sarah Woods here.

Article written by Ben Dewsbury.