Momentum Magic Day
On Saturday 2nd February Momentum joined forces with the incredible magician, Richard Leigh of False Impressions to celebrate the National Day of Magic.

On our behalf, Richard got together a group of his talented colleagues to stage four fundraising shows at the Arthur Cotterell Theatre in Kingston College, Kingston upon Thames.  The shows included MR TIZ GOES TO THE CIRCUS for tiny tots, featuring Mr Tiz, Richard Leigh and Corinne-Elise. Then there were two performances of THE MAGIC CAVERN aimed to entertain all the family and presented again by Richard Leigh with David Major.

In the evening the main attraction was the MOMENTUM MAGIC GALA SHOW.  This was a true 'Spectacular' featuring Richard's incredible Houdini Substitution Trunk Illusion, followed by URBAN MYTH, an amazing Illusion Act.  Then came Extreme Juggler PHIL BLACKMORE who caused a stir by juggling chainsaws, spears, and jelly babies!

The whole show was compered by Zac Bauman, whose wonderful singing kept the audience entertained throughout.  After the interval during which the audience were held in thrall by close-up magicians, the next act was Benson and his hilarious comedy bell ringing routine and last but not least, crazy comedy magic act Soft Cabaret. It was an absolutely jam-packed show, worthy of any West End theatre.

As it was the National Day of Magic, all these incredible acts performed completely free of charge to support Momentum and raised £4,800 in the process. Our thanks to them for providing a truly memorable day and most particularly to Richard Leigh and Humphrey McDermott for putting the whole event together.

Cabaret Evening
Momentum's Cabaret event 'Lights, Camera' Cabaret!' was a spectacular success on the evening of Sunday 23rd September.  200 guests arrived at Clarendon Hall, York House, in Twickenham, in black tie and evening dress.

After their welcome glass of champagne, they were ushered into the Hall where tables had been laid with a themed centrepiece, consisting of film cannisters, strips of film and boxes of popcorn to set the mood.

After the first two courses of dinner, during which guests were entertained by magician Richard Special www.tricku.com, the Cabaret began.  Momentum's Patron Kim Ismay was joined by fellow performers Amy Hill, Kieran Jay, David Erik and Kelly Rainford.  They sang their hearts out to the inexhaustible accompaniment of Alastair Gavin on the piano.  The theme was Music from the Movies and they covered films over the whole history of filmmaking.

During the interval we showed the DVD about Momentum which was made earlier this year for us by the Media Trust (you can watch it on our video page).

Then Jeff Brown, the father of Kiera who very sadly passed away recently, gave an incredibly moving speech about his daughter and his family's connections with Momentum.  Many, many thanks to Jeff for the kind words he said about the charity and for the very touching words he had to say about his beautiful daughter.

The evening then progressed with a fundraising auction compered superbly by Simon Osborne.  Lots for auction included a meal for 10 cooked in your home, by Paul Brown, Head Chef at London's famous Le Caprice restaurant.

After the auction the Cabaret continued with our five wonderful performers bringing us up to contemporary times, with songs from the Bond movies, Moulin Rouge, Dirty Dancing, Footloose and Flashdance, to name but a few.

At Momentum we are constantly overwhelmed by the generosity of all the people involved in staging an event like this.  Everything was masterminded by Steven Humphrey McDermott, one of our Trustees, and he and all the performers and the technicians gave their time and considerable energies, absolutely free of charge.  Thank you so much, to all of them, from everyone connected to Momentum.

The Cabaret evening raised approximately £13,500 which will go towards our next project -to provide a holiday respite home for sick children and their families.

Gala Opera Evening
We were very proud to hold our third Gala Opera Evening at the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington on Sunday 11th November. An audience of about 300 people soaked up the wonderful atmosphere in the beautiful old church and enjoyed some wonderful singing.

Stephen Harris, the Musical Director for the evening, had put together a programme of classical and contemporary pieces which were beautifully interpreted by Caroline Jaya-Ratnam on the piano. The three soloists, Doreen Curran (Mezzo Soprano), Ashley Holland (Baritone) and Nicky Spence (Tenor) were all in fine voice and when joined by the English National Opera chorus, it really sent a tingle down your spine.

The last song before the interval was Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck and some of the Momentum children handed out glow sticks (courtesy of GLOBAL MARKETING GROUP) which meant that the darkened auditorium was lit solely by tiny points of light in the audience. It was all very magical and gave everyone time to think about the children and families whom Momentum support.

After the interval, the sound of bagpipes filled the church and the audience were treated to a medley from the Downside School Pipe Band. Once again, this haunting music was beautifully suited to our surroundings.

Momentum would like to thank everyone involved in staging the Gala Opera Evening. As with our previous events, all the performers and technical people gave their services and time, completely free of charge. This generosity is much appreciated by everyone involved with the charity.

Final figures have not yet been counted, but with a generous £10,000 contribution from our current sponsors, Waitrose, the evening raised well over £20,000. This will go towards our latest fundraising project, to provide a holiday home for sick children and their families.

Harlequins Rugby Club
On Saturday the 6th October, Momentum was the recipient charity for the ground collection at the rugby match between the Harlequins Rugby Club and Bristol, at Twickenham Rugby Stadium.  Thanks to them for choosing us.