Amanda and Luke will be running a half-marathon around Winchester on Sunday 24th March. Find us on the high street near the Buttercross, Winchester High Street at 1:30pm to cheer them on past the finish line!
Oh as a bonus incentive, there is a reward to be able to pie Amanda in the face at the end of the half-marathon. So check that out in the rewards section if you fancy giving me a pie at the end of my run.
Amanda's Story
I am the CEO of Move Momentum but I also teach several of the classes for the charity. If you know me you will know I have been running Move Momentum for several years and the reason I do it is that I am SO passionate about making dance accessible to everyone! I've seen the benefits that dance has on people's lives (mine included) and I believe this opportunity should be available to everyone no matter their circumstances. We have kept our prices for our classes as low as possible as we understand that many people are currently struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and we don't want there to be a financial barrier for our students, to that end also offer bursaries for any student who needs it. However, this has increased the pressure to raise more money due to the increasing costs of running our classes. We keep our overheads low and over 85% of all funding received goes directly towards providing our services and running our projects. I would be hugely appreciative and grateful to anyone who is able to sponsor me (or Luke).
Luke's story
Luke is my very supportive partner and gets involved so much with helping Move Momentum. Luke has been regularly volunteering to support one of our male Liberate Youth dancers to help him participate in the weekly class on a Saturday, so has seen the impact that our classes have and has loved being able to support this student to take part. He has also helped out at various events, seen many of our dancers in action and believes in what we do as a charity.
About Move Momentum
Move Momentum is a local charity based in Winchester that aims to make dance accessible to everyone. We provide weekly dance classes for young people, older adults and people with disabilities.
We believe that dance is for everyone. We strive to make this a reality.
Why do we need your help?
We need your support so that we can continue running these classes. We have had a difficult year financially, so our classes are unfortunately at risk. Our classes are so important to all who attend and are so much more than just a dance class, they are a support network, a community and a place to be themselves and have fun.
Last year, we successfully ran a Crowdfunder campaign to support our classes, but this year our circumstances have worsened and this time our classes are in danger of closing.
How will the money be used?
The money will be used to keep our GEMS (over 65s) and Liberate (wheelchair users) classes running. £7000 will help us to keep all of our classes running for another year, and possibly allow us to expand. This year we are keen to start a new GEMS class due to the demand for this service, a new class for people with Parkinson's and a fresh youth provision to replace our Academies project, which will finish this year.