JCI London has lost Margaret Meechan-Allen, past member and senator. She battled cancer for many year and leaves her husband John Allen and 7 year old twins.

Margaret Meechan-Allen - JCI Career

Margaret first joined JCI (then BJC) in 1993, in Leeds, but later that year moved down to London and transferred to City of London Jaycees. Margaret immediately threw herself into Chamber life, attending the Mansion House Annual Luncheon. Shortly thereafter, she attended the BJC National Council meeting in Cambridge where she agreed to become Project Manager for London for The Outstanding Young Person’s project.

She did a fantastic job, with many of her nominations progressing to Regional level and two to National level. This project was probably the one of which she was most proud, nominating astronaut Helen Sharman, Formula 1 driver Damon Hill and swimmer Karen Pickering, amongst others. Both Helen and Damon went on to receive awards as Outstanding Young Persons at National level. She received public acknowledgement from the National Project Manager and a personal thank you from Alan Jones, MD of TNT Express, the project sponsors, for her achievements. 

Margaret went on to attend numerous local, regional, national and international events that year. She acted as treasurer and social programme director for the European Capitals Meeting being held that year in London, using her professional expertise to negotiate an advantageous VAT status with HMRC.  

Perhaps not surprisingly, she was recognised with a Certificate of Merit for Most Outstanding New Member in BJC at the Liverpool National Awards ceremony.

She continued her involvement in 1995, acting as London’s VP for Chamber Management. During that year, she successfully investigated and solved an issue surrounding the high cost of member mailings, saving the chamber several hundred pounds. In October 1996, keen to give back something to the organisation, she became BJC Foundation Member number 38. In subsequent years, Margaret maintained her active participation, attending national events, twinning meetings and European and World Conferences.

In 1996 she attended the Africa Area Conference in Durban, South Africa, and in 2000 the Americas Area Conference in Curitiba, Brazil. She was She served as BJC National Treasurer in 2000. She was recognised for her service to Junior Chamber in October 2001, when she was presented with her Senatorship, number 61682, at the SERG Awards Dinner in London. It was to be a doubly momentous evening, for it was at that event that she met John Allen, whom she went on to marry.

Sadly, she was diagnosed with cancer in April 2004, which together with having children, resulted in her being unable to attend as many BJC and Senate events as she would have liked. However, she and John did manage to attend a Drumming Out in Canterbury, World Congress in Vienna and ECM in Berlin.  

She lost her long and brave battle with cancer on 14th July 2014, aged just 48. Margaret will be remembered as a person who showed complete dedication and professionalism in all that she did, and as a true and loyal friend. She leaves husband John and twins James and Sophie, aged 6.

Story written by Karen Pheasant friend of Margaret, JCI London President 1988-89 and JCI UK National President 1998. 

Funeral details

Margaret's funeral will take place at Noon on Friday the 2nd August at the Church of St Mary Magdelene, Bolney, West Sussex.

The wake will be at The Bolney Stage, London Road, Bolney, RH17 5RL.
Parking at: Bolney Garden Nursery, Cowfold Road, Bolney, RH17 5QR. The nursery is on the A272 as you come off the A23, on the right. You can then access the church up the lane to the left [from the road] of the nursery which also has a signpost marked 'Church and village school'. For anyone with mobility issues, there is limited parking at the very top of the lane at the sports ground.

There are to be no flowers but a collection for Cancer Research UK. Please send any donations to P & S Gallagher Funeral Directors, Fraser House, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 4HW.

Please can you advise John if you are going to be coming along as he needs to have an idea of the numbers for catering purposes for the venue, you can contact him at: johnac.allen@btinternet.com.

Photos and stories about Margaret  

Please send any photos or anecdotes of our times with Margaret to John as he would like to include some photos in the order of service and anecdotes in his eulogy.