It was April 2013 when Spread a Smile made the charity’s first in-person visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital. Since then, our magicians, fairies, musicians, artists, therapy dogs and support services have been making a profound and positive difference to the lives of thousands of critically ill children and young people under the care of our growing network of NHS hospital partners.
The importance of providing seriously ill and hospitalised children with enhanced play and entertainment has never been more important than over the last 21 months, when the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and hospital lockdowns led to extended periods of separation, isolation, increased anxieties and long monotonous days.
We were one of the first charities to adapt to online provision and did this within a month of the first lockdown. Our digital services including virtual entertainer visits, virtual holiday and after-school clubs and Smile TV have grown and developed and, since March 2020, we have delivered interactive play, art & craft workshops and engaging entertainment to thousands of children and young people in hospital and outpatient care. Digital has become a critical and much-valued element of our service provision, complementing our in-person hospital visits, enhancing the range and diversity of our services and increasing our impact.
Please click on the link above to watch a video summary of our three year plan, which puts us on the road to national status by 2024.
We are also pleased to share our IMPACT REPORT with you today which I hope gives you an insight into the incredibly positive difference we are able to make to so many children, young people and their families.
At Spread a Smile we remain committed to delivering bespoke services that support young patients through long and difficult hospital stays, provide a distraction from pain and treatment, build self-esteem and provide rare moments of joy.
Thank you for all you have done to make this possible. We couldn’t have done any of this without you. If you have any questions, comments or ideas to support our plans, please do get in touch by emailing info@spreadasmile.org