Investment management firm, Downing, has been supporting Spread a Smile since 2023. We were picked as one of its charity partners following a staff vote.
Since then we have worked together to build a creative, engaging and meaningful partnership which has captured the hearts and minds of the team at Downing and made a huge impact for Spread a Smile and our work bringing joy to seriously ill children and their families.
To achieve this, Spread a Smile Chief Executive Lucy Jackson, has been working closely with the team at Downing, saying, “We’ve enjoyed spending time together to understand what the Downing wants to achieve from our charity partnership, and as a consequence have developed some really exciting engagement opportunities.
“We’ve welcomed Downing staff to volunteer at our annual Summer Party for the families we support and they have come into our office to help pack hundreds of Smile Hampers which we send each year to seriously ill children and their siblings in time for Christmas. It’s enabled everyone at Downing to see firsthand the difference they are helping to make and their enthusiasm and commitment to our cause has been wonderful.”
Alongside staff engagement and volunteering, Downing has directly helped to fund Spread a Smile’s work spreading smiles to children in hospital. This year the company is generously supporting our entertainer visits to Great Ormond Street Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, helping to bring a little seasonal joy to families with children in hospital over Christmas.
Downing employees have also enjoyed a variety of engagement opportunities though Spread a Smile’s events, including our annual Golf Days and Football Tournament. Chief Operating Officer, James Weaver also joined us for the Spread a Smile Real Estate Dinner in October which brought together industry professionals for an enjoyable evening of networking and conversation.
“It has been our privilege to be part of the Spread a Smile story and the incredibly important work that they do. Our partnership has far surpassed our expectations, proving to be rewarding, engaging and a real positive for our business.” James Weaver
We’ve provided fundraising opportunities for staff wishing to take on a personal challenge such as the Royal Parks Half Marathon and Downing Partner, Mark Gross, who initially nominated Spread a Smile for the charity partnership, helped to raise over £8,000 by taking part in a fundraising bike ride in 2023.
“Partnering with Spread a Smile has been an incredibly rewarding journey for all of us at Downing. It’s been inspiring to see the direct impact of our support and to know we’re helping bring joy to children and families during tough times. This relationship has enriched our team, and we’re proud to participate in such meaningful work.” Mark Gross
The partnership has gone from strength to strength and to celebrate our achievements, we’ve created a special film talking about what has made the partnership so special and mutually beneficial.
We’re looking forward to continuing to work with Downing and we’d like to say a huge thank you in the meantime to everyone there for their wonderful support, helping us to achieve so much for families going through some of the most difficult times. We couldn’t do it without them.
