Meet Judge the Poet, one of our longest serving entertainers who uses his talents as a poet to spread smiles and wonder and bring joy and distraction to seriously ill children in hospital. We chatted to Judge about his career as a poet and how he started working with Spread a Smile, back when the charity was founded in 2013.
Tell us a bit about your background as a poet
“I am a Spontaneous Poet which involves taking any combination of words, ideas or suggestions from people and then immediately reciting a poem that rhymes, makes sense and features everything they said.
“After completing a degree in English Literature, I wanted to find a way to make poems enjoyable and accessible to as many people as possible. I am very fortunate in my career as I am invited to work all over the world, including for Royalty, celebrities and on TV and radio. And I perform at everything from private parties and celebrations to corporate events, arts festivals, etc.
“For Spread a Smile, I love creating verses for all the brilliant children and their families – and the poems can be as silly or serious as they wish! As well as being a unique and unusual entertainment for them, it can also be helpful and meaningful… as they often ask me to do poems about them, their families, their situation.”
How did you get involved with Spread a Smile and what does your role look like?
“Vanessa Crocker, one of the charity’s wonderful co-founders, had seen my work before Spread a Smile had started. She called me in early 2013 saying there was this brilliant charity starting and asked if I would I like to be involved. And, 12 years later, I’m still glad to do my bit.
“The charity was obviously a lot smaller then and it’s been great to see how it has grown. It’s such a simple-yet-excellent idea and it really does so much good. I think the ideals and the sincere heart that Josephine and Vanessa instilled into the whole project got it off to a brilliant start. They recruited a really good team of entertainers, looked after them, and made sure that everyone got it right.
“There were obviously fewer of us in those early days and fewer hospitals and visits too. Now there are over 100 entertainers, although there are still quite a few of us “old-timers”, which is a testament to how much we care about what Spread a Smile can do.
“I still love going into the hospitals and seeing the real impact of our work and how much it helps the patients and their families. As the charity has grown so much, I also sometimes travel to hospitals further afield including Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, Oxford and Alder Hey in Liverpool.”
What is the impact of Spread a Smile’s work that you see?
“We call it “smiles” and it’s always that, but it is often so much more. Our interactions provide magical moments and memories – something for the children and their families to talk about long after we have left. They are often going through dark and difficult times, and we bring the sunshine and the light.
“I have seen young children, who were not taking their medicine, do so when a fairy sang to them. I’ve heard parents say it’s the first time they have seen their child smile, laugh, or even interact, in weeks. We bring moments of meaning, distraction and hope. Sometimes it’s only when you talk to a patient or their family many years later that they are able to fully explain the amazing and important impact Spread a Smile had.
“And then there are all the events, parties and gifts that Spread a Smile organises, allowing the families to have beautiful, special moments that their difficult journey might otherwise prevent.”
Tell us a little about the importance of the spoken word and your poetry
“Because there is no “script” I can create everything to exactly suit each individual child, their family, and the moment. I also adapt the style depending on the age and personalities involved. While I love performing to all ages, I seem to be particularly successful with some of our more (apparently) difficult-to-please teenagers… who might generally tell people they don’t want any “entertainment”. I love finding a way to get them to respond and, when they fully engage in the moment, it’s great to see the difference it makes. What I do is obviously very different and I truly feel it’s an honour to be able to share this with these amazing patients and families.”
Have you ever been ‘stumped’ by a word request?
“While I’ve never been unable to do a poem using the words they offer, I do get some unusual ones thrown at me. Sometimes they even want me to find a rhyme for the names of their medicines! Fortunately, I love a challenge!”
