Winners of Best Charity at The Sun Health Awards
We are delighted, thrilled and overwhelmed to have been awarded Best Charity at The Sun’s inaugural #WhoCaresWins Awards on Wednesday 11 October 2017.
We were nominated for the award by 10 year old Jessica Shepherd, who is receiving treatment for cancer at Great Ormond Street Hospital and who we see regularly during our visits to the hospital. Jessica said: “Knowing a pretty fairy or magician is coming instantly makes me feel a bit better. Cancer is no fun but the fairies in their pink dresses and their wings make me forget reality for a bit.” We were also joined on the day by 6 year old Chloe Balloqui, who we also met during our visits to Great Ormond Street.
We were nominated alongside hundreds of other charities, then shortlisted to one of the three before being selected by a panel of judges led by Dr Dawn Harper. You can read more about the award on The Sun’s website.
Our co-founders, Josephine Segal and Vanessa Crocker, collected the award on the day and praised the work of our fellow shortlisted charity nominees, Team Margot and Lucy Air Ambulance and spoke of how inspired they feel getting to meet such special children and their families on a regular basis in hospitals.They said “We had a vision of what this charity would be when we set it up and we are proud everyday of the difference we’ve been able to make to children, teenagers and their families going through a really difficult time in their lives.
“We don’t cure these young people but we do have one simple mission – that is to make them smile for just a moment, to distract them from their pain and illness and make them feel like any other child.
“This award is dedicated to Jessica and Chloe and all the amazing, inspiring and courageous young people in hospital and of course to Aaron, a very special young man and our inspiration for establishing the charity four years ago.”
The awards ceremony was hosted by Lorraine Kelly and we were joined on the day by the gorgeous Chizzy Akudolu and Christian Vit. Teams of Spread a Smile entertainers, including Natalie D, Ian and Paul were on hand to entertain guests in true Spread a Smile fashion.
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