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Mastermind Varun on BBC Children in Need Appeal Show

We hope you all were able to tune into the fantastic BBC Children in Need Appeal Show last night. Perhaps you caught the special edition of Mastermind featuring the inspiring 15-year-old Varun Mahatme alongside comedian John Thomson? We had the privilege of entertaining Varun when he was in hospital.

We met Varun during his treatment for cancer at University College Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his spine just before his eleventh birthday, and underwent seven months of chemotherapy, two major operations to remove the tumour and reconstruct his spine, followed by three months in America having proton radiotherapy.

Varun described our visits: “It was during my chemotherapy that I first met the Spread a Smile team. I woke up to find Magic Martin at the end of my bed. I had been feeling really rough that day and he took my mind off my illness with his extraordinary magic.

“It is very isolating being in hospital and I felt really alone at times. I was often bored and there was very little to do to take my mind off my treatment and I really missed my friends.

“Without Spread a Smile my journey would have been a lot more difficult to endure. I certainly would have smiled a lot less. It is a wonderful charity and they really do what they say… spreading smiles to all the children they meet.”

We have been receiving support from Children in Need since 2015, to help us entertain more children in hospitals and we are incredibly grateful to the entire team at Children in Need for their support and for helping us raise awareness of our work.

We would like to thank Varun and the Mahatme family for sharing their story. It was a privilege for us to entertain Varun who has been such an inspiration to the whole team at Spread a Smile.

Jamie Cullum and BBC Children in Need official single

We are so excited to feature in the video for the brand new Children in Need official single, “Love Is In The Picture”, written and recorded by Jamie Cullum. It is available as a stand-alone charity single from today (Wednesday 31 October).

Jamie joined us recently on a visit to University College Hospital where he spent an afternoon with our entertainers, watching them do what they do best on the paediatric and adolescent wards.

He first joined the teenagers in a karaoke session with our lovely singer Collette. Together they got everyone singing, even those who were more reluctant and shy at first. Our magician Sacha then wowed everyone with his magic tricks.

Later in the visit, on the paediatric oncology ward, he was able to see magician Ian, fairy Ellie and face painter Marina make the kids smile and giggle.

Jamie said, “Spread a Smile is a very very well-named charity. I saw first-hand how they spread smiles all around here. Today I met a boy called who was hiding behind his blanket when we came in. He got to see a bit of magic, I got to share a few jokes with him and he heard some singing. In the end, he was smiling and chatty. You can see how that brings a little bit of lightness to a day that is otherwise filled with a lot of hardships that someone that age shouldn’t be going through. I feel incredibly moved by being here and by the work they’re doing and it’s an amazing thing that Children in Need are helping to make happen.”

Spread a Smile co-founder Vanessa Crocker said, “It was such a pleasure to meet Jamie. He had real empathy for the children and their families, and it was lovely to see him so engaged with the kids that we visited. I spoke to him about Spread a Smile’s work and how much we appreciate BBC Children in Need’s support. He told me it was amazing seeing such a tangible effect that Spread a Smile has: children who were quiet and detached, becoming engrossed by the entertainment and forgetting they were patients for a special moment or two.

“We are incredibly grateful to Children in Need for their ongoing support and for involving us in the official single this year.”

The footage filmed on the afternoon will be aired as part of the 2018 BBC Children in Need Appeal Show on Friday 16 November, at 9.50pm on BBC One.

‘Love Is In The Picture’ is on sale from today (Wednesday 31 October) and all profits from the single will go to the charity, with a minimum of 40p from each single sale.

Make sure you tune into BBC One on Friday 16 November at 9.50pm to see the single’s debut performance and watch our brilliant entertainers in action!

We welcomed 80 golfers to Dyrham Park Country Club on Wednesday 10th October for our inaugural golf day.

We got incredibly lucky with the weather and managed to schedule the day, which was sponsored by Resolution Property, to coincide with a mini heatwave. The weather in the run-up to the event had been cold and wet, but on the morning of our event, the sun shone brightly and we had the most perfect day for a round of golf! 

We wanted to give the teams the true Spread a Smile experience so as well as offering endless Krispy Kreme doughnuts, cookies and chocolate, we were delighted that three of our magicians, Martin, Sacha and Louise, could entertain the players on the course. Later in the day we were joined by Judge the Poet, who wowed guests with his spontaneous poetry. It was a great opportunity for them to experience the entertainment we offer to our young patients in hospital.

Lucy Jackson, our CEO, said, “We could never have dreamt when the charity started just 5 years ago that 20 teams of golfers would choose to support us in this way – or that we would have such great weather in the middle of October.”

Over a delicious lunch in the clubhouse, the golfers listened to an introduction to the charity, given by Lucy Jackson, chief executive of Spread a Smile. Then Anna Moss, mother of Vanessa, spoke movingly of the difference the charity made to her young daughter and family over the years Vanessa was treated for Neuroblastoma at Great Ormond Street Hospital and towards the end of her life.

We raised an incredible £30,000 on the day and we would like to say an enormous thank you to everyone who came, donated and supported the event.

You can see all the photos from the day here

Thank you so much to Resolution Property for sponsoring the day, to Dyrham Park Country Club for hosting us, to Parks for donating luxury candles for the goody bags, to all those who donated items for the raffle, to Zahid at Optic Blaze Photography and to our Spread a Smile entertainers and volunteers for helping make the day a success.

My name is Louise Andrée Douglas and I’m a magician and illusionist. I was quite late to the magical party, so to speak. Growing up, I didn’t see many magicians, apart from the likes of Paul Daniels on the television and the odd part-time magician who’d do magic at the local Chinese restaurant where I grew up! I certainly didn’t see female magicians performing. Apart from the glamorous Debbie McGee and other magicians’ assistants, there really weren’t any female magic role models.

Despite my exotic middle name, I am Scottish born and bred. I moved to London in 2008 to work as a dancer and choreographer, which is where I caught the magic bug. I was cast in a BBC show called ‘The Magicians’ in 2011, as they wanted a trained dancer who could move well to be the magicians’ assistant. I got to work with some of the world’s best magicians and illusionists, seeing their tricks up close, and I was hooked. It was like the most amazing crash course in magic, experiencing all the diverse styles and ingenuity of the different magicians. I started trying my own close-up magic in the park whilst watching the London 2012 Olympics on the big screen, practising on the other people watching. Experiencing that moment when the person you’re performing to is genuinely suspended in disbelief – I just loved it!

I really wanted to be involved in more magic and saw an advert for auditions for a project to put together a group of female magicians, to encourage more women to get involved with magic. I was incredibly lucky to be given that opportunity and work with two amazing magicians, Jamie Allan and Adam Heppenstall, who were brilliant mentors, and soon ‘Chicks n Tricks’ was born. As part of ‘Chicks n Tricks’, I performed with two other women and we enjoy playing with the traditional assumptions surrounding magic and gender. The woman is no longer just the magician’s assistant to be put in the box! As female magicians, we have to rethink how we present our magic  – for example, male magicians normally wear suits with plenty of pockets to store their cards and props and transition between one trick to another seamlessly; however, we often perform in dresses with no pockets so we adapt to a handbag or think of ingenious ways to make sure things run smoothly! 

Magic can be quite a small world and many magicians are acquainted on Facebook and Instagram. I knew Spread a Smile regular, Martin Rees, through Facebook and loved all of his Guinness World Record magic tricks and posts about Spread a Smile. Soon after, I saw the Children in Need Appeal Show and the film about Spread a Smile’s role in Vanessa Moss’s story. I was so touched by the film; I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Strangely, a few days later, I had a call from Martin saying that Spread a Smile were looking for more entertainers, and specifically a female magician! He put me in touch with Josephine and it all went from there. 

As soon as I met Josephine, I just knew that Spread a Smile was something I wanted to be involved in. Her passion, drive and enthusiasm were so contagious. I left our meeting feeling on top of the world – like I could do anything! She told me what a difference Spread a Smile entertainers can make, and it sounded like something I would love to do. Magic is fun to perform but normally I perform for corporate events or big stage shows. I felt like this was a chance to use magic to genuinely make a difference. 

I was quite nervous before my first visit, as even though I’d had lots of advice, I just didn’t know what to expect. My first visit was to Great Ormond Street Hospital in April and I was on a team with fellow magician Martin and singer Sam, with Josephine escorting us. I absolutely loved every minute of it and all nerves completely vanished as soon as I got on the wards. 

The children were just incredible; I couldn’t believe it. I expected to feel a bit sad or maybe even awkward, and was worried I’d say something wrong or not perform appropriately, but the kids and their families were just so welcoming. Even though some of the children were in the middle of gruelling treatment or just about to go into surgery, they were just so enthusiastic and fun!

On that first visit, we met a family who were just incredible: a little boy in oncology and his brother. It really hit home after meeting them how important it is to entertain siblings and families, as well as the child who is the patient. The boys were so funny and kept asking to see more and more magic, and were singing songs and taking selfies. Their mum, dad, gran and grandad soon joined in too! It was just such a lovely family moment for them. It felt like one big party. That visit will always stick in my mind partly as it was my first, but also because I thought, no matter what happens in the future, that family have made those special memories together and it was such an honour to be part of that. 

Having been on more visits now, I realise that sometimes you have to be very adaptable. I had never performed magic in rubber gloves before, for example, or through a glass window – sometimes essential when a child’s immune system is particularly low so we can’t go into the room. It’s a challenge, but a challenge that is worth it to see a smile creep up on a child who might be feeling really rubbish that day, or a child who has said they don’t want to see any entertainers but then catches a glimpse and changes their mind! 

The most difficult thing about going into the hospitals is seeing children who were full of beans last visit, having a particularly bad day. Because of the fun and laughter that’s created during our visits, it’s easy to forget sometimes how poorly some of the children are. Their bravery totally astounds me. 

The positivity and strength of the children I’ve met on my visits is absolutely unbelievable. One of my favourite memories was from a little girl I met in one of the oncology wards who said she totally believed in magic and especially ‘the magic of friendship’.

The Spread a Smile team are incredible: every single person I have met has been absolutely lovely as well as talented. And Josephine and Vanessa, the charity’s co-founders, are total angels here on earth! 

I joined Spread a Smile because I wanted to use my magic to ‘give something back’ and make a difference without gaining anything in return. I feel bad now, because I have actually gained so much! The reward of seeing the smiles and knowing you have helped to make a difference, even just for five minutes is such a lovely feeling. My favourite thing about working for the charity is the laughter you hear throughout the ward when Spread a Smile are there!  

In September Finn, 12, and his family joined us on our very first outing to School of Rock. Finn’s mum, Jo, tells us what the trip meant to her, Finn and the family.

Getting an invitation to a Spread a Smile outing is always exciting, but never more so than when you’ve been away in Germany with your son for four weeks, with another three still to go, halfway through him undergoing 30 radiation proton beam treatments. And it was to go as a family to the musical ‘School of Rock’.

Me (mum), Dad, brother Tom and especially Finn were all super excited as we had wanted to see this show for ages, but since Finn’s diagnosis of soft tissue Ewing’s sarcoma in January, such family treats and days out have been very limited as Finn gets so tired, and is just sometimes too ill.

So come Monday 3rd September, we all caught the train into London, buzzing with excitement, to meet the Spread a Smile team at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End for pre-theatre dinner, the best kind – pizza! Spread a Smile entertainers were there to delight and wow all the children whilst waiting for the performance to start. The magician Martin is one of Finn’s favourites; he never fails to impress and astound us all.

Then we were off into the theatre, drinks and snacks in hand, for the performance. School of Rock, based on the hit movie, follows failed wannabe rock star Dewey Finn as he becomes a supply teacher to make some extra cash. Unbeknownst to the students’ headmistress and parents, he and his young pupils form a rock band to enter a battle of the bands competition.

The show kicked off impressively with the ‘school children’ being delivered to school by their parents, through the aisle right beside us! From there, we watched avidly as the seriously impressive children sang, danced and acted their way through the play, with a very convincing Dewey Finn, played by actor Craig Gallivan, leading the way. The phrase from the song, ‘Stick it to the Man’, has since become overly used in our household!

During the interval, the Spread a Smile team delivered School of Rock ice cream to us. Since starting his treatment, Finn has struggled with low appetite and his taste buds have also changed. Treats such as pizza and ice cream are always welcome though, and he seems to eat more when distracted and happy.

To top it all off, the Spread a Smile team had arranged for the children to meet the cast after the performance! Finn was over the moon to meet the lead actors, and find out about how the children in the cast manage to perform such late nights and matinees and still go to ‘real school’.

There were happy faces all round. The children know this is something very special to be invited to, something that even their friends (who can do ‘everything else’) can’t get access to. And us parents are truly grateful that our children have the chance to feel special, and take a break from their new, less active, routines. A Spread a Smile event always has fun and delight at the top of the agenda, whilst unfailingly taking care of each child’s individual needs.

Thank you to everyone who gets behind this amazing charity; it really does make a huge difference to the lives of the children and their families.

Finn, his brother Tom and their parents were among 37 guests to be treated to the VIP outing to School of Rock. A big thank you from us at Spread a Smile goes to Ashley Herman at Encore Tickets, the wonderful staff at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, the Andrew Lloyd-Webber production team, Lola’s Cupcakes, and our Spread a Smile entertainers Martin Rees and Collette Spinner. Thank you also to the fabulous performers from School of Rock who took the time to meet the kids after the show, and even have a sing-along with our young guests.

On Sunday 7th October, Amy Foster led a ramble for BBC One’s Countryfile in the Cambridgeshire countryside around Ely Cathedral. Her inspirational story was chosen by BBC Children in Need to be part of a special episode following youngsters helped by charities, like Spread a Smile, that have benefitted from Children in Need funding.

Tune in to Countryfile on BBC1 this Sunday (28 October) at 5.45pm to see the ramble.

We met Amy in early 2017, when she was 12 years old, shortly after she had been diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in her femur. We entertained her during her lengthy stays at University College Hospital where she received chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Amy said of Spread a Smile’s visits, “Spread a Smile make a massive difference because without them there wouldn’t be any colour in any of it. It would be just like it was all grey and black.”

Amy endured major surgery to remove the cancerous femur and now has an internal prosthesis. She has made an astounding recovery since the operation and, although she walks with a limp, she has worked hard to regain a range of movement in her leg that was thought impossible.

Amy, whose story was highlighted on Countryfile on BBC1 on 16th September, led a group of 1,094 ramblers on a three-mile hike around Ely. She was joined by her family including mum Kathy, dad Simon and sister Freya; and Spread a Smile was there to take part in the challenge.

The atmosphere was phenomenal. There were ramblers of all descriptions – families with babies in buggies, people in wheelchairs, pensioners – but all had one thing in common: they had all signed up for the ramble after hearing about Amy’s story on the programme. It was quite a sight; every rambler had been given a Pudsey hat, so there was a sea of yellow wherever you looked!

Simon Antrobus, the CEO of Children in Need, spoke to the ramblers at the start and then the crowd were off with Amy at the head. Despite the hike taking place in the fenlands round Ely, it was by no means plain sailing, and Amy did amazingly well during the three-hour walk. Ellie Harrison, one of the Countryfile presenters, interviewed her and her family as they walked. They talked about her time in hospital and her love of Spread a Smile.

Excitingly, the programme had lined up a couple of famous well-wishers to cheer Amy on her way. Kathy, Amy’s mum, said, “The girls [Amy and sister Freya] were thrilled that both comedian Sara Pascoe and Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton Du Beke took the time to call and cheer them on when they are so busy. They both know how kind and generous Sara is as she took the time to message and visit Amy in hospital and that meant the world to them both. They are both now desperate to meet Anton and have a dance!”

As Amy and her family neared the finish at the Cathedral, there was a welcoming party: all the other ramblers had gathered ahead to cheer courageous Amy over the finishing line. Kathy said, “It was an incredibly emotional moment crossing the finish line with the Spread a Smile team alongside us and Countryfile’s Ellie Harrison. I think the whole of the last 18 months just whooshed through me and spilt out in a rush of tears. Joy at the amazing determination and courage Amy has shown and the look of triumph on her face will stay with me for a long time.”

After the ramble, everyone gathered for a big picnic in the grounds of the Cathedral, and our wonderful Spread a Smile entertainers were there to add to the fun. Collette and Ellie sang; Martin performed close-up magic; Judge the Poet wowed the walkers with his words; Natalie spread some fairy dust; and Marina painted hundreds of faces!

It was a truly wonderful day. Thank you for taking part in this challenge for us, Amy, and showing such strength and bravery during the walk. The ramble will be shown on a special Countryfile episode on Sunday 28th October on BBC One at 5.45pm. We hope you all tune in to watch!

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of eligible products to the charitable organisation of your choice.

And now you can choose to support Spread a Smile when shopping via Amazon Smile.

Simply click here or go to smile.amazon.co.uk, where you can search for and select Spread a Smile as your nominated charity. The website remembers the selection and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.co.uk will result in a donation to us.

Thank you so much for your support and happy shopping.

You cannot use Amazon Smile with the Amazon App on an iPhone or Android phone. However, the good news is that you can set up a shortcut to the Amazon Smile website which gives a near identical experience to the app. It’s very quick and easy to do.

If you shop using the Amazon app on your iPhone…

1. If you have the Amazon App installed you should remove it. To do this, tap and hold the app icon until it starts to jiggle. Tap the cross at the top left of the icon and confirm that you want to delete it. Don’t worry, this will not delete your Amazon account or any of your settings.
2. Now load Safari (the iPhone internet browser) and go to smile.amazon.co.uk.
3. Tap the ‘share’ button on the bottom of the screen.
4. Tap the ‘Add to Home Screen’ icon. You may need to swipe to the left to see this.
5. You will now have an Amazon Smile icon on your home screen which you can use in exactly the same way you used the Amazon App.

And for those of you using an Android device…

1. If you have the Amazon App installed you should remove it. To do this, tap and hold the app icon and uninstall. Don’t worry, this will not delete your Amazon account or any of your settings.
2. Now load Chrome or Explorer (the internet browser you use on your phone) and go to smile.amazon.co.uk. If you are not logged in, then login to your Amazon account.
3. When you log in for the first time to smile.amazon.co.uk go to the search bar “search for your charitable organisation” and choose Spread A Smile. Tick the Yes, I understand that I must always start at smile.amazon.co.uk to support Spread A Smile.
4. Tap the 3 dots on the top right-hand side of your phone.
5. Tap the ‘Add to Home Screen’ from the list. Click ADD.
6. You will now have an Amazon Smile icon on your home screen which you can use in exactly the same way you used the Amazon App.

On Sunday 14th October, 20 runners ran miles for smiles in the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London. It may have been a rainy day, but it didn’t take away the smiles on the faces of our runners and their supporters.

One of the runners on Sunday was Spread a Smile’s very own co-founder Vanessa Crocker. Vanessa said, “I’ve never been a runner, and never thought I could run. Over the last five years, since founding Spread a Smile, I have felt humbled by all the supporters who have chosen to take on amazing challenges for Spread a Smile, so I decided it was time for me to face one myself!

“I started training in May. At first it was a real struggle going out to run for a few miles; I just didn’t have any confidence. When I told my friends I was going to do a half Marathon, I’m not sure many of them believed me! But after the first few faltering attempts, I found my feet and started training with one of my daughters, Ally.

“In my practice runs, I had been covering distances of ten miles, but on Sunday by the six-mile-marker, I was finding it very difficult. The knowledge that I had another seven miles to go with the rain still coming down was almost too much. Then I thought about what I was racing for: thinking about the children we visit was all the inspiration I needed, if they could face their challenges with such strength and courage, I could certainly finish the thirteen miles.

“The sense of achievement I felt at the finish was immense and it was so lovely to see the Spread a Smile team to cheer me over the line!”

We were particularly touched that Heidi Pook and Thomas Hanbury, parents of two children we have entertained in hospital, chose to race for Spread a Smile too.

Heidi was inspired to run for us after witnessing what the charity did for her nine year-old daughter Trixie, while she was receiving treatment for her brain tumour at University College Hospital. She said, “Spread a Smile gave Trixie some amazing opportunities. They helped her stay focused and positive, and distracted her from the horror of her treatment. It made her time in London feel like a fairy tale. Spread a Smile made such a difference.”

Heidi, along with five friends, ran in customised ‘Team Trixie’ Spread a Smile vests and raced with JoJo bows in their hair, as Trixie is such a big fan of JoJo Siwa.

Heidi said, “We loved every minute of it! We were lucky that we were able to shelter out of the rain before the race, and we then ran in the sun. The crowd and the atmosphere were amazing. Four of our team stuck together and by the final mile the run was going so well, we were encouraging other runners towards the finish. Team Trixie ran over the line holding hands in celebration! I had such a great day, I’ve already signed up to run the Half Marathon for Spread a Smile next year!” Well done to Heidi who ran a personal best of 2 hours 11 minutes, and a massive thank you to Team Trixie who raised an incredible £5,000, smashing their target of £2,000.

Thomas Hanbury, dad of Keeva who we entertained during her lengthy stays at Great Ormond Street Hospital where she received treatment for cancer, also raced for Spread a Smile, with friends Stephen Sheppard and Damien Wright. Thomas said, “I have seen first-hand how children are transformed from the boredom of their rooms to be fully engaged and entertained when one of the Spread a Smile entertainers comes in to the room. The joy they bring lasts for days and the children count the days until the next visit.”

Thank you to all the amazing runners who raced for Spread a Smile on Sunday: Heidi Pook, Anneliese Vokes, Helen Sarah Mayhead, Gemma Hoare, Denise Courtney, Julie Ann Allan, Ingrid Stirling, Georgia Myerson, Thomas Hanbury, Stephen Sheppard, Damien Wright, David Boyce, Salvatore Cifali, Laura Margolis, Dean Kurlander, Richard Shaul and Vanessa Crocker.

If you are inspired by their feat and want to take on your own challenge in 2019, you can register now for the Royal Parks Half Marathon 2019, which will take place on Sunday 13 October.