[fc id=’4′ align=’left’][/fc]

Our fabulous corporate supporters, timber and building merchants, Lawsons, hosted a Black & White Ball on Saturday 18^th November in aid of Spread a Smile.

The glamorous event took place at the De Vere Beaumont Estate in Old Windsor and nearly 400 guests attended. The evening included a dinner, and a silent auction, followed by dancing, all to raise money to enable us to entertain more seriously ill children and teenagers in hospital.

The silent auction featured some exciting lots and had something to suit everyone’s taste. Football aficionados were interested in the various soccer-related goodies, including a stadium seat from former Tottenham home White Hart Lane! There was a chance to bid on a cycling experience at the Olympic Velodrome. Those in need of a break were tempted by holidays in the South of France and Bali. There were several fantastic foodie auction lots for the gastronomes at the party, as well as exciting opportunities to drive supercars, try a Top Gun flying experience and be treated like a VIP at the BRIT Awards Ceremony, to name just a few of the lots on offer. Thank you to those who bid!

Spread a Smile co-founders Josephine Segal and Vanessa Crocker spoke on the night about the charity’s work and the impact Lawsons support has made to us over the last few years. They said: “Lawsons have made such a difference to our burgeoning charity. Whether it is raising money by climbing Mount Snowdon, cycling from London to Brighton, organising coffee and cake mornings or running half marathons as well as organising special events for our patients including a meet and greet with Watford football team, tickets for Tottenham Hotspur or rugby tickets. The list is endless and the support is quite outstanding. We are completely indebted to Lawsons for their support.

“The whole team at Lawsons have enabled us to put smiles on the faces of so many wonderful young people.”

Words of thanks are not really enough to express our gratitude, but we would like to say a big thank you to Lawsons for organising such a wonderful event in aid of Spread a Smile, with particular thanks to John and Gillian Lawson, their son Simon, and Managing Director Paul Sexton. We were overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity on the evening and grateful for all the warm words of support and encouragement.

On Saturday 18^th November, Highgate Golf Club held their annual charity concert in aid of Spread a Smile alongside two other charities: The Harington Scheme and The Wigmore Hall Trust. The concert, the 17^th one organised by George Meyer, featured internationally acclaimed violinist Jack Liebeck.

Jack is a renowned soloist and chamber musician and has performed with all the major British orchestras. As well as being a technical master of the violin, he is a dedicated educator, holding a professorship at the Royal Academy of Music.

A dinner followed the wonderful programme of music, during which a raffle and auction were held to raise funds for the three chosen charities. John Plews, Artistic Director of the Highgate theatre ‘Upstairs at the Gatehouse’, acted as auctioneer on the night. Auction items included tickets for the Holland Park Opera, a week’s holiday at a nine-bedroom chalet in Meribel, Grandstand tickets for the England v Pakistan Test Match at Lord’s, a two-week break at a luxurious lodge in Grenada, a meal for six guests at Peruvian restaurant Coya, a night at the country retreat Sopwell House in Hertfordshire, and a Porsche driving experience at Silverstone.

Spread a Smile’s Lucy Jackson spoke to the 120-strong audience about the charity’s work entertaining seriously ill children and teenagers in hospital, and particularly about a little girl we visited, Vanessa, who had been featured as part of BBC Children in Need’s Appeal Show the evening before. Nine-year-old Vanessa tragically passed away in September after living with cancer for over half her life. Vanessa loved music, so when we visited her during her treatment for the rare form of cancer, Neuroblastoma, at GOSH, we took in singers and musicians to alleviate the boredom and monotony of hospital and take her mind off her treatment.

We are very grateful to Highgate Golf Club for their support of Spread a Smile. Ladies’ Captain Amanda Salmon chose us as the Captain’s Charity for the Golf Club this year and the club has raised money for the charity through a number of other avenues: Ladies’ Wine and Dine evenings on Tuesdays from May to September; a special golf day event on 15^th September, organised by Peter Levinger; a raffle organised by Amanda Salmon; and a donations bottle on the bar. We would like to say an enormous thank you to George Meyer for putting on this fabulous event and for supporting Spread a Smile.

On Friday 17^th November, Spread a Smile was featured on the BBC Children in Need Appeal Show in an incredibly moving film featuring Vanessa Moss and her family.

We first met Vanessa when she was four years old, not long after she started treatment for neuroblastoma at Great Ormond Street Hospital and shortly after the charity was first established. Vanessa was undergoing gruelling treatment at the time and was missing her two sisters, Ruby and Zoe. She loved the Spread a Smile visits as they helped her take her mind off her treatment.

As part of this year’s Children in Need Appeal Show, the BBC approached the Moss family, to make a film about how Spread a Smile entertained courageous young Vanessa and made a positive difference to her during her time in hospital.

The filming took place during the summer of 2017. Vanessa tragically passed away in September, but the Moss family courageously allowed her story to be aired.

During the film, we heard from Vanessa about the difference the Spread a Smile visits made to her. She said “Spread a Smile are just brilliant. They give me a little break from worrying about what’s going to happen. They make every child happier – ten million times happier.”

One of our entertainers, Collette is featured in the film with Vanessa singing On My Own from Les Miserables with Vanessa. Collette said “every single child is so precious in their own right and we want to make sure that when we go in there, they know how special they really are.”

Vanessa’s mum, Anna, summed up Spread a Smile’s work: “A child still wants to play, still wants to smile and still wants to spend their days laughing despite being very sick… Probably the most valuable type of help at that time in our life was when the extraordinary team from Spread a Smile came into the hospital and just made a difference at that moment and let my daughter be a child again. That for me as a mother is the most precious gift my daughter could have during a very very tough time.”

Vanessa’s dad, Parker, told us, “Spread a Smile’s entertainers were one of the only things that could raise a smile in our daughter during her chemotherapy. Their fairies are angels of kindness, and their magicians conjure away the pain with every visit. It’s hard to explain how slowly time passes on a children’s oncology ward, but Spread a Smile silenced the ticking of the clock, and remained at our daughter’s side to sprinkle a little fairy dust and make her feel for a few moments like the luckiest girl in the world.”

Parker spoke at our fundraising dinner in the summer and told our guests that what we do is create “more than just a smile… it’s about feeling lucky and being loved… it’s a really truly important thing that Spread a Smile do. They will be my daughter’s morphine for the next few months.”  

We continued to visit and entertain Vanessa during the four and a half years of her treatment for cancer, and built up a close and sustaining bond with the Moss family during what was an incredibly difficult time for them. As well as entertaining Vanessa in hospital, we invited her and her whole family to special days out to the theatre, to shows such as Disney’s The Lion King, and Vanessa’s favourite musical Les Miserables. These trips provided the chance for the whole family to experience a joyful occasion together, find a moment of respite and create lasting memories. We’re particularly aware how deeply affecting it is for siblings to experience the illness of their family members, and therefore know how important it is to include them in our work.

We were fortunate enough to be awarded a three-year grant from Children in Need in 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 also like to thank the Moss family for sharing their stories with Children in Need. It has been a privilege for us to entertain Vanessa. She has been such an inspiration to the whole team at Spread a Smile.

On Friday 17^th November, tune in to the BBC Children in Need Appeal Show on BBC One from 7.30pm and you may see some familiar faces!

BBC Children in Need is supporting us with funding over a period of three years, enabling us to entertain more seriously ill children and teenagers in hospital.

In association with Children in Need, the adorable Pudsey Bear has joined us on two special occasions since their support began last year. Pudsey accompanied Television Presenter and BBC Children in Need Ambassador Fearne Cotton on a visit to UCLH to mark the beginning of Children in Need’s three-year grant to Spread a Smile. Fearne and Pudsey went round with our fabulous entertainers as they visited the paediatric and adolescent wards at UCLH, chatting with the kids and having photos. Pudsey also appeared at our ‘Glitter & Glow’ extravaganza in London last December – a special festive party that we held in London to entertain all the amazing children, teenagers and families that we visit in hospital. He was very popular at the event, taking ‘selfies’ with the guests and giving lots of cuddles.

During the London-region broadcast of the BBC Children in Need Appeal Show last year, the wonderful Balloqui family appeared with BBC London News Presenter Riz Lateef to talk about how Spread a Smile had made a difference to then five-year-old Chloe whilst being treated for Neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

We are very grateful for BBC Children in Need’s support and look forward to watching the exciting and moving Appeal show this Friday.

Honey & Co Cookery Demo

After demonstrating how each dish was prepared and giving those attending lots of insider cooking tips to wow their dinner party guests, everyone was able to sample the dishes. The unusual preparation of the chocolate mousse with its use of olive oil was particularly intriguing, but the big hit of the morning was the ‘madfunia’ or chicken tagine.

Anita Mahatme, mum to 13-year-old Varun, was at the event to speak about how Spread a Smile had made a difference to Varun’s time in hospital while being treated for cancer. Varun was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his spine, just before his 11th birthday. He underwent 7 months of chemotherapy at University College Hospital in London, then had two major operations at Great Ormond Street to remove the tumour and reconstruct his spine, followed by three months in America having proton radiotherapy. It was during his treatment at UCLH and GOSH that we met Varun.

Click here to see our photo gallery

Lawsons Charity Auction

Our corporate supporters Lawsons are hosting a Charity Fundraising Ball on Saturday 18^th November in aid of Spread a Smile. As part of the evening, they are holding an auction with some once-in-a-lifetime items, holidays and experiences up for grabs!

The auction has begun online and bidding will continue at the live event on Saturday. There are 46 lots to bid on and the list includes something to suit everyone’s taste. To take a look at the available lots click the link: https://lawsonscharityauction.com

Football aficionados will be interested in the various soccer-related goodies, including Tottenham and Chelsea Autographed footballs, Tottenham and England Autographed home shirts and even a stadium seat from Tottenham’s former home, White Hart Lane! Other sports fans will love the chance to visit Lord’s Cricket Ground, Henley Royal Regatta, to cycle at the Olympic Velodrome, or experience horse racing at Royal Ascot or Cheltenham National Hunt Festival.

If you’re ready for a holiday, there are several different lots that will whisk you away. If you fancy a short city-detox, there are get-aways to the Lake District and the South of France to restore you. Or the more adventurous can bid on a spectacular safari trip in South Africa or the chance to stay at a luxurious beachfront mansion in Bali.

Gastronomes will be tempted by the fantastic foodie experiences available. If you’re a fan of the Roux family, you’ll want to bid on a special private dining evening for 12 people at Albert and his son Michel Roux Jnr’s restaurant The Landau at the elegant Langham Hotel in central London. If you fancy yourself a bit of a chef but are keen to hone your skills, the Masterchef Masterclass or an afternoon at the Raymond Blanc Cookery School at famous Le Manoir might be more to your taste.

If you’re a thrill-seeker, you may want to bid on the chance to drive Supercars on a racing track or a Top Gun Air Combat experience at Goodwood. Those who prefer to relax can bid on a break at a Champneys Spa resort or a Vineyard Tour and Tasting with lunch or afternoon tea.

Culture vultures will have a chance to bid on a West End Theatre Trip or a visit to the Opera in Verona. And lovers of pop could be cheering on the latest X Factor stars at Wembley or being treated like a VIP at the BRITS Awards Ceremony.

To take a look at the full range of lots online, click on the link: https://lawsonscharityauction.com Please note, the online auction website will close at midday on Friday 17^th November. Bidding will resume at the live event on Saturday 18th November for event attendees only. Lawsons advise if you are not attending the event and would like to bid on a lot, then you may wish to use the ‘Maximum Bid’ feature in order to increase your chances of winning auction items.

We hope you enjoy taking a look at the auction lots on offer – you never know, you may be able to do some Christmas present shopping whilst supporting a good cause!

Thank you to Lawsons for their extremely generous support in organising the auction in aid of Spread a Smile. We hope their fundraising evening is a great success.

Byng Book Club Event

We were the guests of Byng Book Club on 6^th November at the Old Fold Manor Golf Club in Barnet as Spread a Smile has been chosen as the book club’s charity this year.

The event was a fascinating evening as Author and Historian Dr Helen Fry had been invited to talk about her book ‘The M Room: Secret Listeners who Bugged the Nazis’. The book recounts how British Intelligence agents bugged the conversations of Nazi Prisoners of War while they were incarcerated in makeshift prisons in English stately homes during the Second World War.

Dr Fry was a compelling speaker and kept the 50 audience members riveted throughout. After the talk, Spread a Smile co-founders Josephine Segal and Vanessa Crocker were asked to speak and screened a short film about the charity. Ticket proceeds from the night were donated to Spread a Smile, and a raffle was held during the evening with profits also going to the charity.

Thank you so much to the Byng Book Club for inviting us to be part of their special event and for their generous donations to Spread a Smile.