News

Real Estate Dinner – Building for the future

 780 400 Susie
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We were delighted to host our eighth Real Estate Dinner on 19 March at Uncommon Holborn, bringing together leaders from across the property sector for an evening of connection, conversation and shared purpose.

The event provided a valuable opportunity to showcase the work of Spread a Smile, our ambitions for growth, and how we build meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships that enable us to continue supporting seriously ill children and their families across the UK.

Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson, said: “As we celebrate our seventh Real Estate Dinner, we are incredibly proud of the support from our Real Estate Committee and grateful to everyone who joined us to learn more about our work.”

Chaired by Shaun Simons (Founder, Compton), our Real Estate Committee plays a vital role in helping us develop impactful relationships and grow our network of supporters. We extend our sincere thanks to Shaun and fellow committee members – Chris Davies (Uncommon), James Lass (Swiss Life Asset Managers UK), Michael Mirelman (GRE Finance), Nicky Barker (KKR), Paul Nearchou (DFI), Lee Jackson (Eversheds Sutherland) and Ekaterina Avdonina (Mirastar) – for their ongoing dedication.

If you’re interested in attending future industry events or exploring partnership opportunities with Spread a Smile, we would love to hear from you. Please sign up to our monthly e-news or contact our Head of Partnerships, Lucy Chesney, at LucyChesney@spreadasmile.org.

Subscribe to the Spread a Smile e-newsletter

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
By:

Our March e-newsletter is landing very soon and we don’t want you to miss it.

By signing up for our e-newsletters, you’ll make sure you’re the first to find out about…

  • The impact of our work: the smiles, the joy and the brilliant ways our entertainers support seriously ill children and their families
  • The difference you can make: Find out how our supporters are ensuring we can continue our vital work spreading smiles and be inspired to get involved.
  • Upcoming events: Be the first to grab a spot in our latest challenges and events.

Be part of something special and subscribe to our e-newsletter today.

 

theatre spread a smile

Hercules: A VIP Family Day

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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Twelve young patients and their families enjoyed an unforgettable day at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see Hercules. Their visit included a joyful pre‑theatre gathering with magical entertainment, face painting, pizza, cupcakes and interval ice creams, followed by a special VIP meet and greet with the cast. It was a warm and relaxed experience, offering families the chance to spend meaningful time together and connect with others on similar journeys.

Spread a Smile family events are designed to give seriously ill children and young people precious moments away from treatment, hospital life and the pressures that come with navigating a serious illness. For many families, planning an outing of this kind can be challenging. Medical appointments, complex health needs and financial considerations often make special experiences like a West End trip difficult to access. By removing those barriers, we enable families to enjoy time together, have fun and experience a sense of normality during an otherwise demanding period.

After the performance, our guests were welcomed backstage for a VIP meet and greet with members of the cast. For many children, this was the highlight of the day – an extraordinary opportunity to chat with the performers, take photographs and experience a truly memorable moment. These encounters help create treasured memories that stay with families long after the day itself.

Ellie, Spread a Smile’s Head of Family Events, said:
“It’s a privilege to run these events and see the difference they make. Families often tell us how valuable it is to have something positive to look forward to alongside treatment. Giving young patients a day filled with joy and connection is incredibly important, and it’s why we do what we do.”

We also received this lovely feedback from a parent who joined us on the day:
“I just wanted to say thank you to you & the amazing Spread a Smile team for giving us  the most wonderful day! She hasn’t stopped talking about it all evening, excitedly telling her dad about how, she met all of the performers! (Even if she was a little shy at the actual meeting! That seems to have been long forgotten!) She has also asked if we can do the same next week!! No pressure!

It was the first time we had been able to make any of the Spread a Smile events, even though you’ve been in our lives since we first visited gosh over 6 years ago!”

We are deeply grateful to everyone who helps make these outings possible. Your support ensures that families caring for seriously ill children can enjoy meaningful moments of joy when they are needed most.

Please donate today to ensure we can continue spreading smiles when they’re needed most.

sensory area

Neurodiversity Celebration Week

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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Neurodiversity Celebration Week takes place 16–20 March 2026 and we are proud to spotlight the ways Spread a Smile supports neurodivergent children and young people through joy-filled, accessible experiences.

Recently, Laura Walter, Spread a Smile’s Director of Services, presented at Northwest Thames Paediatric Network Play Forum about our work with neurodivergent children, young people and their families. This was an important moment for us, offering a platform to raise awareness of the specialist approach we take and the importance of inclusive entertainment within hospitals, hospices and at home.

Laura Walter said, “It is so important to adapt our services to meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people. The neurodivergent umbrella includes a wide range of neurological and developmental needs, and many of the children we support are included within this. Every child deserves to experience joy in a way that feels safe and comfortable for them, and our team works hard to tailor our approach and create moments that truly meet each child where they are.”

A core part of our offering to hospitals and families are our virtual sensory shows delivered in collaboration with Embracing Arts and our dedicated magic and singing sessions using Makaton, developed to meet the needs of neurodivergent children and young people in a gentle, engaging and adaptable way. These sessions use calming and stimulating sounds to spark curiosity, alongside visual storytelling that supports different sensory needs.

Whether a child prefers gentle music, bright colours, familiar routines or quiet moments, all of our interactions with children and young people are built to honour their individual preferences. Families regularly tell us how our virtual sessions help reduce anxiety, create connection and moments of joy during long hospital stays or challenging routines at home.

Across our wider programme of entertainment in hospitals and at family events, we ensure that every entertainer engages inclusively and sensitively with neurodivergent children and young people. This includes adapting the pace, tone and environment of activities, building positive connections that help children feel seen, valued and understood, and working closely with hospital play teams, other healthcare professionals and families to personalise each visit or session. We also include sensory corners at our large-scale events, designed especially for neurodiverse children and young people.

Neurodiversity Week is a reminder of the importance of accessibility and inclusive practice. We are proud to continue expanding our sensory programme so even more children can benefit, whether in hospital or at home.

If you would like to support our work, please make a donation here. Together we can help bring joy and happiness to more seriously ill children and young people across the country.

 

insurance industry dinner

Spread a Smile Insurance Dinner

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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We were delighted to host our second Insurance Dinner on 11 March at Uncommon Holborn, welcoming 32 guests from across the sector. It was wonderful to reconnect with leaders from the insurance community and enjoy an evening of meaningful conversation and connection.

The event offered a valuable opportunity to share how Spread a Smile supports seriously ill children and young people through our hospital visits, virtual sessions and special family events, helping to bring comfort and joy during long hospital stays and challenging treatment.

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive, said:

“Our Industry Dinners show the real impact that happens when a sector comes together with care and purpose. I’m grateful to everyone for giving up their time to spend an evening with Spread a Smile to learn more about our vital work bringing joy and laughter to seriously ill children. The insurance community makes a meaningful difference to the children and families we support, and I’m looking forward to following up post-event to explore how we can grow this impact together.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us, asked thoughtful questions and explored how the insurance sector can play a role in helping us support even more families. Your involvement ensures we can continue providing vital moments of comfort and joy when they’re needed most.

A special thank you to Philip Smaje and Richard Reggel for their ongoing leadership as part of our insurance committee, and to Uncommon for their continued support and for hosting us in their wonderful space.

If your organisation would like to explore a partnership or host an industry event with us, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact our Head of Partnerships, Lucy Chesney, at LucyChesney@spreadasmile.org.

Click here to sign up to our e-newsletter and receive Spread a Smile’s latest news directly to your inbox.

 

world kidney day bay smiling

World Kidney Day: Bay’s Story

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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Today, 12 March, we are joining people around the world in marking World Kidney Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness of kidney health and the children and families whose lives are shaped by kidney conditions.

Read Bay’s story

As part of World Kidney Day, we are sharing the story of Bay, who became seriously ill at just two years old. What began as an unexpected deterioration in her health quickly revealed that her kidneys were failing. She was urgently transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital, where she spent weeks in intensive care while doctors worked to stabilise her.

Spread a Smile first met Bay early in her journey. From bedside visits to virtual art and magic sessions, we were able to bring her moments of joy, comfort and play during hospital stays and difficult days. These moments helped lift her spirits, offered breathing space for her family and helped create connection when life felt overwhelming.

We are proud to have been on this journey with Bay and to support her now, continuing to bring joy and positive distraction as she navigates follow‑up treatment and recovery. Click here to read Bay’s story.

On World Kidney Day, we recognise the strength of children like Bay, the families who support them and the hospital teams who care for them. We remain committed to being there with moments of joy and comfort whenever they are needed.

Help us support more children like Bay

Your donation today helps Spread a Smile bring joy and laughter to seriously ill children across the country. Thank you.

 

World Book Day hospital visits with Hannah Gold

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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For World Book Day on 5 March 2026, Spread a Smile hosted two very special hospital visits with bestselling children’s author Hannah Gold, to mark a year since the launch of the charity’s Intensive Care Library Project.

Hannah Gold, multi award-winning author of The Last Bear and The Lost Whale, accompanied Spread a Smile Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson and our team of entertainers on visits to our NHS hospital partners, King’s College Hospital and Evelina London Children’s Hospital, to see firsthand the difference the libraries are making to families with children on intensive care and high dependency units.

During the visits, Hannah visited the libraries and watched Spread a Smile’s entertainers in action, with Fairy Melissa providing soothing music and professional storyteller, Posey on hand with gentle stories and support for parents around reading with their children whilst in intensive care. Hannah kindly took time to read an excerpt from her World Book Day Book, ‘Bear Rescue’ with families from across the paediatric wards, providing some wonderful moments for everyone who joined us. She also had the opportunity to meet members of the ward and play teams along with some of the children and their families receiving treatment.

Hannah Gold

Hannah said, “Spending time with the children and families supported by Spread a Smile this World Book Day means more to me than I can properly put into words. Books have always been a source of comfort, imagination and hope in my own life, and to be able to share that love, even in a small way, feels incredibly special. It is a real privilege to sit with these children, to read together, to listen and to simply be present. I feel very humbled to be invited into their world, and I hope the stories we share bring a little light and joy to their day.”

In the last year, Spread a Smile has introduced 20 libraries at 15 of our NHS hospital partners, providing families with easy access to a wonderful range of books suitable for all ages and abilities. Families are welcome to borrow the books to read with their children, enjoying special moments together and over 2,000 books have been donated and supplied by Spread a Smile for the libraries over the past year.

Just £5 could help us replace a well‑loved book and ensure our libraries continue bringing joy to as many children as possible, for as long as possible. Sponsor a book today

Lucy Jackson said, “Since launching the Spread a Smile Intensive Care Library Project for World Book Day in 2025, the initiative has gone from strength to strength, providing an invaluable reading resource for families with children on intensive care and high dependency units in NHS hospitals across the country.

“We have received wonderful feedback from families and also the hospital teams and it’s fantastic to know that our libraries are providing welcome opportunities for parents, carers and their children to find moments of distraction and engagement during what can be an extremely stressful and worrying time.”

When a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, life can become very unsettled, scary and unfamiliar, controlled by schedules, treatment plans and prolonged hospital stays away from family and friends. Through our libraries, Spread a Smile is providing a way for children and their families to find comfort and calm through the familiar activity of reading together. It was wonderful to be able to share this work with Hannah, touching on how the libraries are supporting families with ways to bond, reduce stress, find emotional comfort, connection and distraction during difficult and isolating times.

Sue Pruden, Therapeutic Play Service Manager at Evelina London said, “We are so grateful to Spread a Smile for organising this fantastic event for World Book Day. It was a joy to welcome Hannah Gold, who visited families in our Sky ward and then read to babies, children and young people in Beach ward.

“Spread a Smile is a charity that has supported Evelina London Children’s Hospital for many years. They help us to create relaxing and fun experiences for the families we care for by regularly bringing wonderful entertainers to our hospital. Last year, they generously donated two libraries of children’s books, which are available to families using our paediatric intensive care services. These libraries allow parents to read to their child, whatever they might be going through, and they make a huge difference to their experience here. Reading offers a wonderful escape into other worlds, away from the hospital environment. It is a wonderful activity that families can share together.”

We are incredibly grateful to Hannah Gold for joining us this year and helping us bring the joy of reading to young patients in hospital. Our thanks also so Emmie’s Books for their initial donation of books for the project launch and Expect Amazing for their continued support of our intensive Care Library Project, including packing and delivering the books for our most recent deliveries of books to coincide with World Book Day 2026.

Projects such as these are only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, donors and fundraisers. By donating just £5, you’ll be sponsoring a book to help us keep our intensive care libraries well-stocked and available for children in intensive care to enjoy for years to come.

Sponsor a book today

If you would like to find out more about getting involved with Spread a Smile – as an individual or a company – please do get in touch at fundraising@spreadasmile.org

Thank you.

 

Help us spread smiles this World Book Day

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
By:

With World Book Day just around the corner, we’re shining a light on a very special part of our work: our Paediatric Intensive Care libraries.

We now have 20 libraries across 15 of our NHS partners, each one filled with books chosen to bring comfort, distraction and moments of joy to seriously ill children and young people when they need it most.

For families with a child in intensive care, days can be filled with worry and uncertainty. Reading together offers a vital moment of connection and escape, helping create moments of calm in an otherwise overwhelming environment.

Thanks to the kindness of our supporters and partners, many of the books on our shelves have been generously donated. These stories spark imagination and provide precious shared moments between a child and their parent.

We refresh our libraries throughout the year so every child can find something new, exciting or familiar. Just £5 could help us replace a well‑loved book and ensure our libraries continue bringing joy to as many children as possible, for as long as possible.

Donate today

Thank you for helping spread smiles this World Book Day.

 

World Teen Mental Wellness Day

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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Today, 2 March, is World Teen Mental Wellness Day and we’re recognising the unique challenges faced by young people living with serious illness, as well as the specialist support Spread a Smile provides to help them feel seen, valued and understood.

For many young people living with a serious illness, long hospital stays and intensive treatments can mean missing out on important social milestones at a time when they’re discovering their independence. They often find themselves caught between children’s and adult services, with fewer dedicated resources designed specifically for their age group. This gap in support can leave them feeling isolated during an already difficult period.

At Spread a Smile, we work closely with our NHS hospital partners to help bridge that gap, offering joyful, age‑appropriate experiences that give young people a break from clinical environments. Through dedicated youth events and tailored hospital visits, we aim to create relaxed, welcoming spaces where they can be themselves, connect with others and feel supported when they need it most.

Our hospital visits bring moments of relief and connection, with entertainers who understand how to engage young people. From magicians sparking laughter, to artists encouraging creative expression, to singers performing their favourite songs, every visit is shaped around their interests. These interactions offer opportunities for joy, confidence and self‑expression during long hospital stays.

We also run virtual and in‑person activities designed specifically for young people, including our virtual art club, group sessions, music lessons and creative workshops. These sessions help build confidence, connection and a sense of community beyond the hospital walls.

Alongside this, we offer specialist youth events throughout the year. Recent highlights include our young people’s event at the MET Lounge in Fitzrovia, giving those we support the chance to socialise, relax and enjoy time together in a space created just for them. At Christmas, our team also delivers bespoke gift hampers filled with age‑appropriate treats chosen to bring comfort and joy during the festive season.

We’re committed to providing an adaptable, meaningful range of support for children and young people. By listening to their needs and working alongside our NHS partners, we ensure every young person we meet feels recognised, celebrated and supported through the challenges of serious illness.

 

Discover Spread a Smile’s February highlights

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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Our February e‑newsletter is here!

This month we’re sharing a joyful roundup of our incredible Winter Party, a brilliant feature in The Big Issue celebrating us as a Changemaker of 2026, highlights from Children’s Mental Health Week, moments from our recent PR dinner, a look ahead to our upcoming Golf Days, and more…

There’s so much to catch up on, click here to read our February e-newsletter.

Don’t forget to sign up to our e-newsletter so it lands directly in your inbox each month.

Thank you for helping us bring comfort, laughter and moments of joy to seriously ill children and young people.