News

Brothers take on Ultra Challenge

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Spread a Smile met Henry, aged 9, and his Mum and Dad, Vicky and James, when Henry was receiving treatment for a rare genetic disorder at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

James and his brother Tom are taking on the Isle of Wight Ultra Challenge in aid of Spread a Smile, which will see them walk or jog 106km walk around the island in May.

Vicky, James and Tom said, “Spread a Smile are a really incredible charity providing hospital visits to inpatients, video calls to children at home and special events in partnership with some wonderful companies.

“We’ve had some really dark moments but Spread a Smile have given us some brighter ones. As a family we have personally benefited from the work that they do, from fairies, singers, poets and magicians visiting Henry on the ward to video calls at home during Covid-19 and virtual birthday parties and Christmas boxes delivered by magical members of the team.

“One of the biggest things that we have been grateful for are the events that Spread a Smile organise. Including trips to the theatre to see The Lion king for the girls whilst Henry was in hospital, to days out to London Zoo and Henry’s personal favourite, the Lego events. Days to be with other families in similar situations to take time away from the appointments and treatments and to just smile!

“The other thing that we are always grateful for is how special they make siblings feel too. Siblings can be forgotten about and not everyone thinks about how having a poorly sibling can affect them. Spread a Smile always ensure that every child is thought about and the children never come away from these events empty handed.

“All of these things of course need funding and that’s why we’re fundraising to ensure that other families can be reached and more smiles can be spread.”

Thank you so much to James and Tom for their support and good luck for the challenge. Visit their JustGiving page here.

Please email Tasha at tashamann@spreadasmile.org to find out more about our upcoming fundraising challenges.

Director of Services takes on three peaks

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Our National Three Peaks Challenge will see our fundraisers trek around 26 miles, ascending a total height of almost 3,000m in two days and taking on the three highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales: Ben Nevis (1,344m), Scafell Pike (978m) and Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) (1,085m).

Spread a Smile’s Director of Services, Laura Walter will be joining Team Smile for this incredible challenge from Friday 4 – Sunday 6 July 2025 . We spoke to Laura about why she’s signed up and what she’s most looking forward to.

“I love hiking and being outdoors, but I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m not a runner and really wanted to do a challenge to support Spread a Smile, so this one ticked the boxes for me. We’ve taken patients and their families up to the Lake District for the past few years for a residential trip, and it’s such a magical, restorative place, so I’m excited to go back there as well (even if it’s only for a few hours). I’m really looking forward to challenging myself both physically and mentally.

“I feel so fortunate to work for Spread a Smile and it’s really important to me to give back and show my support for our brilliant charity by raising funds to enable us to provide more services, and in particular, deliver more visits to our hospital partners.

“I truly believe in the work we do at Spread a Smile, and have first-hand insight into the positive impact the visits have on patients, their families, and healthcare professionals from my many years working as a play specialist in the NHS. Our entertainers really lift the entire mood for everyone (patients, families and staff), and help to provide that essential distraction that is so needed for children and young people facing painful and invasive treatments and procedures.

“Every step I take on the challenge will be for the children, young people and families Spread a Smile supports. This challenge isn’t just about climbing mountains, it’s about helping these children and their families to find moments of joy and respite during the toughest times. 

“It is such a privilege to be joining other supporters to raise funds which will help Spread a Smile continue to provide vital services. Whether it’s supporting a magician to spark amazement, an artist to fuel creativity, or a group session that facilitates connection and makes children feel less isolated, every donation will ensure that children facing serious illness, and their siblings get to experience moments of happiness and hope.

“I’ll be joined by Spread a Smile’s incredible aromatherapist, Priya, who is also doing the challenge, and we’re both really looking forward to spending time with some of our wonderful supporters and having the chance to share our experiences with them. It looks set to be an incredible trip and we really hope you’ll join us for the adventure.”

You can support and sponsor Laura here, or why not join Laura and Priya for the National Three Peaks Challenge in aid of Spread a Smile and help bring joy and happiness to seriously ill children and young people when it’s needed most. SIGN UP HERE!

Option 1 – Self Funder

  • Pay £95 non-refundable registration fee
  • Pay £460 by Thursday 1 May
  • Raise as much as you can for Spread a Smile

Option 2 – Minimum Sponsorship

  • Pay £95 non-refundable registration fee
  • Raise a minimum of £950 for Spread a Smile

Full itinerary and details can be found here. Email us: fundraising@spreadasmile.org to find out more.

Micro Scooters make a ‘wheely’ big difference

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“The Micro Scooter gives my daughter a sense of ownership, independence and mobility. My child received a gift of a kidney from her mother in March 2023. In just 7 days she got moving around the ward and first thing she called out for was to bring her pink Micro Scooter from home, which she used to get around the ward.” Parent

Since 2021, Micro Scooters has generously been supporting Spread a Smile, donating an amazing 166 micro scooters, helmets and scooting accessories to support seriously ill children and their families.

Hospitalisation can be a very scary experience for children, often causing significant anxiety and distress. Play is an essential part of childhood and is at the very heart of mental, social and emotional growth and wellbeing. Prolonged and repeated hospitalisation, time at home or endless days feeling unwell significantly reduces opportunities for play, socialisation and physical movement.

Laura Walter, Spread a Smile Director of Services continued saying, “Physical activity is important for everyone, including children who are in hospital. Some patients can be in hospital for a long time, so it is important that they stay as active as possible during their stay. Scooting is a fantastic way to encourage them to take part in exercise that is fun, when they feel able to.”

The scooters have been used to help children get from one area of the hospital to another for treatment and also to support children’s rehabilitation by promoting physical activity and improving motor skills

One parent told us, “The scooter makes a huge difference to our son. He has a chronic lung condition, which means he struggles to walk any distance. He has a wheelchair which he can use, but he doesn’t like to be so different from his friends and other kids. When we travel into London for hospital appointments, we use a scooter as a much easier way for him to travel without exerting himself. The scooter is also easier for me to lift on and off the train. It makes a huge difference to his life and disability.”

We are so grateful for the fantastic support from Micro Scooters and are looking forward to continuing to work in partnership with them to spread even more smiles to even more children.

Partnerships such as this play a vital role in ensuring we can continue to be there for seriously ill children and their families when they need us most. Please do reach out with our Partnerships Manager, Lucy Keith by emailing lucykeith@spreadasmile.org to find out more about exciting partnership opportunities with Spread a Smile.

Queen’s Hospital partners with Spread a Smile

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Spread a Smile has announced a new partnership, with Queen’s Hospital in Romford, part of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. The charity will support children and young people receiving treatment at the hospital and they, along with their families, are invited to join the Spread a Smile family and benefit from its services.

Spread a Smile’s mission is to bring joy and laughter to as many seriously ill children as possible in NHS hospitals, clinical settings, hospices and homes across the UK. Queen’s Hospital joins 37 other major and speciality NHS hospitals, and six hospice partners already supported by the charity, taking Spread a Smile one step closer to its aim of spreading smiles to every seriously ill child and young person across the country.

The Spread a Smile team of talented entertainers, including musicians, artists, magicians and therapy dogs, will spend quality time with patients through regular in-person visits to the hospital. In addition, patients and their families will be able to access a range of its support services including virtual sessions, outings and events. All of which supports the charity’s aim of reaching and supporting as many young people as possible, spreading smiles and a lot of happiness to children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses and their families.

Caroline Jenkins, Health Play Specialist at Queen’s Hospital, said: “Having Spread a Smile visit us has really made such a difference to the children and young people at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, we are a busy district general hospital covering three very diverse areas. Spread a Smile’s visits are impactful brightening everyone’s day from the children and young people, their parents & carers and all the staff, the visits lift everyone’s mood. Thank you for all you do and we look forward to continuing to work with you helping you make an even greater impact in the future.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive added, “Spread a Smile’s aim is to bring joy and happiness into the lives of as many seriously ill children, young people and their families across the country as possible. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the brilliant team at Queen’s Hospital to deliver entertainment, laughter and bring the Spread a Smile magic to patients, families and staff alike.”

To find out more about what we do and how we support our hospital and hospice partners, click here.

Emmie’s Books supports Library Project

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Spread a Smile has launched a new Intensive Care Library Project which will see the charity set up 20 libraries in 13 NHS hospitals for families with children on intensive care and high dependency units to use.

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 will provide a way for children and their families to find comfort and calm through the familiar activity of reading together.

The majority of books have been generously donated by the charity Emmie’s Books which was set up by Lindsay and Andy McPartland, whose daughter Emmie was diagnosed with cancer when she was 14 weeks old.

Lindsay and Andy said, “Spread a Smile is a charity dear to our hearts and as soon as we heard about their Intensive Care Library Project, we knew we wanted to support it. Our daughter, Emmie, was diagnosed with a Malignant Rhabdoid Tumour in September 2019 when she was just 14 weeks old. During that first week in Great Ormond Street Hospital, when the world was collapsing around us and all we could see was darkness, we had a knock on the door and a Spread a Smile fairy came in and asked if she could sing for us. It was just the most magical, wonderful moment that we will always remember. 

“Since then, Spread a Smile has supported us as a family in so many ways – on our first Christmas Day in hospital and through countless visits and family events since then. We have built so many happy memories together as a family thanks to Spread a Smile and one of the highlights of our year will always be their Summer Party. We got to meet so many other families, to celebrate and have fun together. 

“Spread a Smile has been there for all of us through our darkest days, constantly making us smile. We are so happy to be able to give something back through Emmie’s Books, the charity we set up in 2021 in Emmie’s name to provide children’s books for little warriors in hospital and their families.

“Emmie underwent 8 rounds of chemotherapy, a radical nephrectomy, stem cell harvest and aspiration, high dose chemotherapy, 8 days on a ventilator in PICU and a further 12 months of maintenance chemotherapy. We spent a lot of time in hospital during that time, or at home recovering and as teachers, we know the importance of escapism through books, as well as the importance of keeping our minds busy as oncology parents. 

“It’s our aim to give the gift or reading to as many children in hospital as possible and we’re delighted to be supporting Spread a Smile’s Intensive Care Library Project, donating hundreds of books for their libraries in 13 NHS hospitals.”

Emmie and her family visited Spread a Smile’s offices in person to delivery the books, helping to stack the first library to go into one of our hospital partners. The libraries are being delivered to hospitals across the UK including GOSH, The Evelina Children’s Hospital, Southampton Children’s Hospital and Nottingham Children’s Hospital. We are also grateful to three publishers – Penguin, Macmillan and Scholastic – who have all donated books.

Thank you so much to the McPartland family for their brilliant support and making such a generous donation and you can read more about the Intensive Care Library Project here.

Emmie is now in remission and Spread a Smile continues to support Emmie and her family through our family events.

Michael Rosen supports library project launch

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For World Book Day on 6 March 2025, Spread a Smile is proud to launch our Intensive Care Library Project, with the support of acclaimed British author, poet, and broadcaster, Michael Rosen.

The project will see Spread a Smile donate 20 book libraries to 13 NHS hospitals for families with children on intensive care and high dependency units to use and enjoy.

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 will provide a way for children and their families to find comfort and calm through the familiar activity of reading together.

To launch the project, Spread a Smile’s Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson, and Visit Manager Debbie Tropp who spearheaded the project, were joined by Michael Rosen on a visit to an intensive care ward at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, one of the charity’s NHS hospital partners.

Michael said “Reading is an incredibly powerful art form which enables us to explore and access so many exciting subjects and adventures. From the day a baby is born, they are soaking up the sounds, sights, smells, tastes and touch of the world around them. Reading with children is a wonderful way of connecting with them, giving them something interesting to focus on, engage with and learn from. This shared experience can bring so much to both the child and the person reading to them as both are captured in that moment of discovery, sharing reactions and emotions as the story progresses.

“I am delighted to support the charity Spread a Smile as they launch their Intensive Care Library Project which will see 20 book libraries, filled with books and donated to 13 NHS hospitals for families with children on intensive care and high dependency units to borrow. Even in these most difficult of settings, where children are extremely unwell, parents and carers will be able to bring the wonder of reading to their child’s bedside, finding an opportunity to sit and share in the familiar act of reading together. It is a very special initiative which I have no doubt will bring a lot of comfort and one I am proud to be involved with.” 

Michael met staff on the ward, hearing how valuable the libraries will be for them and had the chance to see Spread a Smile singer and entertainer Rosie in action. He also met some of the families with children on PCCU, with the highlight of the afternoon being when families sat together for a special reading by Michael of his famous book ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’.

Selena, mother of 3-month-old Otis, said: “It was so nice to feel like we’re doing something normal that you do with your baby, because everything is so clinical. It’s all wires and stats so to just be parents with your baby having a story read is lovely.”

Alex, Otis’s dad, said: “We’ve been reading to Otis pretty much every day. We’re getting through the Roald Dahls and obviously we’ve read Going on a Bear Hunt a lot. It’s just great to take a moment to try and have a bit of normality.”

Janet Powell, Director of Nursing at Evelina London, said: “We are so grateful to Spread a Smile for this generous donation and brightening our week with this fantastic event. Michael Rosen has authored some of our patients’ favourite children’s books, and it was such a privilege to have him come read to us.

“At Evelina London, we are dedicated to ensuring that children have the best possible experience in hospital. Our visits from Spread a Smile help create a relaxing environment and bring so much joy to all the patients, families and staff on our wards.”

Alongside Evelina London, 12 other NHS hospitals across the country will receive book libraries including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Southampton Children’s Hospital Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Spread a Smile Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson said, “The Spread a Smile Intensive Care Library Project is an exciting new initiative which will provide an invaluable resource for families with children on intensive care and high dependency units in NHS hospitals across the country.

“When a child is in intensive care, it can be an extremely stressful and worrying time for the whole family. The familiar act of reading together can provide emotional comfort and connection, helping to alleviate some of the stress of what is going is going in the hospital setting.

“We hope that families receiving treatment at our NHS hospital partners find the resource useful and we are extremely grateful to renowned author Michael Rosen for joining us at Evelina London to help launch our first libraries.”

The majority of books for the libraries have been generously donated by the charity Emmie’s Books, which was set up by Lindsay and Andy McPartland whose daughter Emmie was diagnosed with cancer when she was 14 weeks old. Spread a Smile has supported Emmie, now 5, and her family since her diagnosis, with Mum Lindsay saying, “Spread a Smile has been there for all of us through our darkest days, constantly making us smile. We are so happy to be able to give something back through Emmie’s Books, the charity we set up in 2021 in Emmie’s name to provide children’s books for little warriors in hospital and their families.”

We are grateful to publishers Penguin, Macmillan and Scholastic who have all donated books for the libraries. Also to John and Chris from Norseman Direct for supporting the creation and delivery of the bookcases.

A huge thank you to everyone who has made this initiative possible, the Evelina London for hosting our launch and Michael Rosen for bringing his passion and love of books to our visit, leaving families with many happy memories of a special time together.

Beyond Blocks family event

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Earlier this week we teamed up with robotic LEGO company, Beyond Blocks to hold our first ever workshop using LEGO bricks to inspire learning in programming, engineering and design.

10 patients joined us at Chainalysis in Holborn, who generously hosted the event and Andy from Beyond Blocks led the creative session, with guests pairing up and working together to build a robot from LEGO, before using a coding app to bring it to life. They were then set a series of challenges including getting their robot to move forward and backwards, stopping and using a sensor to train the robot to stop when it reached the edge of the table.

Guests were so absorbed by the activities that they didn’t want to stop for lunch, but as soon as they saw the pizzas, snacks and delicious cupcakes from Lola’s cupcakes, the transition was much easier.

After the break, the team came back to face an even bigger challenge where they had to get their robots to manoeuvre around a course, joining their robots together and creating a coding system that allowed the robot to turn corners. The atmosphere in the room was fantastic, especially when one of the tasks was achieved, with cheers and fist pumps galore.

Our family events provide wonderful opportunities for unwell children and their families to spend time together having fun, made possible by our amazing donors, fundraisers and supporters.

Thank you to Chainalysis for hosting us so generously, providing lunch and kindly giving each guest their very own Circuit Cube Space Rover as a going home gift. Also to Beyond Blocks for the brilliant session.

Find out more about our work supporting families with seriously ill children and young people here.

February 2025 newsletter

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Our February supporter newsletter is here!

Take a look for all the latest from Spread a Smile including…

  • News on our two latest hospital partners
  • The latest on our family events and half-term activities
  • Kian’s story for International Epilepsy Day
  • Launch of our two 2025 Padel Tournaments
  • An update on our Real Estate Committee
  • More on the London to Brighton bike ride in July
  • Freddie and Richard’s story, from support to fundraising

We hope you enjoy reading our latest newsletter and if you’re not already receiving it, you can sign up here.

Half-term family fun for all

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Our services team pulled out all the stops to help spread smiles during the February half-term holiday, with a huge range of different events and virtual sessions for the families we support to join.

Our Family Events team organised two brilliant outings, kicking off with a special chocolate making workshop at MyChocolate in London. Our guests experienced making all sorts of treats including delicious chocolate truffles, with the chocolatier guiding them through each step, from piping the chocolate to rolling it to their desired shape and finally coating the truffles in cocoa powder before topping it with edible decorations. There was chocolate everywhere and it was a brilliant day filled with smiles and laughter. You can read more about it here.

We welcomed families for a fun-filled Valentines Party at the Brunswick Art Gallery on Thursday, filled with lots of valentines themed art activities, treats, music and entertainment. So much fun was had by everyone and as one Mum said, “What a wonderful day full of crafting, fun, laughter, trickery, music and happy proud tears!”

Our virtual sessions also helped to keep everyone entertained from home or hospital, with so many different activities to choose from for all ages. They included LEGO, calligraphy, dance and story writing workshops, magic and music sessions, art workshops, fairy sessions and so much more. All family members were welcome to join in and the fact that they were virtual meant that they could be accessed from any location (with WiFi!) across the country.

We know that school holidays can add extra layers when looking after children, so our events and virtual sessions aim to support families with seriously ill children during these times, giving access to fun and distracting activities.

We can’t thank all those who donate and fundraise for us for enabling us to continue to provide these vital services.

Valentine’s event gets the party started

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On Thursday 20 February Spread a Smile held a brilliant Valentine’s Party at the Brunswick Art Gallery for some of the seriously ill children we support and their families.

The day was filled with lots of valentine’s themed art activities including canvas painting, coaster designing and decorating heart shaped trinket boxes with gems, sequins and heart shaped stickers. There was also a ‘selfie mirror’ with props, a DJ and live singer, a magic show from Mr Magic, face painting, and a scavenger hunt.

Our guests enjoyed a sweet stand, pizza, chicken and chips and yummy cupcakes and brownies, generously donated by our friends at Lola’s Cupcakes.

Towards the end of the party, everyone had the chance to have a go on the DJ decks and sing songs of their choice which was such a special moment as everyone gather around and cheered one another on. From ‘Popular’ to ‘Let it Go’ with a bit of AC/DC thrown in too – the families all clapped and cheered as the children felt comfortable enough to sing in front of everyone. It was a really special moment for everyone in the room.

This was Spread a Smile’s second time hosting an event at the Brunswick Art Gallery and the day was summed up by Mum Claire and her daughter Eva who sent us the following message after the event:

“What a wonderful day full of crafting, fun, laughter, trickery, music and happy proud tears!

“Each child and their family was made feel so special and encouraged and as always are bellies and hearts were filled. From Tik Toks to DJ-ing, Karaoke and Broadway showcases, the talent and encouragement in the room was something to behold.

“Spread a Smile doesn’t just spread smiles, they spread confidence and create a safe space no matter the venue for children and families to become so comfortable that barriers drop and families support each other.

“Hospitals and treatments in their nature create isolation which can hinder children in their ability to interact with their peers. They can lose out on forming and building these key skills, but Spread a Smile helps to rebuild their resilience.

“Over the last year we have seen our shy and reserved child blossom into a more confident pre-teen. To see her supporting the magician and leading the room in a song was monumental. We are very lucky to have you all championing each child to remember what childhood should and can be – FUN!”

Every year, Spread a Smile organises events like this to support families with seriously ill children. They range from art events, to theatre trips, foodie experiences, zoo outings and so much more and it’s thanks to our generous supporters and fundraisers that we are able to continue to provide these important experiences for families going through the worst of times.

Please do get in touch to find out more about our events or how you can get involved to support this vital work which brings joy and happiness during the darkest of times.