News

Gary Neville SaS Real estate dinner

Real Estate Dinner with Gary Neville

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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The Spread a Smile Real Estate Committee hosted an exclusive dinner on Thursday 6 November at Uncommon, Holborn, for 50 people, with special guest speaker Gary Neville.

Best known for his illustrious football career with Manchester United and England, Gary Neville has since established himself as a respected property developer and entrepreneur. His real estate portfolio includes the landmark £400 million St Michael’s redevelopment in Manchester, as well as Hotel Football and The Stock Exchange Hotel.

During the evening, Neville was in conversation with Nicky Barker, Managing Director and Head of Asset Management for KKR’s European Real Estate team, exploring the intersections of sport, leadership, and business.

The event aims to raise vital funds for Spread a Smile, supporting our work bringing joy, laughter, and moments of respite to seriously ill children in hospitals and hospices across the country.

Gary Neville said: “I’m really pleased to have supported Spread a Smile at this special evening with the real estate community. The work the charity does to bring moments of joy and comfort to seriously ill children and their families is truly inspiring. I know how important it is to lift people’s spirits during such difficult times. It’s a privilege to be part of an event that helps make that possible.”

Shaun Simons, Founder at Compton and Chair of the Spread a Smile Real Estate Committee, added: “The real estate industry has shown incredible commitment to supporting Spread a Smile over the years, and this event was another opportunity to come together for a cause that makes a real difference. We’re honoured to have hosted Gary Neville.”

Lucy Jackson, Chief Executive of Spread a Smile, said: “We’re thrilled to have welcomed Gary Neville as our guest speaker at this very special evening. His journey from the pitch to the boardroom is inspiring, and we’re so grateful to the real estate community for their continued generosity. Every pound raised helps Spread a Smile, deliver joy, laughter and hope to children and families who need it most.”

Since being established in 2023, the Spread a Smile Real Estate Committee have held 7 dinners, raising an incredible £200,000 to fund Spread a Smile’s work bringing joy and laughter to seriously ill children in hospital. Chaired by Shaun Simons, Founder of Compton, the Committee brings together key industry figures; Chris Davies, CEO at Uncommon, Nicky Barker, Managing Director at KKR, James Lass, Head of Operational Real Estate at Swiss Life Asset Managers UK, Michael Mirelman, Director at GRE Finance and Lee Jackson, Partner at Eversheds Sutherland.

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Artplay workshop spread a smile

Spreading Smiles at our first pottery workshop

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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We recently welcomed 16 young patients to a pottery workshop at ArtPlay in Spitalfields Market. The children and young people began with a playful pottery game to get creative juices flowing before moving on to sculpting their own unique creations – from mugs and pots to an absolutely adorable sausage dog!

At Spread a Smile, we’re always looking for new and engaging activities for our Family Events that reflect the wide-ranging interests of the children and young people  we support. Covering everything from music and magic to arts and crafts, cooking, cake decorating, theatre and cinema trips, and more, we provide fun opportunities for families to have fun together doing something they enjoy.

This was our first pottery workshop, and it was a joy to see everyone so focused, creative, and proud of their finished pieces. The smiles, laughter, and excitement throughout the day perfectly captured what Spread a Smile is all about. Moments like these are so important for children living with serious illness – they provide a chance to be imaginative, have fun, and spend precious time with their families while connecting with peers who are on similar journeys.

Workshops like these are only possible thanks to the generous support of our donors and partners. With your help, we can continue to provide events and outings  that bring joy and comfort to seriously ill children and their families. If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation – thank you.

Evelina London Children's hospital

Weekly visits to Evelina Children’s Hospital

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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We’re delighted to share that our visits to Evelina London Children’s Hospital have increased to once a week, meaning we can now spread even more smiles to seriously ill children and their families across the hospital.

Evelina is London’s second-biggest children’s hospital, which we have been working with since 2019 as one of the 39 NHS hospital partners we support across the country.

Our talented team of entertainers now visit all Evelina’s wards, bringing magic, music, art and laughter to young patients and their families. By gradually building up to weekly visits, we’re now able to reach even more patients and cover the whole hospital, helping to make hospital life brighter for everyone.

Evelina London Children’s Hospital celebrated its 20th birthday on 1 November, and we were delighted to join the festivities by hosting a special calligraphy workshop in the hospital atrium. Led by one of our Spread a Smile artists, patients and families came together to create beautiful designs to mark the occasion, filling the space with colour, creativity and smiles.

Laura Walter, Spread a Smile’s Director of Services, said:

“We are so proud to be expanding the number of our visits to Evelina London Children’s Hospital. Providing a visit each week means we can reach even more young patients and their families, providing an important distraction and helping to bring more joy into the clinical environment. We’re so thankful to continue our partnership with Evelina and to work alongside their incredible play teams to support patients across the hospital.”

Through our regular in-person visits, online sessions and family events, we continue spreading smiles to seriously ill children and their families when they need it most.

Your support helps us make this possible. If you’d like to get involved, please consider making a donation today. Thank you.

New Books for Our Intensive Care Libraries

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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In March 2025, we proudly launched our Intensive Care Library Project, delivering beautiful collections of books to 15 NHS hospital partners and creating 20 libraries across Paediatric Intensive Care and High Dependency Units.

When a child is seriously ill and in intensive care, days can be filled with worry for both the child and their family. Finding a quiet moment of comfort or connection can be difficult in a hospital environment. Our libraries provide carefully curated books right where they’re needed most, giving families the chance to read together, share stories, and find moments of calm and connection during a challenging time.

This October, we carried out our latest book drop, delivering over 250 wonderful new books to hospitals across the country. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters, the shelves are now brimming with vibrant stories to suit children of all ages and interests.

We’re so grateful to our amazing community for helping us keep these libraries full. Special thanks go to Emmie’s Books and Expect Amazing for their continued support, and to volunteers Viraj, Vidhi and their mum Avni, and Lindsay, George and Emmie who helped pack and deliver the books with such care. 

If you’d like to support our Intensive Care Library Project, you can purchase books for our library here. Thank you.

Donate a gift from our Amazon Wish List

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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This Christmas, we are aiming to deliver 2,000 festive Smile Hampers for the seriously ill children we support and their siblings. Each one is thoughtfully filled with gifts chosen to match a child’s interests, passions and favourite things.

Our Smile Hampers are created to bring a moment of joy to families facing the challenges of serious illness. Filled with treats, creative activities, toys, books and sensory items, each hamper provides practical ways for families to spend time together and take a break from the pressures of treatment. More than just presents, they show families that they are not on their own and that people are thinking of them this Christmas.

To reach our goal of 2,000 Smile Hampers, we need to source more than 10,000 gifts in total. It’s a huge undertaking and one we can only achieve with the generosity and kindness of our incredible supporters.

By donating a gift, you can help fill our Smile Hampers with items that bring joy, comfort to children spending their Christmas in hospital or undergoing treatment. One of the easiest ways to help is by choosing a gift from our bespoke Amazon Gift List, which you can view here.  Anything you purchase will be sent directly to our team and packed straight into a Smile Hamper, ready to be delivered to a child in time for Christmas.

Donate a gift here.

If you are a company or business, we would be so grateful for your support. We are in real need of larger quantities of gifts or financial donations that allow us to buy the items we know children will love. If you can help, please get in touch with us at fundraising@spreadasmile.org and our team will be delighted to chat.

Please do take a look at our gift list or contact the team to find out how you can help spread joy and laughter to seriously ill children this festive season. Thank you so much for your support.

thortful Christmas Cards

 1024 525 Gabrielle Devine
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Spread a Smile is delighted to have been chosen by creative greeting card marketplace, thortful, as the beneficiary charity for their 2025 range of Christmas Card Packs.

The range includes a selection of beautiful card designs, for adults and children and really does have something for everyone, from fun to thoughtful, festive and traditional. The cards are available to buy online and £1 from the sale of each pack of cards will be donated to Spread a Smile to support our work bringing joy and laughter to seriously ill children and young people.

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive Officer said, “Our partnership with thortful is an incredible opportunity for Spread a Smile to reach new audiences, raise vital awareness of our work and shine a light on the difference we make to families with seriously ill children. We are extremely grateful to thortful for choosing Spread a Smile and donating such a generous amount from Christmas card sales to help ensure our entertainers can continue to bring music, magic, creativity and fun to children and young people in hospital at Christmas time and beyond.”

Pip Heywood, Managing Director at thortful, said about their partnership with Spread a Smile:

“We believe in the power of connection at thortful and there’s no better time to spread joy than at Christmas. We’re so proud to be partnering with Spread a Smile to help bring moments of happiness to children and families who need it most. Every card pack we send this festive season will help spread not just words, but smiles and that’s what makes this partnership so special.“

thortful supports a community of designers, illustrators and photographers who create beautiful, unique greeting cards (most of which you won’t find on the high street!). We’re excited to share their incredible range of Christmas cards with our supporters as a way of sharing the joy and spirit of Christmas far and wide.

So, what are you waiting for? Take a look at the range and get a head start on your Christmas cards today.

Josephine Segal: Co-Founder and Lifetime President

 780 400 Susie
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Co-Founder, Josephine Segal MBE became Spread a Smile’s Lifetime President in September 2025, after stepping back from her role on the Board and from her regular day-to-day involvement. This honorary role celebrates Josephine’s extraordinary contribution to Spread a Smile and ensures she will always remain part of our story, continuing to be a cherished presence.

Spread a Smile was founded out of Josephine’s deeply personal response to her nephew Aaron’s illness. Together with Co-Founder Vanessa Crocker MBE, she transformed that experience into something remarkable – a charity that now brings laughter, joy and comfort to thousands of seriously ill children and their families each year. The values Josephine and Vanessa set from the very beginning – compassion, professionalism, respect, empathy and warmth – remain at the heart of everything we do.

Right up until her retirement, Josephine, along with her therapy dog, Buddy, regularly joined our team of entertainers on visits to seriously ill children in hospital, helping to spread smiles and joy.

We are incredibly grateful for all that Josephine has given – her love, her heart and her vision. Spread a Smile simply would not be what it is today without her.

“Spread a Smile will forever be in my heart and I look forward to following its journey with pride. I want to thank my darling nephew Aaron, his brothers and family who inspired Spread a Smile, my Co-Founder Vanessa, family, friends, Trustees, team, entertainers, volunteers, supporters, hospital partners and most importantly the children and families who welcomed us into their lives during such difficult times.” Josephine Segal MBE

Find out more about how Josephine and Vanessa started Spread a Smile back in 2013 here.

Our October e-newsletter is here

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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Our October e-newsletter is here!

It’s been a busy month of spreading smiles – from celebrating Play in Healthcare Week to hosting our Lilo & Stitch half-term family events.

We also announced an exciting new fundraising challenge for 2026: the Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) Triathlon, in partnership with Alder Hey Children’s Charity. Plus, we held our fantastic Annual Golf Days and a hugely successful Entertainer Variety Show.

Read our October e-newsletter here.

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive all things Spread a Smile directly to your inbox each month.

Half-Term Events for Families

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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During October half-term, we were delighted to host two very special events for the families we support,  made possible thanks to support from our incredible supporters and partners.

A Creative Day at The LEGO Group’s London Office

On Monday 28 October, 17 families joined us at the LEGO Group’s London Office in London for a fabulous Lilo & Stitch-themed day. We’re proud to have been working with our friends from the LEGO Group for a number of years through a range of family events, volunteering opportunities and support initiatives. Families enjoyed a packed schedule of activities, including hands-on LEGO® building, arts and crafts, face painting, and magical entertainment from one of Spread a Smile’s brilliant magicians. There were also plenty of delicious treats to keep energy levels high.

It was a wonderful day of creativity and fun, with the LEGO volunteers brilliantly leading each activity and engaging with the patients and their families. It was filled with joyful, special family moments – something that can be hard to find when managing everything that comes with serious illness.

Lilo & Stitch at Everyman Cinema

Later in the week, 20 families joined us at Everyman Cinema, London for another Lilo & Stitch-themed event watching the brand-new live-action film. Before the screening, families were treated to a lively pre-screen party with magic from one of Spread a Smile’s amazing entertainers, singing, a quiz, and, of course, pizza and snacks for everyone to enjoy. The experience gave families a chance to enjoy the simple magic of a trip to the cinema – something that can often be out of reach while navigating treatment schedules and hospital stays.

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 and a chance for families to make memories and spend quality time.

Our thanks to the LEGO Group for their ongoing and valuable support, helping us create such wonderfully engaging events for the families we work with. Also, to Everyman Cinema always making our VIP guests feel so welcome.

Want to receive our news directly to your inbox? Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter here.

 

 

Fundraiser of the Month: Paul Blyth

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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We’re delighted to celebrate Paul Blyth as our October Fundraiser of the Month for his incredible achievement cycling the length of Portugal on the famous N2 route – from Chaves to Faro. Over six gruelling days, Paul covered an astonishing 458 miles, climbing more than 31,700 feet – higher than Mount Everest.

Here’s what Paul had to say about his achievement:

“ Last week was the Ride Portugal N2 Chaves to Faro. 6 days, 458 miles, 31,742 feet with a riding time of 32 hours and 20 minutes. I am not going to lie, it was pretty tough, but I did train hard, and it paid off, and the added motivation of fundraising for Spread a Smile, kept the legs turning and the smile on my face. It really was the trip of a lifetime!

“It has been an absolute pleasure doing this for Spread a Smile and thank you all for your support, kind wishes, and motivational calls before the event. I am really very, very grateful!.”

A huge congratulations to Paul on completing his journey, and our deepest thanks for his hard work and incredible fundraising – raising an amazing £6,000, including funds from a quiz night and SCOR’s contribution. Thanks to this incredible support, we can continue our work spreading smiles to seriously ill children through in-person entertainer hospital visits, family events, and online sessions across our 39 NHS hospital partners.

Feeling inspired?
Why not take on your own challenge? Find out more about our upcoming Yr Wydffa (Snowdon) Triathlon Challenge, in partnership with Alder Hey Children’s Charity, taking place on 12 September 2026.