News

Four family events in five days

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The Spread a Smile team went the extra mile during half-term to support seriously ill children through a variety of brilliant family focussed events, welcoming an incredible 240 children and family member across the week.

The week kicked off on Monday with a special trip to London Zoo with 20 patients and their families – generously sponsored for the second year running by our friends from Downing LLP. Our families got to see lots of amazing animals as they explored the zoo, including three baby lion cubs and some very cute baby gorillas. We had a room hired for the day where our families could return for arts and crafts including animal mask masking and clay modelling as well as entertainment such as facepainting, magic and singing fairies. Lunch was a delicious mix of pizza, sliders and chips plus lots of yummy snacks. Huge thanks to the team at London Zoo for their amazing service and our friends at Downing LLP.

“I just wanted to say thank you for our wonderful day at London Zoo, with a special thank you to the magician and fairies who kept making sure Soph was OK. Soph has had a tough year and I can’t thank you guys enough for making her feel so special.” Angela, Mum to Sophie, aged 9

On the Tuesday, we spent the afternoon at Everyman Cinema in King’s Cross, with 18 patients along with their siblings and family members. Our families were treated to lots of snacks including popcorn and sweet treats whilst being entertained by our fantastic Spread a Smile fairies, magicians and singers. With full bellies, we settled down to watch the adorable film Inside Out 2. And to finish the day, our families left with a brilliant goody bag. As always, a huge thanks to the team at Everyman Kings Cross for being so accommodating and welcoming our families with huge smiles and kindness.

“Thank you for such a lovely trip to the cinema and for accommodating Eva’s friend. Eva had a wonderful time, heart and belly full on leaving” Claire, Mum to Eva, aged 10. 

For Hallowe’en, we took a trip to the beautiful Brunswick Art Gallery in Holborn, with 15 families joining us for a creative workshop with a professional artist whilst being serenaded by a live singer and DJ. The party was in full swing as our guests enjoyed a delicious lunch, cupcakes and sweet treats. They were also able to paint their own pumpkins, have their face painted, enjoy some magic tricks, take part in a Hallowe’en scavenger hunt and design their own tote bag – perfect to carry home all their goodies! A huge thank you to Nicholas Lazari and John Themis from Lazari Investments for helping to make this wonderful event possible.

To round off the week, we spent a wonderful ‘Creative Hospital Play Day’ at LEGO London Hub in London. We were joined by 13 patients and their families, alongside Jenny and Catherine – Health Play Specialists from our NHS hospital partners for loads of fun LEGO building activities including the 6 brick challenge and building a LEGO hospital.

Jenny and Catherine ran a wonderful Teddy Bears Clinic during which families could explore lots of creative hospital play with their teddies. There was also syringe painting and a chance to make x-ray pictures using cotton buds and white paint. Families also enjoyed some delicious snacks, plus magic from one of our amazing Spread a Smile entertainers!

“Thank you very much for organising another fun day at Lego HQ. Toomas had an amazing time (thank you very much for the bunnies!) and really enjoyed all the activities. My son was very impressed with Nick, the magician, and has been practising magic tricks all weekend.” Mum, Johanna

A huge shout out to Ellie and Gary from our Family Events team for organising such a range of brilliant events and activities for the families we support. Events such as these might be the only chance for our families to spend time together away from the stress and worry of hospital stays and treatment plans and we are proud to have spread so many times during the half-term period.

To find out more about our Family Events, how you can support them or sign up to join one, please click here.

Our first Tech Dinner

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Spread a Smile was delighted to host its first ever Tech Dinner earlier this month at Uncommon, Holborn, welcoming 40 guests from across the world of tech for an evening of networking, information sharing and entertainment. The event was an opportunity to welcome existing and new supporters to learn more about the work of Spread a Smile.

Dan Philps, Head of Rothko Investment Strategies and artificial intelligence (AI) researcher, joined us to deliver a fascinating talk about AI. Spread a Smile Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson spoke about the charity and our vital work spreading smiles to seriously ill children and young people across the country. And our entertainer, Magic Nick, showcased the work and talents of the charity, wowing the room with his magic skills.

Lucy said, “It was a pleasure to welcome guests to our first ever Tech Dinner. As a charity, we rely on the generous support of individuals and companies to continue our work spreading smiles, and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to meet and engage with such a great group of people.

“Thank you to Dan Philps for giving up his time and expertise, plus to Spread a Smile’s Business Committee Chair, Rob Threadgold and an extra big thank you to Inetum’s Mike Glock, whose generous sponsorship made this event possible. Also, to everyone who joined us and kindly supported the event, helping to make it such a success.”

Mike Glock said, “It was great to see the Tech community coming together to support  such a great cause. Huge thanks to Uncommon, Magic Nick and especially to Dan for such an insightful talk on the hot topic of today.”

To find out more about our industry led events and sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to our Partnerships Manager, Lucy Keith. Thank you.

Introducing our new Young Ambassadors

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Spread a Smile is delighted to introduce our first volunteer Young Ambassadors, Aaron Maurice and Varun Shradhanand Mahatme.

Both Young Ambassadors share personal connections with the charity. Spread a Smile was founded 11 years ago by Aaron’s aunt, Josephine Segal and her friend, Vanessa Crocker, after he spent five long months having gruelling cancer treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. It was after Josephine surprised Aaron with a magician that she realised the impact entertainment in hospital had, seeing Aaron smiling and laughing again. Josephine made a promise to Aaron that she would arrange more magicians and entertainers to see more children in hospital.

Of his new role, Aaron said “Spread a Smile means a huge amount to me as I have watched the charity grow from an idea to an award-winning organisation, run by a team of extremely special and talented people. My motivation to engage with Spread a Smile is simple, I want to help make a positive impact on children who are suffering from illnesses that no one, let alone a child, should have to experience. Through working as an Ambassador, I hope to spread awareness of Spread a Smile wherever I can. I’m looking forward to organising and helping run events, volunteering and supporting in any way possible.”

Varun also has a personal journey with Spread a Smile. He spent several months in hospital in London when he was 11 years old, having treatment for stage 4 Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, which was in his spine. Varun was far from home, friends and family when he began his treatment and was supported throughout his treatment journey by Spread a Smile.

Varun said, “I was just 11 years old when I was diagnosed with cancer and the reality of my situation really hit me hard. On my first night on the ward whilst awaiting my chemotherapy, I listened to the doctors trying to resuscitate a little girl who had an unexpected cardiac arrest. She sadly passed away and this left me overwhelmed with anxiety and fear. It was all I could think about. It was at this time that Spread a Smile had started visiting my hospital ward and this is when I met the Spread a Smile team. I was fortunate enough to experience first-hand how they help children momentarily forget their struggles. They brought light into my and my family’s darkest moments with loads of joy and laughter, transforming mindsets by providing a much-needed escape from my challenging reality.  I can’t wait to begin my Young Ambassador role and supporting the crucial work that they do.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile’s Chief Executive said of the new Young Ambassadors, “I can’t think of two people better suited to become Young Ambassadors for Spread a Smile, I am so honoured that both have agreed to take on this role.

“Aaron is ultimately the reason the charity exists and he continues to inspire the whole team every single day. It was a privilege for us to support Varun and his family through his treatment in the early days of Spread a Smile and it’s wonderful that we are all still in contact.

“I believe we’ve found our Future Leaders. By involving young people in our activities, we can cultivate the next generation of leaders and supporters, ensuring long-term sustainability and continuity. Early involvement in our work can foster a lifelong commitment to philanthropy and social responsibility among young people too and we couldn’t be more delighted to have two very talented Ambassadors to kick start these roles for us.  I really look forward to working with them both.”

Please join us in welcoming Aaron and Varun to the Spread a Smile team.

Play in Healthcare Week 2024

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Play in Healthcare Week (PIHW – formerly known as Play in Hospital Week) is a very special week which aims to raise awareness of the benefits and importance of play in healthcare settings.

Play is an essential part of childhood and is at the very heart of mental, social and emotional growth and well-being. It is important that play continues to be part of a child’s life, even when they are admitted to hospital – a time when they are at their most vulnerable.

For PIHW 2024 (14-18 October), Spread a Smile once again went all out to make the week even more special than ever before, spreading smiles far and wide to seriously ill children and young people through play.

A record number of in-person visits…

We carried out 30 in person visits to 22 different healthcare settings, reaching hundreds of children and young people – more than ever before! Our entertainers were out in force supporting Play Specialist teams to celebrate this important week by spreading smiles through singing, music, magic, art and much more.

Special trips to Nottingham and Bristol

We enjoyed two lovely days visiting patients at Nottingham Children’s Hospital and Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, spreading smiles far and wide,

In conversation with Dr Fiona Hikmet

Dr Fiona Hikmet, Consultant Paediatrician at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Spread a Smile Trustee, kicked off the week with a blog article talking about her experiences of play in hospital and why the work of Spread a Smile is so important.

Anna’s Animals and UCLH

We were delighted to welcome our friends from Anna’s Animals for a special visit to children on the wards at University College Hospital (UCLH). Everyone loved meeting and playing with the animals which provided much needed distraction.

Mila case story          

Mila kindly shared her experiences of Spread a Smile with us, writing a beautiful piece about how the charity helped her through her treatment for cancer.

Play focused virtual visits…

We also ran numerous virtual group sessions focusing on play based activities for patients and siblings of all ages. These included two LEGO play workshops, interactive storytelling, magic with Makaton, magic with puppetry workshop, a play themed art group, fairy fun, games and more.

Our aim is to help distract, relieve fear and stress and create a safe, welcoming environment during treatment and hospital admissions.

We are so proud of our achievements for PIHW 2024 and would like to say a huge thank you to our Spread a Smile Entertainers, the hospital play teams, Anna’s Animals, our friends from the LEGO Group and everyone who has helped make it so special.

To donate to help ensure we can continue our vital work, please click here.

Comedy Night line-up announced

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Announcing our brilliant line-up for the Spread a Smile Comedy Night on Monday 4 November at The Comedy Store, London.

Our incredible Ambassador Suzi Ruffell will be joined by the amazing Tom Allen, Angela Barnes, Chantel Nash, Jack Skipper and Ania Magliano for what looks set to be another amazing evening of stand-up comedy.

Sponsored by Canary Wharf Contractors and Texel Foundation, our annual Comedy Night is always a night to remember and this year there will also be a special appearance from former BGT winner, the military mind reader Richard Jones.

Tickets are on sale now for £28 each!

A huge thank you to Suzi for generously giving up her time and curating such a wonderful initiative. All proceeds will support Spread a Smile’s work spreading joy and laughter to seriously ill children in hospitals across the UK.

“As a Spread a Smile Ambassador, I’m proud to do what I can to support the charity’s brilliant work spreading smiles to seriously ill children and young people and I’ve seen first hand the difference they make. I’m excited to be hosting another exciting Comedy Night at The Comedy Store to help raise vital funds to support Spread a Smile’s work. I’ll once again be joined by some legends of comedy to spread some smiles and raise as much as possible on the night for a very worthwhile cause. We hope you’ll join us!” Suzi Ruffell

Find out more about all of our fundraising and challenge events here.

Royal Parks Half Marathon success

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We have spaces to join Team Smile for the Royal Parks Half Marathon 2026 – sign up now.

We are so proud of every single runner who joined Team Smile for the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London yesterday!

With 81 runners taking on the beautiful 13.1-mile course around four of London’s eight Royal Parks, it was our largest team of runners to date and the Spread a Smile team loved being there to cheer everyone on.

Our team included some of our amazing supporters and fundraisers, our very own Community Fundraising Manager, Tasha Mann, teams from the Corinthia Hotel, Mildreds and BC Partners and friends from KSEYE, Bregal Investments, Redstor, Menspire, McVities, Hilco and Downing LLP. Plus we were proud to welcome, Andy, Dad to Emmie, who we have supported for a number of years.

“It was such a pleasure to take part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon and I was so happy to support the brilliant charity, Spread a Smile. Seeing their cheerleaders around the course really helped and it was such a wonderful atmosphere, doing something positive for a great cause.” Rosie Nixon (pictured on the left with Jane Mulkerrins, right).

Our Co-founders Josephine Segal and Vanessa Crocker along with Chief Executive Lucy Jackson were there on the day along with the Spread a Smile team to motivate our runners.

Thanks to the incredible support and efforts of our amazing fundraisers, over £50,000 has been raised to support our vital work spreading smiles to seriously ill children and young people in hospital.

A huge thank you to all of our runners. We salute you! Also to The Gloucester pub in Knightsbridge for hosting our team so beautifully after the event.

Please email Rimi at rimi@spreadasmile.org to join Team Smile for one of our fundraising challenges, including the 5k Santa in the City in December or London Landmarks Half Marathon on Sunday 6 April 2025.

The importance of play in healthcare

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This week for Play in Healthcare Week, we are celebrating the importance of play in healthcare settings and Spread a Smile’s role supporting play in NHS hospitals across the country.

We spoke to Dr Fiona Hikmet, Consultant Paediatrician at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Spread a Smile Trustee, about her experiences of play in hospital and why the work of Spread a Smile is so important.

“I specialise in delivering care to children with cancer in a POSCU – Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Unit and have seen firsthand how play helps along the journey navigating illness and treatment, through a more child friendly, child centred approach.

“Play helps to reduce apprehension and anxiety by bringing normality into a strange place. It is an essential part childhood, and if used in the right way and with the right support, can help no end in the hospital environment, helping to distract and reduce the pain and fear associated with hospital attendance or illness.

“Play can support children before or during procedures to engage them positively with what is happening. It helps to build confidence and allows children to be curious about what they are experiencing and explore it as positively as possible.

“The work Spread a Smile does compliments and supports the work of Play Specialist teams in our NHS hospitals. The impact of being in hospital for a child and their families can be huge psychologically, but Spread a Smile brings so much joy and laughter to the hospital setting. They literally brighten the wards when they visit and patients have told me so many stories about how important the entertainer visits have been, helping to make them smile when they were feeling really unwell. The charity’s team of artists also come in to decorate hospital rooms for children spending a long time as an inpatient, making their space more familiar and less scary. We’re looking forward to having the corridors decorated too, to help moving round the hospital more comfortable and distracting for children and their families.

“We know that play with children in hospital can enhance the speed of recovery, improve engagement in therapies as well as offer distraction, however sadly, play in hospitals remains under resourced. Like many hospitals we do have Play Specialists, but they are mainly ward based, may have limited access to play facilities and are not available 7 days a week. So additional support and environment help from the Spread a Smile team is invaluable and their visits spread smiles to everyone, including staff. They do wonderful work, playing and engaging with each child and supporting them during some very difficult times.

“I have seen the difference play can have in the chemotherapy clinics. When a child receives a new diagnosis and is in the early stages of treatment, it can be a very frightening time. Spread a Smile have been supporting us in the clinics, initially engaging with younger children in the waiting room, helping to distract them and reduce the anxiety of waiting. One 3 year old insisted the entertainers come into the clinic with him to distract him whilst he was having his monthly procedures. Now he has finished treatment he still asks where his friends from Spread a Smile are when he comes for his follow ups. They have played such an important role for him on his treatment journey – and for many others – and that cannot be underestimated.

“Now Spread a Smile will try to visit every child in the clinics and wards that would like to meet them. As I’ve been doing my rounds, I have seen the Spread a Smile entertainers in action and every child I have met afterwards has had a smile on their face, excited to show me their new balloon or tell me what they’ve experienced.

“Some of our patients also join in with the Spread a Smile family days, such as theatre trips and LEGO days. The days out provide brilliant opportunities to be a child, play and just have fun with their family.

“At a time where there is limited NHS funding and inequalities in access to play within hospitals, the entertainers from Spread a Smile are vital. They help to distract, reduce anxiety and distress and have a hugely positive impact not only on the experiences of seriously ill children and their families, but also on their mental health and wellbeing. We are grateful for everything this brilliant charity does within NHS hospitals across the country and the more I see and hear about the charity’s work and aims, the more I feel privileged to be part of the team.”

Please click here to donate to help Spread a Smile continue to spread joy and laughter to seriously ill children and young people in hospital.

 

Help spread smiles this Christmas

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It’s that time of year when Spread a Smile kicks off its preparation for the festive season and this year we are aiming to do more than ever before to spread smiles in the lead up to Christmas. And to do that we really need your help! 

We’re aiming to send out a record number of 1,750 personalised Festive Smile Hampers to seriously ill children, young people and their siblings, spreading joy when it is needed most. 

Our Smile Hampers are packed full of gifts, hand-picked with each child in mind, and are delivered directly to their home or to hospital. We’ll also be delivering thousands of gifts to our NHS hospital and hospice partners to be shared with children and young people on the wards, helping to bring smiles, distraction and normality during the festive period. 

Please buy a gift to support a seriously ill child this Christmas. 

Our Amazon wish list has lots of lovely gifts to buy for children and young people of all ages. All gifts purchased will be sent straight to us so we can add them to our Smile Hampers and have them delivered in time for Christmas. 

If your company can help by supplying larger quantities of gifts, we’d love to hear from you.  

Please email the team at fundraising@spreadasmile.org to get the ball rolling. We are looking for all sorts of small and medium sized brand new items for children of all ages. Ideas include jewellery, water bottles, stationery, fluffy socks, beanie hats, toiletries, lip balms, art sets, portable speakers, phone accessories, gaming stuff, headphones, books, rattles, teethers, soft and sensory toys. 

For the seriously ill children and young people we support, Christmas can be a difficult time, spent in hospital away from the comforts of home. Each year Spread a Smile helps to bring back the magic of Christmas. 

A huge thank you to the individuals and companies who have donated gifts so far and please get in touch if you can help in some way. Thank you. 

Buy your Christmas gifts here.

Restaurant partners making the difference

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Just like many charities across the UK, Spread a Smile is fortunate to receive support from some wonderful restaurant and hospitality partners through events and fundraising – both of which go a long way helping us achieve our aims of being there for families with seriously ill children when they need us most.

We have been working in partnership with the Riding House Café group since January 2022, with their three restaurants generously hosting numerous events and tea parties for children and families supported by Spread a Smile. These events provide wonderful opportunities for families with seriously ill children to do something fun together and have a huge impact on wellbeing and positivity for the whole family.

Mildreds restaurants also host a monthly afternoon tea, providing a chance for our families to relax and enjoy themselves, with Spread a Smile’s entertainers on hand to join in the fun with music, magic, arts & crafts and face painting.

These events enable us to support families in a very important way, providing enjoyable days out during a very difficult time and we are so grateful to our brilliant friends at the Riding House Café group and Mildreds Restaurants for giving up their venues, time and resources to give something back.

And the support doesn’t end there. Many restaurants across the UK are also helping to raise significant amounts for different charities simply by adding a small discretionary donation to a menu item or the total bill. It is a hugely effective fundraising mechanism, providing an easy way for diners to give to charity.

Since 2022, the Riding House Group, has raised an incredible £55,223 for Spread a Smile by adding 25p to customers’ final dining bills (customers can opt out).  This is a huge amount which has helped Spread a Smile support over 1,830 seriously ill children and their families, through entertainment in hospital and virtually.

Similarly, both Mildreds restaurants and Brigit’s Bakery have supported Spread a Smile for World Smile Day, with Mildreds adding £1 to customer bills and raising around £8k in 2023 and Brigit’s Bakery regularly donating a % of all sales from bookings.

Spread a Smile has also been an incredibly grateful recipient of donations from the Flat Iron Fund. Guests at Flat Iron restaurants are invited to make an optional donation of 10 pence to the Flat Iron Fund, for every meal that they enjoy. The donation is matched by Flat Iron and 100% of the proceeds are then distributed to charities. In 2018, after raising £1m for Macmillan Cancer Support, the Flat Iron Fund was set up as an independent registered charity. Since then, the Fund has extended its support to many more charities, including Spread a Smile.

While there isn’t a single figure representing the total amount raised by all UK restaurants annually, this example shows how the approach can effectively generate substantial funds for charitable causes. Plus, the method aligns the restaurant’s financial success with charitable giving, creating a win-win scenario for both the business and the charity.

Lucy Jackson, Chief Executive of Spread a Smile on the impact of this fundraising tactic for the charity, said; “This simple act creates significant impact, allowing us to raise crucial funds that directly contribute to the important work that we undertake. What’s particularly powerful about this initiative is how seamlessly it can complement other corporate social responsibility efforts undertaken by restaurants, creating a meaningful partnership that not only supports a worthy cause but also deepens community engagement, increases awareness of our work and enhances customer goodwill.”

Jane Moore from Riding House Café said: “We are proud to partner with Spread a Smile.  As well as utilising our space to host events, we are fully committed to continue to raising funds and our fundraising efforts, whilst seemingly simple, are hugely impactful and go a long way to supporting the vital work they do.  

“We can help make a real difference in the lives of those in need while fostering a sense of community among our customers and staff. We believe it’s important for the wider restaurant industry to embrace similar practices. Collectively, we have the power to create substantial and lasting change across the charity sector in the UK, demonstrating that small actions can lead to big impact.”

Our aim is to be there for every child and young person that needs us, bringing joy and laughter during one of the darkest times of their lives.  So we welcome any restaurants or hospitality venues that would like to find out more about joining the Spread a Smile family and supporting our work. Please do reach out to our Partnerships Manager Lucy Keith by email at lucykeith@spreadasmile.org or on 020 7482 5191.

Goodbye Chocco, Hello Cobi

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After five brilliant years as a Spread a Smile therapy dog, Chocco, the standard poodle is retiring.

Chocco began his role with the charity back in 2019, taking over from his owner Howard’s first therapy dog, Chilli. During this time, Chocco has been a superstar member of the Spread a Smile team, visiting young patients in hospital, meeting and greeting everyone and bringing some much-needed relief and respite from the typical “hospital day”.

Owner Howard said: “Chocco is the perfect therapy dog – chilled out and stoic – standing or sitting calmly whilst people stroke and cuddle him. His amazing hair is always a huge draw for patients, parents and hospital staff alike and he always receives lots of compliments about his flowing locks.

“Chocco loves any attention he receives and loves playing with balls. On some of our visits into hospital he would spend hours in one of the playrooms playing fetch with the children on the ward, not wanting to leave.”

“The most amazing thing about taking Chocco into hospital is the impact he has on those who see him. He is so striking, and his very presence would bring happiness and smiles to everyone he encountered.”

Now that Chocco has retired, his legacy will be carried on by Howard’s third therapy dog, Cobi – also a standard poodle.

“Cobi is three years old, has bright white eyes and black velvety hair, sporting a really cool rockstar hairstyle. Cobi loves walks, eating anything and play fighting with Chocco. He is also a ‘ball thief’ and will steal any ball he can lay his paws on.

“Cobi has recently passed his Pets as Therapy assessment and his assessment with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and recently completed his first GOSH visit. Whilst Cobi is usually full of energy and excitement in every day life, when he is in the hospital, he becomes extremely calm and very relaxed. He sits down and lets everybody stroke him and say hello and is happy to perform his special trick of shaking hands with anyone who asks. Cobi is a big dog with a big personality but most importantly he already seems to be an expert in Spreading Smiles.”

Thank you, Howard, and Chocco for all you have done to help spread smiles and a big welcome to Cobi as he joins the Spread a Smile family.