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The Happy Hoodie Company

Smile Hoodie spreads smiles

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Every child, teenager and family member we support becomes part of the Spread a Smile family and we are proud to bring a little joy during one of the most difficult times of their lives.

We’ve been supporting Kaiden and his family since September 2022 after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and earlier this year, we were so grateful when Kaiden’s Mum Kathryn got in touch to sign up for our fundraising abseil to help raise vital funds to ensure we can continue our support for children like Kaiden.

“As a parent, Spread a Smile means the world. Kaiden can’t go to school or see his friends and not being able to go anywhere is tough for him. But through their online sessions, Kaiden has made friends. He chats to people, engages with them, laughs and can just be Kaiden again. It’s lovely to see and I don’t know what we’d do without them. That’s why we wanted to give something back. To show how much they mean to us and to help make sure they can be there for other families like ours.” Kathryn, Kaiden’s Mum

Kathryn, along with husband Simon and Kaiden’s Uncle all took on our the abseil from the ArcelorMittal Orbit, raising over £1,500 to help spread smiles to seriously ill children and their families. And the family’s support and commitment to Spread a Smile hasn’t stopped there as they recently launched a new range of hoodies with donations from sales pledged to Spread a Smile and the charity ‘It’s Never You’.

Kathryn said, “The Happy Hoodie Company is proud to introduce its exclusive charity hoodies, designed to raise funds for two incredible organisations that have been a lifeline to me, Kaiden, and our family during our toughest times.

The Happy Hoodie Company“With a shared commitment to spreading happiness, The Happy Hoodie Company will donate £5 from the sale of their Peppermint and Pink Cowl Smile Hoodie to Spread a Smile. This hoodie symbolises the joy and positivity that Spread a Smile brings to the lives of children facing serious illnesses. We hope that our customers and supporters will show their solidarity by buying one of the hoodies and joining The Happy Hoodie Company in making a lasting impact on the lives of those in need.”

The Spread a Smile ‘Smile Hoodie’ is on sale now and you can snap one up here.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to The Happy Hoodie Company, Kathryn, Kaiden and the whole family for their wonderful support. It really does mean the world to us.

You can read more about Kaiden and why your support is so important here.

Spread a Smile Activity Book

Spread a Smile Activity Book

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We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Spread a Smile Activity Book which is aimed at children of all ages and will be distributed to patients receiving treatment at our NHS Partner hospitals.

The Activity Book is packed full of fun activities for children to enjoy and complete whilst they are in hospital, including pictures to colour in – hand drawn by one of our artists – stickers and games. It comes complete with a pack of colouring pens, plus space to add personal pictures and write down thoughts, feelings and experiences, providing a creative outlet for emotions.

Our aim is to provide a practical and useful resource for seriously ill children and young people to use whilst in hospital, helping to distract and engage during periods of treatment, isolation or recovery.

This Activity Book has been made possible thanks to generous support from Rhona Sutton, who designed and produced the book. An initial delivery of 1,500 Activity books will be making it’s way to our hospital partners over the next few weeks, with a further delivery of 2,000 books coming later in the year. (See the film below for a quick flick through of the book).

Laura Walter, Director of Services for Spread a Smile said, “At Spread a Smile we know first-hand how distressing a hospital stay can be for the children and families we support. Our Activity Book aims to provide an avenue for self-expression, creativity and relaxation, enabling children to forget their treatment and illness, even if just for a short time. A lot of the drawings in the book are of familiar Spread a Smile faces – our entertainers, therapy dogs, fairies and magicians. We want the children we support to know that we are always there for them, even when we are not physically in the room.”

A huge thank you to Rhona and we’re looking forward to sharing more of the Activity Book in the future.

Any of our NHS hospital partners wishing to receive some of our Activity Books for their patients should email us at events@spreadasmile.org

Spread a Smile Summer Party 2023

Summer Party 2023

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On Thursday 15 June we held our annual Summer Party at Coram’s Fields, London and what an amazing day it was!

Summer Party 2023

We were delighted to welcome over 400 of the children and young people we support including their families and also some of our colleagues from our NHS hospital partners. It was a fun day packed full of so much laughter and joy.

“The boys today had a such a fabulous time and enjoyed themselves very much. Our younger son said to his Mum whilst waiting in one the queues, “Look Mum, they are spreading smiles on everyone’s faces – everyone is happy!” Parent

Our teams of volunteers were on hand, running different stalls for our guests to enjoy and there really was something for everyone, from arts and crafts, face painting, nail art, glitter tattoos, slime making, friendship bracelet making, biscuit decorating, teddy bear t-shirt and tote bag decorating and water bottle personalisation.

Summer Party 2023We were joined by Wild Science who brought along some gorgeous animals to hold and learn more about, including guinea pigs, rabbits and snakes. Our friends from the LEGO Group were  on hand with trays full of LEGO® for everyone to get creative building and playing games and sets the children could take home afterwards, plus Hasbro manned their own Hasbro Nerf Blast and creation station! Guests also enjoyed the Gaming Party Bus – a state of the art mobile video game wagon, plus a truly slimy slime making experience with Slime Planet.

Our brilliant team of Spread a Smile entertainers joined us to fill the day with music, singing, dancing, bubbles, magic, poetry and much more. We were also treated to a very special interactive performance from Embracing Arts, who put on a fantastic interactive theatre show.

There were food and treats galore including ice cream rolls from our partners Pan’n’Ice using a very special Spread a Smile ice cream flavour and delicious wood fired pizzas from the Wandering Pizza Company.

Summer Party 2023We are extremely proud to be able to deliver days such as this for the families we support. The sun shone and it was a wonderful opportunity for our guests to put aside their illnesses and worries for an afternoon and enjoy being together.

We can’t thank our wonderful volunteers enough for giving up their time to make the day possible, plus all of our generous corporate supporters who donated supplies, food and drink. Thank you to our friends from BlackRock, Hasbro, Convex Insurance, Corinthia London, Derwent, Downing LLP, Enra Specialist Finance, Hain Celestial UK, Hartleys, ICAP, the LEGO Group, McVities, OpticoreIT, Pan’n’Ice, Spring Finance Limited and Uncommon and to the Children’s Welfare and Research Foundation for their generous support of this event. 

Thank you to all of our friends, families and colleagues for joining us and making our Summer Party 2023 one to remember. We’re looking forward to next year already. Watch this space for details of our Winter Party. 

“All I can say is… what a day! I left with a full heart and huge admiration for you and the team and volunteers. It was incredible and thank you so much for inviting us.” Guest

To help ensure we can continue to spread smiles to seriously ill children and young people, please donate here. Thank you.

Louise Spread a Smile entertainer

Meet entertainer Louise

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Louise is one of our entertainers, sharing her many skills as a balloon artist, magician, face painter and children’s entertainer. She has worked with Spread a Smile for two years and is best known for the amazing bespoke balloon models she creates for the children and young people she meets.

How did you start working for Spread a Smile?

Louise Spread a Smile entertainer“I’ve been a children’s entertainer for 20 years, and love everything about my work; the joy it brings people, the fun I share with everyone, and the wonderful teams and people I have the pleasure of working with. I feel incredibly lucky to earn a living from something that brings so much happiness.

“I initially started working for a party franchise as the face painter and balloon modeller and over my time with them, I trained up to become a senior entertainer, fully running their parties and events. I enjoyed it so much, that I eventually set up my own party business and am still loving every second.

“I’ve always included balloon modelling as part of my shows, but started researching balloon art in more detail. I arranged to meet with a local balloon artist and started to attend balloon art learning events and conventions. Since then, I have won many awards for my balloon art, and taken part in special events with some of the best balloon artists in the world.

“Both of my twins have additional needs, and I have worked as a support assistant in two special needs schools. My personal journey has given me lots of experience working with and getting to know lots of children, young people and families, with all sorts of diversities.

“When a friend and colleague asked if he could put me forward to work with Spread a Smile, I was over the moon. The Spread a Smile entertainers are the best and I felt honoured to even be considered. The charity stands for everything my heart loves about my job, and I can relate to how important it is to provide a positive distraction from every day difficulties and challenged. I knew it was something I would love to be part of.

Tell us about your work for Spread a Smile

“I joined Spread a Smile during lockdown in Summer 2020, initially doing magic shows over Zoom until hospitals allowed us back to visit in person. I then started to make bespoke balloon sculptures for children to keep.

Louise Spread a Smile entertainer The Hulk“When I meet a patient, I invite them to ask for a balloon sculpture they would like. I have a ‘menu’ of ideas to inspire them such as spiderman, a mermaid, unicorn, dinosaur, princess, tiger etc, but I am open to trying anything and often suggest they challenge me with an idea! This usually builds the excitement as they begin to think of something they think would be impossible to make. I always take on the challenge, and there aren’t many things I haven’t had a go at making.

“I’m so proud of my work as a Spread a Smile entertainer. We bring distraction and fun for patients and families who spend so much time bored, stuck in hospital, with very little to do, meeting medical professionals and having serious conversations. The entertainers come along with a completely different and new energy, helping people to escape that “hospital feeling” – even if it’s for a short while. We try to make the children we meet feel special, and I love the fact that they get to keep the balloon models and hopefully it will make them smile for days to come.

“It’s brilliant to see the wonder on a child’s face as a simple balloon or two is transformed into something special that they have requested. The parents and carers love it too – it’s a moment of escape where they can forget the severity of what is happening to them.

Tell us about your most unusual requests for balloon models
Balloon model“I’ve had some brilliant requests on my hospital visits, with some of the most memorable including a hedgehog and an axolotl. I make a lot of favourite footballers, Mr Tumble and Elsa. I’ve made balloon versions of favourite toys or pets as a lot of children are missing their pets, so they show me a photo and I build them a balloon version of their cat, dog, rabbit or guinea pig, so that it matches perfectly. I’ve even been asked to make a sculpture of one of the nurses on a ward!”

What about your balloon modelling online workshops

“Balloon modelling workshops are so much fun! Each participant is sent their own pack of modelling balloons and a pump in the post, and I start by teaching the children how to inflate their balloon safely with the right amount of air. Then we learn how to easily tie a knot. We often start with something like a balloon dog, then move onto an advanced flower with one balloon for the petals, and another one for the stem and the leaves. We make sure that we send out lots of spare balloons so that everyone can practice what they have learnt. It’s great to know we can reach even more seriously ill children and their siblings who may be isolating at home and not able to get out and about.”

Why do you do what you do?
“I love the reactions from parents, children, and even the hospital staff.  Quite often they watch me putting something together and have no idea what it will turn into, or they can’t imagine how I could possibly make their wild request from balloons. When it all comes together, the joy and reaction is my favourite part. I love how happy people are to receive a balloon sculpture of something they love. I always say “Can your balloon hang out with you for the day now? Will you let them watch TV with you? Or play your game together?” They always say yes, with a big grin, often hugging their new balloon friend. It brings me so much joy to give something so cherished.

“It’s really special to see the same patients again on my return visits and hear how long their balloon lasted and see photos of what we’ve made together before. One patient has a photo scrap book of all the balloons I’ve made her on each visit. She always plans what she’d like to ask for on my next visit. It’s so lovely for the children and families to have some positive and happy memories of their time in hospital, and I love that we can bring that for them.”

To help ensure entertainers like Louise can continue to spread smiles to seriously ill children and young people, please donate here. Thank you.

Frozen - the Musical

Frozen, Terrible Thames and more

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We know that everyone in a family is deeply affected by the illness of a child or sibling. Which is why Spread a Smile organises outings, events and activities that aim to support young patients, their parents, carers and siblings and bring moments of respite, joyful experiences and enduring memories at the most challenging of times.

The last few months have been packed full of some wonderful Spread a Smile family outings and events, from West End theatre trips to cooking lessons and boat trips. Read on to find out more.

Frozen, the Musical

Frozen - the Musical“Absolutely no words to say how grateful we are for this afternoon – an incredible show! All thanks to you and your ever so fab team.” Parent

We’re so happy to know that our theatre trips really make a difference to those we support. They are a chance for our families to see shows they might not be able to afford and sit back and escape into the wonder of theatre.

Last month we took 14 families to see Frozen – The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London – and what a day it was! Our pre-show party was packed full of yummy treats, face-painting, glitter tattoos, entertainment and singing from Fairy Betty, Fairy Jude and Colette and magic from our Magicians Sacha and Paul. Then none other than Elsa and Anna came to say hello to our special guests – helping to create some incredible memories for everyone involved.

Brigit’s Bakery Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus Tour

Brigits BakeryIt was a pleasure to welcome 14 of the families we support on board the double-decker bus for a Paddington-themed afternoon tea featuring ‘the best marmalade sandwich ever’! Guests enjoyed entertainment from Spread a Smile’s Mr Magic and entertainer Ellie whilst driving around London and taking in some of its famous landmarks. One guest said,

“You don’t know how much these events mean to us. They really help us through the hard times.”

 

Underground Cookery School

Underground Cookery SchoolSince October 2022, we’ve been running special cookery days at Underground Cookery School in partnership with Teens Unite Fighting Cancer. Together we welcome young people affected by serious illness to learn how to cook a delicious 2-course meal before sitting down together to enjoy the meal they have prepared.

They are fun filled days which provide a relaxed opportunity for the young people to learn new skills

and a chance to connect and share their experiences in a safe environment whilst simply being a teenager amongst other teenagers.

“I wanted to thank you again. In addition to the cooking itself, we got a lot out of the day in terms of being able to speak with other parents and kids that have been through the same treatment. Thank you!”

“Thank you so much – we had such a wonderful day and really enjoyed ourselves. We loved having the opportunity to learn some amazing skills from the team at Underground Cookery School – to meet new friends and forget about illness for a short while. It means so much.”

We’re so grateful to everyone who makes these days possible, including theatre staff, cast and crew, Brigit’s Bakery, Lola’s Cupckares, NuNosh, Underground Cookery School and all of our volunteers who support us at the events. Team work definitely makes the dream work.

Please help ensure we can continue to provide support our families with special moments like these by making a donation. Thank you.

The Butterfly Tree - Corinthia London

The Butterfly Tree – Corinthia London

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Butterflies are a beautiful symbol of hope and joy and our friends at Corinthia London installed a beautiful Butterfly Tree at the hotel to support Spread a Smile.

Created by McQueen’s Flowers, The Butterfly tree stood in the reception of the Corinthia London during May and June, inviting guests and visitors to choose butterflies from the branches in exchange for a donation to Spread a Smile.

It was such a wonderfully, creative way of spreading awareness about Spread a Smile’s work and raising vital funds to help ensure we can continue to spread smiles to even more seriously ill children and young people.

The Corinthia London team announced Spread a Smile as its first charity partner in May this year and since then have been planning and developing various support and fundraising initiatives and activities for the coming months.

Thomas Kochs, Managing Director of Corinthia London said, “When we were first introduced to Spread a Smile and met their incredible team, we immediately recognised how rare and meaningful their work is and the impact Spread a Smile has on the lives of the children and families they touch. As a team at Corinthia London, we felt that this will be the perfect partnership and charity for us to support.”

Corinthia Family TeaEarlier this month Corinthia London invited two of the young people we support and their families to visit the Hotel and see the tree for themselves. It was such a special afternoon full of so much warmth with our VIP guests choosing their own butterflies from the tree to take home before sitting down with their families for an incredible 5-star afternoon tea.

“We had such a wonderful day at Corinthia London. The Butterfly Tree is so beautiful, and Aditi loved looking at it and choosing her own butterfly. Having the opportunity to do things like this, as a family, means the world to us. In amongst all of the other worries, we are so grateful to have these wonderful opportunities. Thank you Spread a Smile and the Corinthia London!” Aditi’s Dad

Working with partners such as Corintha London makes a positive impact on our Spread a Smile’s ability to reach even more seriously ill children and young people at times when joy and laughter is most needed.

Lucy Jackson Spread a Smile Chief Executive said, “This is an incredibly exciting partnership for Spread a Smile. We are honoured and delighted to be working with Corinthia London. Their support will enable us to uplift lives and spread many smiles to seriously ill children in hospital and their families. Both Spread a Smile and Corinthia London place a real emphasis on creating a unique family-feel throughout our work, injecting energy and positivity into everything we do and I know these shared values will make this an incredibly meaningful and special partnership. I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Corinthia London for their enthusiasm and support and I’m so looking forward to getting started with all the exciting and creative ideas we have.”

Thank you to everyone at Corinthia London for their incredible support and commitment.

ArcelorMittal abseil raises over £10k

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When it comes to pushing yourself out of your comfort zone for charity, our annual fundraising abseil does just that!

Last weekend an amazing team of 21 supporters joined us for our annual abseil from the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the UK’s tallest sculpture, situated in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.

The team included members of the Spread a Smile team, some of our wonderful supporters, Play Specialists from our NHS partner hospitals, friends from our corporate partners Hain Daniels Group and Hamilton Court Foreign Exchange, alongside one of the amazing families that we support.

Kathryn, Mum to Kaiden joined us for the abseil along with her husband Simon and Kaiden’s Uncle Clint.  After the abseil Kathryn said, “Amazing! We had such a great time and a great experience. I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of doing it next year.”

Not only did the team all complete the challenge, abseiling  but they raised an incredible £10,000 (and counting) in the process!

Please get in touch with Rimi at fundraising@spreadasmile.org to find out more about the 2024 abseil and sign up today, or visit the event page. We’re looking forward to welcoming you to Team Smile!

Alesha Dixon at St Mary's Hospital

Alesha Dixon and Crayola Spread a Smile

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We are delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with market leading toy, games and arts & crafts company, Vivid / Goliath. Starting later this month, Vivid / Goliath will be supporting Spread a Smile and our families through its Crayola brand, funding much needed in person art initiatives and donating Crayola art supplies for children in the NHS hospitals we support.

Jade Childs, Senior Brand Manager at Crayola shared more about the partnership, saying, “We know from the pandemic just how therapeutic art is and our passion at Crayola is to raise and inspire creatively alive kids. The partnership with Spread a Smile resonates so strongly with our values and we are delighted to be able to offer this incredible charity much needed funding and extensive product to support these wonderful art sessions to children at their bedsides. Crayola will be donating hundreds of Colour Pencils, SuperTips and Crayons over the next 10 months and looking forward to volunteering as a team later in the year to help the charity pack and distribute Christmas presents to patients.”

Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon, who has supported Spread a Smile for many years, recently visited children at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington with Crayola and the Spread a Smile team. “You could see once the children were immersed with the fairy and art activities, they were immediately relaxed and distracted from their pain and treatment.”

Alesha spent time with patients including Adam aged three, Aiyla aged four, Melinda aged 12 and Emily aged 16, chatting and testing out some of the Crayola products saying, “I was glad I could be there to spread some smiles and see the Spread a Smile team doing what they’re so good at”. 

The partnership is a wonderful opportunity to spread smiles and bring moments of respite and relaxation to seriously ill children and young people in the hospitals we support. 

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive said “Art is important in every child’s development. It encourages children to express their creativity, develop motor skills and heightens their ability to communicate and problem solve. For children in hospital, art related projects and activities also provide a welcome distraction from Alesha Dixon with a patient at St Mary's Hospitaltreatment and the hospital environment. This is why we are so excited to be working in partnership with Crayola to deliver even more art initiatives to seriously ill children and their siblings across our hospital partners. Thank you to everyone at Crayola for their generosity, creativity and enthusiasm – we’re looking forward to working together and seeing imaginations engaged through art.

“We are so grateful to Alesha for making the time to visit St Mary’s with us and spreading lots of smiles across the wards.”

Thank you to Vivid/Goliath and Crayola for their support and to Alesha for helping us launch the partnership. 

Play That Goes Wrong

Mischief May raises over £6k

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We’re so grateful to everyone from multi award-winning comedy troupe Mischief and the London company of The Play That Goes Wrong for their support during ‘Mischief May’.

During the month of May, the team, cast and crew all put in a huge amount of effort to raise vital funds and awareness for Spread a Smile, raising over £6,400 through bucket collections and online donations to help spread smiles to seriously ill children and young people across the UK.

It’s been a fantastic month which saw some brilliantly creative initiatives and support for the charity, including a behind the scenes half-term online workshop especially for our families. During the workshop, guests had the opportunity to discover how the chaos and total mayhem of the play is created and meet the cast, creative and stage management teams during a live Q&A.

Play That Goes WrongAs a very special treat, Mischief also invited some of the families supported by Spread a Smile to see The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre, London, including a meet and greet with the cast and crew. Outings such as this are extremely important, providing a chance to escape from the worries and restrictions of serious illness, even if just for a short while.

Earlier this month, Spread a Smile Co-Founder and Trustee, Josephine Segal was invited on stage to accept their donation on behalf of all of the families we support saying,

“It’s been wonderful to see such generous support from everyone at Mischief and The Play That Goes Wrong. We are honoured and grateful to have worked with their incredible teams and can’t thank them enough for everything they have done during Mischief May. It has meant a huge amount to us and all of the families who have been touched by their creativity and commitment to our work.” Josephine Segal, Co-Founder and Trustee, Spread a Smile

Thank you to everyone at Mischief, the Play That Goes Wrong and the Duchess Theatre for their support. We’ve loved your spirit, positivity, and every moment of Mischief May!

Croydon University Hospital. May Chu with Spread a Smile team

Croydon University Hospital collaboration

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Today Spread a Smile announces its newest collaboration with Croydon University Hospital to help spread smiles of joy to seriously ill patients under their care.

Patients and families across the Paediatric Unit, Oncology Clinic and inpatient and outpatients wards will now be able to access the many vital services that Spread a Smile provides, such as in-person entertainer visits as well as visits done virtually, suiting to the patient’s needs.

Working closely with hospital staff and play teams, we aim to spread joy and laughter at the most difficult times, providing opportunities for connection and distraction from treatment and illness. Croydon University Hospital joins the Spread a Smile family alongside the 25 other NHS hospitals and 2 hospices nationwide.

By collaborating together, we aim to help seriously ill children who are on their road to recovery with entertainment, smiles and laughter. The Spread a Smile team will spend quality time with patients, as well as running holiday themed virtual events and entertainment. Virtual visits alongside face-to-face sessions allow the team to see as many patients as possible, all with the aim of spreading hundreds of smiles at the hospital every single year.

The collaboration will add to the work already accomplished by the Croydon Health Charity, which continually raises funds to enhance the patient experience for Croydon’s sick children and young people.

Children will be invited to join weekly virtual group hospital sessions with Spread a Smile entertainers, take part in themed activity days when celebrating events like Easter and Christmas, giving children and their families many opportunities to join in with other activities, including family days out. Families of long-term patients will also be able to book one-on-one sessions.

May Chu, Senior Healthcare Play Specialist at Croydon University Hospital said, “Spread a Smile never fails to bring happiness and joy to our patients and staff. We always look forward to showing them around. The time and effort they take for each patient is really appreciated.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive added, “We are delighted to be providing monthly in-person entertainer visits. We know that our visits help patients cope better with the hospital environment and allow them to feel less isolated. 

“Our support to the young oncology patients is all about making their experience in hospital a more positive one and distracting them from challenging treatments and procedures. We look forward to more in-person visits with our team of entertainers in the future.”  

Please consider making a donation to help us continue our vital work supporting seriously ill children in hospital. Thank you.