News

Byng Book Club Event

We were the guests of Byng Book Club on 6^th November at the Old Fold Manor Golf Club in Barnet as Spread a Smile has been chosen as the book club’s charity this year.

The event was a fascinating evening as Author and Historian Dr Helen Fry had been invited to talk about her book ‘The M Room: Secret Listeners who Bugged the Nazis’. The book recounts how British Intelligence agents bugged the conversations of Nazi Prisoners of War while they were incarcerated in makeshift prisons in English stately homes during the Second World War.

Dr Fry was a compelling speaker and kept the 50 audience members riveted throughout. After the talk, Spread a Smile co-founders Josephine Segal and Vanessa Crocker were asked to speak and screened a short film about the charity. Ticket proceeds from the night were donated to Spread a Smile, and a raffle was held during the evening with profits also going to the charity.

Thank you so much to the Byng Book Club for inviting us to be part of their special event and for their generous donations to Spread a Smile.

Spread a Smile Party

Sunday 5^th November saw the return of our annual party extravaganza for all the children, teenagers and families that we have entertained and supported whilst receiving treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College Hospital, The Royal London Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital, and this year’s party was even bigger and better than before!

The party took place at the Marriott Hotel Regents Park in London, and over 350 guests were invited. The space was packed with fun, games and edible treats, with something for every age to love. Children were able to adopt and dress their very own Build-a-Bear cuddly toys, taking their newly-named furry friends home. Those who were feeling creative made their own beaded jewellery and designed colourful t-shirts. The adventurous and curious had their minds boggled by wacky Mad Science experiments with Helium Helen and Sonic Shane, and the slime was a particular crowd-pleaser!

Guests with an inclination to perform tried their hand at Carpool Karaoke: it was the full James Corden experience, as they sat in a special booth in front of a green screen, and could see themselves driving in a car whilst warbling the latest hits! There was a Virtual Reality experience, where the children and teenagers donned goggles and could play different games. A favourite game allowed the user to swim with dolphins, and one of the children whose dream it is to do just that exclaimed, ‘I can’t believe I got to swim with dolphins!’ There was a photobooth so the kids could take funny snaps with their families. And a Silent Disco got everyone boogying on the dancefloor in their headphones whilst dressed in fun accessories provided by Novelties Direct. Thanks to JH Video Booth and Happy Snappy Memories for all the wonderful technological wizardry.

Innovative ice cream company Pan’n’Ice were there to make ice cream before our very eyes! Self-proclaimed ‘icecreampreneurs’ Rob and Henry discovered a new way of making ice cream, by mixing up fresh ingredients on frozen plates, whilst on holiday in Thailand in 2015. They were so taken with the ingenuity of the process that on return to London, they were inspired to create Pan’n’Ice. Kids and adults alike were astonished by the delicious frozen treats that Rob made on Sunday. Andy Daniel who attended with his family said, ‘Such amazing ice creams from Pan’n’Ice! Thank you so much for spreading a smile for our family.’

But that wasn’t the end to the edible goodies. Everyone’s favourites, Lola’s Cupcakes, were there again so guests could decorate and take home scrumptious cakes. Heavenly Crepes provided yummy crepes and waffles. A Team Occasion sculpted candy floss treats. Nu Nosh kept our guests fortified with tasty sandwiches. Coca Cola provided water and Capri Sun to keep our thirst quenched. And our corporate supporters, timber and building merchants Lawsons, had built us our very own Sweet Shop so the kids (and quite a few adults!) could indulge in the pick’n’mix provided by Gobstoppers.

All our guests had the chance to feel glamorous with make-up artist Tamara Gitter on hand to make them over, and manicurists from Nails by Mets to make their nails sparkle with polish provided by Barry M Cosmetics. And, of course, our talented Spread a Smile face painters were on hand to transform the children into superheroes and fairies with their paints and glitter tattoos.

The party atmosphere wouldn’t have been complete without our wonderful Spread a Smile entertainers. Magicians Jamie Raven, Paul Megram, Martin Rees and Daniel Reed circulated doing close-up magic to astonish the guests. Fairy Natalie was there to sparkle a little fairy dust. Judge the Poet astonished with his word play. Talented artist Alessandra Tortone created a giant piece of wall art for the guests to add to. Cuddly Cassie and Oscar, our therapy dogs, were there to delight with cuddles and tricks. Singer Collette Spinner regaled the crowd with a special rendition of ‘Let It Go’ – still a firm favourite with the youngsters! The younger guests were also overjoyed to meet their TV hero Chase from Paw Patrol who, along with our special cuddly mascot Buddy Bear, was there for hugs and selfies thanks to Rainbow Productions. While the adults were charmed by the actor Christian Vit, who plays doctor Matteo Rossini on Holby City. Christian spent the whole party chatting with our guests and posing for photos. Thanks to Alex Taibel and her daughter for taking such wonderful pictures of the event.

After all the fun, guests went home with going home gifts and special presents from Mattel and Skinny Dip, as well as colourful balloon creations by modeller Bradley Bronson.

It really was a party to remember and we were so pleased to give all the inspiring children and their families a chance to have fun together and create some wonderful and uplifting memories at such a challenging time in their lives.

We have already had some lovely feedback from the families. Tara Hutton, mum to Milla and Lorcan, said, ‘Thank you so much for a wonderful day. [Lorcan] was totally star struck to meet his all-time hero [Chase from Paw Patrol], and both he and his big sister have gone to bed with their new teddies.’

Annette Stevens who came with her family said, ‘A great day; thank you so much to everyone involved. My two children had a ball and thought everything was amazing, including their first ever silent disco, and the Dad-and-daughter karaoke!’

Sally Green commented, ‘Thank you all for such a great party today. It is such a privilege to be invited. You are all amazing, kind, inspiring people! Lily had a ball; she has gone to bed with her Build-a-Bear teddy ‘Maisy’. A very happy little girl!’

Andrea Hanbury, who came with her four daughters Keeva, Sorcha, Roisin and Ailbhe and husband Tommy, said, ‘Such an amazing day! Thank you all so so much! The girls had a really fantastic time and had happy smiles on the way home!’

Debra Kaye said, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you for an amazing day as always. Lots of love to each and every one of you and all the helpers for making today so special for the children. The girls absolutely had a blast. Claire loves being able to have fun and not worry about ‘being poorly’ or anything except having fun and enjoying herself with her sisters. You are all superstars!’

A special thank you to all the wonderful companies who helped us make the party truly spectacular, the hard-working volunteers for making it all run smoothly, our amazing Spread a Smile entertainers for spreading smiles, Lawsons for their incredibly generous support of the event, and Marriott Hotel for hosting us once again!

Stretching their Pins for Spread a Smile!

2017 has been a momentous year for Spread a Smile supporters Nikki and Richard Pins as the couple have both turned 50. To mark this special birthday year, they chose to undertake an epic challenge to raise money for the charity. They both love walking and thought a walking adventure was a great way to raise money for Spread a Smile.

As Londoners who wanted to get to know more of the less-explored parts of the city, they decided to attempt the Capital Ring Walk. The walk is a 78-mile route that circumnavigates London, passing through parks, woods and open spaces in 15 manageable sections.

Nikki and Richard decided to undertake the Herculean endeavour over a series of thirteen weekends during 2017 and invited their friends and family to join them. They completed two of the sections by themselves, but for the rest of the route they loved sharing the experience with their friends, and for one walk their group numbered as large as 16!

Nikki has known co-founder Josephine Segal since she was 7 years old and has followed the charity’s journey since its inception, inspired by Josephine’s very personal experience of seeing her own nephew isolated in hospital whilst being treated for cancer. Having witnessed how the charity has developed over the last four and a half years, and seeing the “amazing job” it does reaching 3,500 children and teenagers in four London hospitals each year, Nikki decided it was “an incredible cause” to support.

Nikki and Richard absolutely loved the walking challenge. There were amazed at all the hidden parts of London that they had not encountered before and how much green space linked up parts of the capital, particularly in the most unlikely places. They especially enjoyed discovering parts of South London that they didn’t know well at all. The route takes in the site of an ancient hill fort at Horsenden Hill, Harrow School and the Grand Union Canal in Ealing; the Gothic Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington; the stylish Olympic Park in Stratford; visits Henry VIII’s childhood home, Eltham Palace in Greenwich; the Great North Wood which, despite its name, can be found in a series of ancient woodland fragments in south east London; joins the Wombles on Wimbledon Common; and magnificent Richmond Park, to name just a few of the special gems along the orbital route. Nikki said they were amazed to discover how many lovely green spaces could be found right next to the urban banalities of the capital; they even saw a heron perching right next to the North Circular!

The couple completed their last walk on Sunday 15^th October and loved the experience so much, they’re already planning their next walking escapade. They have raised an amazing £2,869 for Spread a Smile – thank you so much Nikki and Richard!

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/pins50

We are seeking an experienced Trusts and Foundations Fundraiser to join our team in a part-time role, two or three days a week, based in our office in Camden.

The successful candidate will be organised and able to proactively set their own tasks and goals. They will be able to establish and build warm relationships with potential funders and able to successfully manage grants and the delivery of grant reports to the funder’s satisfaction and to their deadlines.  It would be useful but not essential to have experience of writing grant applications. The right person needs to be able to complete sometimes lengthy application forms with accurate information and well written, compelling descriptions of Spread a Smile’s work and will be able to read simple accounts and be able to produce accurate project budgets to include in funding applications.

Please click here to download the full job description.

Please send CVs to Josephine Segal – josephine@spreadasmile.org by Tuesday 7 November 2017.

Royal Parks Half Marathon

Sunday 8^th October saw an amazing group of 16 runners take part in the 10th annual Royal Parks Half Marathon for Spread a Smile.

It was a lovely day and the sun shone on the 16,000 runners. The race took them through four beautiful Royal Parks: Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park.

The 16 fearless runners included Ashley Van Baalen, wife of Spread a Smile Patron and Britain’s Got Talent star Jamie Raven; a group of nine runners from Mattel, the children’s toy company – Holly Churches, Matt Brown, Nick Orton, William Speer, Tom McDowell, Ian McCue, Roxanne Warren, Tony Evans and Micaela Winter; Martyn Stannard from Lawsons Timber and Building Merchants, running his second Royal Parks Half for us, and his Lawsons colleague Jane Hardman; Jerry Fiore, from building company Square Foot Solutions; and several friends of Spread a Smile – Sasha Hilton, Richard Shaul and Guy Shaul.

Team Spread a Smile were there to cheer them on with lots of their friends and families. Spread a Smile Patron Jamie Raven was there to support his wife; Vanessa Crocker, one of our co-founders, was there to encourage her friends Richard and Guy Shaul; Suzy Hilton, one of our amazing hospital volunteers, was there cheering on her daughter Sasha; and there were lots of other wonderful supporters, including Jane Hardman’s son who came all the back from Uni to be his mum’s cheerleader!

There were some brilliant times set by the runners, and there was a particular sense of achievement for several of them who completed the challenge having never run a distance race before! We rewarded them all with goody bags when they got over the finishing line.

We talked to some of the nine-strong group from Mattel that decided to run for Spread a Smile. Tom McDowell ramped up his training by running home from work. He has been experiencing some nerves but says he enjoyed “having something to train for, so the build-up really is half the fun”. Holly Churches has taken up running for the first time and says her family and friends can’t believe she did it! However, she said, “I’m actually really shocked at how much I’ve enjoyed training. It certainly hasn’t been easy, but it’s been so lovely to get outside more, and I’ve discovered some lovely parks near where I live”.

The whole team from Mattel were keen to run for Spread a Smile because “after working with Spread a Smile over the last few years, we have seen first-hand the joy that they bring to unwell children in hospital, and considering what we do as a company, it felt like the perfect fit for a partnership!  We’ve spent this year fundraising for them, and we hope to continue!”

To date, our fabulous supporters have raised over £11,500, which will help us visit so many more children and teenagers in hospital.

We’re excited to announce that we have secured places in some sought-after challenge events in 2018 and will be sharing details of these soon but if you’re a keen runner or cyclist, then please do email us and register your interest now as places will fill up fast.

On 27 and 28 September, we took 32 families to not one, but two wonderful West End shows!

It was a real privilege to take some of the brave children we visit in hospital on a VIP day out. Kids and teenagers from 2-17 years old and their families went to see Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre and Disney’s Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre. 

We also took 46 people to see Annie on 7 October, you can read more about that show here. 

For the Lion King and Aladdin trips, we invited the families to a party before the shows, during which our special entertainers kept everyone smiling and laughing with magic, balloons, face painting and fairy dust.

Jane Goddard, mother to 8-year-old Oliver who we visit at GOSH, said of their trip to Aladdin: “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in our theatre trip yesterday. You didn’t just spread a smile, you created memories for us all, allowed us to spend quality family time together and let us forget about hospitals and the medical ‘journey’ we are going on. Oliver has had a tough life medically and we’ve all had a tough time since his transplant in April. So to be able to enjoy a treat yesterday and enjoy each other’s company was amazing. Oliver said he had the best day of his life and meeting some of the cast afterwards really was the icing on the cake.”

Anna Austin, who went with 2-year-old daughter Isla and her siblings Finn and Lottie to see The Lion King, said of the day: “My three children were completely mesmerised by the show, stunned into silence, and meeting the cast was the most fantastic end to the day. Isla has been treated for Neuroblastoma for a year now at GOSH; she has obviously been incredibly ill and the impact it’s had on Finn and Lottie cannot be underestimated. For all three children to be included made it so special and such a wonderful treat.”

We visit 4-year-old Milla on Lion, an oncology ward, at GOSH; she went with her family to see The Lion King. Her mum, Tara Hutton, said, “Thank you all so much for inviting us today; we had a wonderful time. You must have worked so hard to plan such a brilliant event: it was such a lovely atmosphere from the moment we arrived. Milla said it was ‘brilliant’ (which is high praise indeed) and Lorcan cried on the way home because he didn’t want to go to ‘boring home’. I could have cried seeing both of them, and all the other children, so happy.  Thank you.”

Lauren Dyer, mum to 6-year-old Elsa who we visit at GOSH, said of The Lion King: “It had me in tears – happy ones! I have not seen my daughter Elsa that happy for a long time! On the way home both Elsa and Ollie said ‘that was the best day’… Thank you so much for a day my children will remember forever.” 

Siobhan Cunningham, who went to see The Lion King with her family, said, “After a most draining and difficult few months for Finan, it felt wonderful to go out as a family again. You and all your colleagues looked after us all so well and the entire day was magical for the children. Finan was mesmerised by the show, the kaleidoscope of colour, animals and movement. His face lit up as he saw all his favourite animals making their way to the stage.

“Afterwards, his sister Aibhilin said that the best thing about the day was that the siblings were treated the same and felt just as special as the sick children. I’m afraid that no matter how hard you try as a parent, the siblings of oncology children often feel neglected. She was tickled pink by Timon and Pumba’s Riverdance sketch as before Finan’s illness she had been an Irish dancer and that is also how my husband and I met so many years ago when we were both much younger, fitter and much much slimmer! All three children have gone to bed clutching their gift bags and programmes, and the event was the subject of their ‘show and tell’ the following day.

“The entire event was so uplifting after such a thoroughly depressing couple of months that I cannot thank you, Spread a Smile, all of your colleagues and the cast and crew of ‘The Lion King’ enough. I was quite overcome several times on the day and still feel quite emotional about it now. Thank you for including Finan’s siblings and for all the great work you do. Thank you so very much.”

After both shows, the casts came out in costume to meet our guests, and the reaction of the children and their families was overwhelming. Everyone loved chatting and taking smiling selfies with the actors. The afternoon was topped off with goody bags for the kids to enjoy on their way home.

A big thank you to Disney, especially to Simon Vickers and his team including Lisa and Gemma; thanks to the amazing ATG staff at the Lyceum Theatre and Delfont Mackintosh staff at the Prince Edward Theatre who looked after us so well and also to the theatres for their kind gift of show programmes and interval ice creams; thanks to Lola’s Cupcakes for the yummy treats; and we are grateful to our wonderful Spread a Smile entertainers and volunteers who kept our guests smiling throughout the afternoon.

Annie at The Piccadilly Theatre

Spread a Smile took 11 families, a total of 46 guests, to see ‘Annie’ at the Piccadilly Theatre on Saturday 7^th October.

It was a wonderful day out: the show was truly spectacular, with amazing performances particularly by the youngsters in the cast. Our guests enjoyed lunch before the show, ice creams during the interval, and then – the icing on the cake – they got to meet the actors playing Daddy Warbucks and Miss Hannigan!

Debbie Holmes, a 13-year-old who is being treated for Ewing’s Sarcoma at UCLH, went with her mum Cheryl. Cheryl said of the afternoon, “It was amazing. The best show we’ve seen so far! Debbie was thrilled. She particularly enjoyed meeting the actors who played Daddy Warbucks and Miss Hannigan after the show. Thank you – you really spoiled us!”

Andrea Hanbury, mum of 6-year-old Keeva who we visit on Lion ward at GOSH, said, “It was so lovely seeing the girls’ eyes twinkle! It was a beautiful show – they enjoyed it thoroughly.”  The whole family were invited so Keeva could share the experience with her three sisters. Roisin, Keeva’s sister who loves drama, said she found the young actress playing Annie “really inspiring” and was telling everyone about the show at her drama class the next day!

Twelve year old Amy Foster, who we visit at UCLH where she is receiving chemotherapy, was sadly too ill to see ‘Annie’, but we invited her mum Kathy and her sister Freya to the show. Kathy said, “It was really fantastic. Amy was sadly too ill to go to the theatre on this occasion, but to be able to spend an afternoon with just me and Freya was really special. It isn’t something we get to do very often. ‘Annie’ is Freya’s favourite film so she had the best time. We were so well taken care of by Spread a Smile, from arriving, lunch, ice creams at the interval, meeting the actors afterwards, and goody bags to go home with, it was amazing. We love the theatre but with Amy so ill, we don’t often go as you don’t dare book tickets just in case you have to cancel last minute. Spread a Smile is just one of the best charities!”

We are aware how difficult it is for parents to spend special time with the siblings of seriously ill children, as their schedules are too frequently dominated by hospital treatment. By inviting siblings and parents on the trips we provide the chance for the whole family to experience a joyful occasion together, find a moment of respite and create enduring memories.

Thank you to the wonderful cast of Annie, the staff at Piccadilly Theatre, Ashley Herman of Encore Tickets and our volunteers. What a wonderful afternoon!

Honey & Co cookery demonstration

Join the amazing husband and wife team Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, creative chefs and founders of Honey & Co and Honey & Smoke, for a cooking demonstration.

Sarit and Itamar are known for their mouth-watering food from the Middle East. Get insider cooking tips to wow your dinner party guests and enjoy sampling the dishes afterwards!

Sarit said of their last fundraising brunch for Spread a Smile: “It was our pleasure to entertain Spread a Smile’s supporters with a cookery demonstration. UCH is around the corner from our restaurant and we know that Spread a Smile visit there regularly and provide much needed entertainment for children and young people.”