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charity

Queen’s Hospital partners with Spread a Smile

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

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

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

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

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

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

Golf Days return in 2025

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This year, our much loved Golf Days will take place on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 September at the prestigious Woburn Golf Club and generously sponsored by Canary Wharf Contractors Fund.

The club is part of The Bedford Estates, London and the first 54 Hole venue to have all three courses ranked in Golf Monthly Magazines TOP 100 Courses in the UK and Ireland. It is a beautiful location and we can’t wait to welcome you all there to play on The Duke’s Course.

More information about the day and reserving your four-ball can be found here, or email Tash Newell to sign up today. We’d also love to hear from you if you’re interested in exploring our sponsorship opportunities.

Over the years, thousands of pounds have been raised through our Golf Days for our work spreading smiles to seriously ill children, young people and their families. They offer something a little bit different, with our entertainers joining our teams around the course to provide entertainment and share a little bit of Spread a Smile magic. They are genuinely days to remember, with guests coming back year on year and we hope to welcome many of our supporters in September.

Event details:
Venue: Woburn Golf Club, Little Brickhill, Milton Keynes, MK17 9LJ
Dates: Thursday 25 September (12pm shotgun start with brunch, then dinner at 6pm)
Friday 26 September (10am shotgun start with breakfast followed by lunch at 4pm)
Four-ball: £1,400
Sponsorship opportunities: Starting from £300 for Tee sponsorship

See photos from our 2024 Golf Days here.

With thanks to our sponsor:

Sweet fundraising success

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As a charity, we rely on generous companies and individuals to fund our work and are grateful to all of our brilliant fundraisers who use their talents and energy to raise vital funds for our work spreading smiles to seriously ill children and young people.

Jess, aged 9 raised an incredible £236 for Spread a Smile after being introduced to the charity by her Dad, Shaun Simons.

Shaun told us, “Jess wanted to raise money to help others and came up with the fundraising idea herself, deciding that a sweet stall outside our home would be a fun and effective way to do it.

“I have been involved with Spread a Smile for a while as Chair of their Real Estate Committee and Jess has always admired the charity’s work. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the charity she wanted to support, knowing what an amazing cause it is.

“I’m immensely proud of the initiative Jess took and I hope it inspires other young people to think of creative ways to support good causes. She did everything herself, picking, packing and selling the sweets and it was a brilliant achievement.”

A huge thank you to Jess for all her hard work and support – you’re a superstar.

If Jess has inspired you, please get in touch with Rimi at rimi@spreadasmile.org to chat about your fundraising ideas and how we can support you.

New year, new challenge

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As we head into the New Year, it’s the perfect time to take on your next challenge and make a meaningful difference.

Whether you’re looking to push your limits in fitness, bring your team together for a memorable adventure, or tick off a personal goal, we’ve got an event for you. Check out our challenges page here for inspiration or why not take on…

London Landmarks 2023You can also find a full list of exciting marathons and half marathons around the country here. And enjoy 50% off the registration fee for our Three Peaks Challenge when you sign up by 31 January. (Using the code SMILE50).

Every penny you raise will bring joy to children facing serious illnesses, creating moments of happiness when they’re needed most.

Make this year one to remember. The challenge starts with YOU.

For more information or if you have any questions please contact rimi@spreadasmile.org.

Annual Golf Days a huge success

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Last week Spread a Smile was delighted to host our 4th annual Golf Days, sponsored by LMAC Group and held at the stunning Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire,

Credit Suzan Angela Moore

The events were a huge success with 44 teams joining us making them our biggest Golf Days to date!

Guests made the most of the beautiful weather around the stunning 18-hole Palmerston course, with Spread a Smile magicians on hand to spread a little bit of magic, and our musicians Collette and Andy singing and playing personalised dedications to cheer everyone on. As one player said, “Collette made even the grumpiest golfer smile”.

Once the scores were in, guests returned to the club house to enjoy a delicious three course meal, followed by prize giving, a raffle and our first ever auction conducted by our brilliant auctioneer Collette (adding another string to her bow!)

Spread a Smile Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson, also shared more about the work of Spread a Smile entertaining children and young people in hospital and how our golfers are helping to make a huge difference to the families we support.

A huge shout out to Wednesday and Thursday winners Executive Change and CMCEE Ltd, plus to Canary Wharf Contractors and Reel Estates for taking second place.

Also thanks to our headline event sponsor, LMAC Group, all of our tee sponsors and Newmark for sponsoring the golf balls.

An incredible £70,000 was raised across both days which will go a long way to helping Spread a Smile spread joy and laughter to even more children, young people and their families.

Take a look at photos from the days here and please do email Alicia to find out about joining us next year.

Also sign up to our e-newsletter to stay up to date with our brilliant fundraising events across the year.

A day at the races with Clarksons

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Spread a Smile was delighted to be invited by Clarksons and the Clarksons Foundation as a beneficiary charity for annual Charity Giving Day, which this year raised a whopping £250,000.

The day kicked off with ‘A Day at the Races’ where 260 participants from 10 of Clarksons’ global offices joined forces in a spirited cycling competition. The Spread a Smile team were there to cheer them on, and it was great to see so much energy and enthusiasm from the teams who all came together, pushing themselves to the limits to make a difference for the recipient charities. Congratulations go to the Dry Cargo team in London who were crowned Champions.

The day was capped off by a wonderful gala dinner and auction, with Spread a Smile’s co-founder Josephine Segal there to support this brilliant initiative and share the different they are helping to make to the families we support.

Spread a Smile is proud of our long standing relationship with the Clarkson Foundation, and it was a privilege to be able to share this special day with the Foundation, Clarksons and their wider team.

Imogen Slazenger, Spread a Smile’s Head of Fundraising said, “Thank you so much to Clarksons, the Clarksons Foundation and everyone involved for their ongoing support and inviting us to join in all the fun of Charity Giving Day. It’s because of days like this that we are able to continue our work spreading smiles to seriously ill children in hospital.”

Please do get in touch with Imogen if you’d like to find out more about working with and supporting Spread a Smile.

BGC Charity Day – Out of this world

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Spread a Smile was delighted to be invited to join the 20th anniversary BGC Charity Day last week.

This very special day marks the anniversary of 9/11, paying tribute to those who tragically lost their lives in the World Trade Centre. To date, over £210 million has been raised for charities around the world, and each year, the team at BGC London organise a party for the families connected to the recipient charities joining in the fun on the day.

Spread a Smile’s entertainers were on hand to spread smiles and fun at the space themed party, offering face-painting, balloon modelling, fairy magic, singing, glitter tattoos and so much more. The atmosphere was incredible and it was wonderful to share in this brilliant day which does so much for so many good causes around the world.

A huge thank you to everyone involved and please do get in touch with Team Smile if you’d like to know more about how Spread a Smile can support your company with your CSR goals.

Entertainer Variety Show

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Spread a Smile is delighted to announce its first ever Entertainer Variety Show – a very special fundraising event where will showcase the talents of the charity’s amazing entertainers, providing guests with the opportunity to experience first-hand the joy and happiness they bring to everyone they meet.

The Variety Show will take place on Wednesday 13 November from 7:30pm at The Bedford, Balham – a venue renowned for hosting gigs for many famous musicians and comedians, including Ed Sheeran and Joe Lycett.

Spread a Smile entertainer and Visit Manager, Sar (also known as Sar with the guitar), has been working closely with the charity’s fundraising team to curate the event saying, “During my time working with Spread a Smile I’ve met countless brave and inspiring children and their families, as well as collaborating with a phenomenal group of talented performers.

“The inspiration behind the Variety Show fundraiser stems from a desire for family and friends to witness for themselves the magic of Spread a Smile entertainers. This event is a celebration of the charity’s remarkable work and a chance to raise awareness and support this brilliant cause.

“With performances from musicians, singers, magicians and more, we can’t wait for everyone to join us for what looks set to be a brilliant night out.”

All proceeds from the show will go towards raising vital funds for Spread a Smile’s work spreading smiles to the families we support during some of the darkest times of their lives.

Get your tickets now!

Entertainer Variety Show
Date: Wednesday 13 November, 7.30pm
Venue: The Bedford 77 Bedford Hill, Balham, SW12 9HD
Ticket price: £23.50
Drinks and food available to buy at the venue.

Blackstone Cheque presentation

Blackstone Gives Back Challenge secures grant

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Spread a Smile is delighted to announce that we have been chosen as the first-place EMEA beneficiary charity by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation as part of their ‘Blackstone Gives Back Challenge’. 

The initiative calls on Blackstone employees around the globe to pitch for their favourite charities to receive grants from their Charitable Foundation. Spread a Smile was represented in EMEA by Antonia Voss, Laura Troy, Rebecca Flower and Georgie Bannister, who delivered their pitch to secure first place for the charity. 

This incredibly generous grant will have a huge impact for Spread a Smile over the coming months with the charity’s Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson saying, “Spread a Smile relies completely on donations from individuals and companies to continue our work bringing joy and laughter to seriously ill children and their families. We are so grateful to everyone at Blackstone for choosing to support our work and for helping us to ensure that we can be there for even more families during some of the darkest times of their lives.” 

To find out more about Spread a Smile’s work delivering in-person entertainer visits, virtual sessions and more, please click here.  

Mamma Mia – My, my what a show!

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My, my what a show! The team from Spread a Smile had a glorious afternoon taking nine of the families we support to see Mamma Mia the Musical at the Novello Theatre in London.

Our VIPS loved watching the smash hit musical, singing, dancing and clapping along and the smiles were as bright as the theatre lights.

After the show, our families were incredibly lucky to meet several members of the cast, who kindly gave up their time to pose for photos and answer any questions our families had. Tessa, 10, who wants to be performer asked, “do you ever forget your lines?” and “do all the cast members get on?”.

Lauren, mum of Elsa (13) said “Thank you so, so much for yesterday it was amazing and as I predicted Elsa has not stopped telling everyone especially how she “met the characters” – I keep telling her they are the cast! She has taken the programme into school today. I honestly cannot express our gratitude as always, words do not seem enough.”

A huge Spread a Smile thank you to the cast of Mamma Mia for being so amazing and taking the time out of their busy schedule to meet our families after the show – you’re all Super Troupers!

To find out more about our family events, click here.

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