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We know that everyone in a family is deeply affected by the illness of a child or sibling. It can mean that families are separated for long periods of time during treatment phases, with routines and day-to-day life changing to manage the demands of treatment plans and medical procedures.

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.

Gary Broadway (Family Events Coordinator) and Ellen Walker (Head of Family Events)

Our Head of Family Events, Ellen Walker, shared a bit more about our family events programme and why it is so important.

“Illness can bring with it huge amounts of stress and pressure for the families we support. There often isn’t much time for outings or fun family activities and sometimes there can be added financial pressures should one parent need to stop working to help care for an unwell child.

“Our family events programme aims to support families going through these extremely difficult situations. All of our outings are completely free of charge and range from trips to the theatre to see shows such as The Lion King, zoo visits, tea parties, workshops, cinema outings, parties, Formula 1 days, cooking experiences and so much more.

“The whole family is invited and it’s a chance for them to just relax and have fun. They can also meet and share with other families who have been through similar experiences. We make the events as fun as possible with lots of food, drinks and treats. Plus, our amazing entertainers are always on hand with music, magic, face-painting, arts and crafts and so much more. There’s such a positive, party atmosphere and a real sense of family and community and we receive such lovely feedback after events, with parents telling us the difference they have made. It’s a chance for them to create happy memories together and that is so important.

“So far this year, we’ve curated 36 brilliant events for the families, welcoming hundreds of children along with their siblings and family members. The majority are focussed in around the London area to correspond with our services provision, and we try to make sure they appeal to a range of ages, also catering for all family members that join us. This year we have introduced more events aimed at teenagers and also children with additional needs.

“Our next event is our annual Winter Party when we hope to welcome over 600 people during the day. It’s looking set to be an incredible event with delicious food stands, sweet treats, games, activities, entertainment and more. We also have an annual Summer Party in Coram’s Fields which is wonderful and much loved by our families. It’s location means that in-patients from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) are able to come down and spend a bit of time with us should they be well enough to do so.

“As we head into 2025, we aim to provide up to four events a month, meaning well over 40 events this year. We’re always extremely grateful to our volunteers who give up their time to support our events and make sure they are as successful as possible. Also to our wonderful supporters for sponsoring or helping to fund them. We’re really excited about our plans this year and are looking forward to welcoming more families, helping them to create a bank of happy memories.

You can find out more about our family events here. If you are company who would like to support or sponsor our events, please do get in touch with us by email.