Posts Tagged :

entertainment

John Radcliffe expansion

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Spread a Smile is delighted to be expanding delivery of our services across children’s wards at Oxford Children’s Hospital (John Radcliffe site), part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Spread a Smile has been supporting seriously ill children and young people receiving treatment at the hospital since 2024, making monthly in-person entertainer visits alongside providing a range of virtual services. Thanks to the support from Oxford Hospitals Charity, the number of visits is being doubled. The funding from Oxford Hospitals Charity will help ensure that Spread a Smile reaches every patient that could benefit from their services across, children’s in-patients and out-patients.

Kelly Osborne, whose 12-year-old son Jenson spent three months in hospital following gastro surgery, praised the support, saying: “It’s amazing seeing him so happy. Jenson is a long-term patient, so for him having these sessions is really important – they make his week!

“It’s good to have someone non-medical who isn’t doing a procedure, just having fun with him. After the sessions have taken place he tells everyone about them. He just loves them.

“I’m so appreciative for this extra support from the charities, it really makes such a difference to families like ours. It’s amazing.”

Sarah Vaccari from Oxford Hospitals Charity said: “It was wonderful to see Jenson’s delight at the Disney songs and bubble play, so skillfully provided by Laura and Kerry from the Spread a Smile Team!

“Our charity team is thrilled that thanks to our kind supporters and the talents of Spread a Smile, we have been able to fund these extra sessions to bring more joy into the Oxford Children’s Hospital. Fun and laughter in hospital is so important and has such a positive impact on our young patients and their families. It’s just wonderful to see.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive said: “Spread a Smile is committed to supporting as many seriously ill children, young people and their families as possible across the country. Through our entertainer visits, family outings and events and art initiatives, it is our mission to make sure that all of the families we support have a chance to smile, laugh and have fun. We are extremely grateful to our friends from the Oxford Hospitals Charity for helping to take us one step closer to achieving our aims of delivering regular in-person entertainer visits to all 28 specialist children’s hospitals in the UK by 2035.”

Jo Pinney, Health Play Specialist Team Manager at John Radcliffe Hospital added: “We are so grateful to Spread a Smile for the energy, kindness and creativity they bring to our wards. These sessions offer children a chance to simply be children again, and that impact is felt by their families and staff alike.”

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Forever Colours – new hospice partner

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Spread a Smile today announces its newest hospice partner, Forever Colours, a children’s hospice which cares for families of children with learning disabilities and life-limiting and life-threatening conditions as well as those with profound-and-multiple learning difficulties across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

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.  Forever Colours joins five other hospices, and 32 major and speciality NHS hospitals already supported by Spread a Smile, taking the charity one step closer to its aim, to spread smiles across the whole of the UK.

The Spread a Smile team of talented entertainers, including musicians, artists, magicians and therapy dogs, will support regular events for the children and their families at Forever Colours, spending quality time with patients and helping to spread smiles through music, magic, singing and more.  The most recent activity at Forever Colours, supported by the charity, was the hospice’s Summer Fete at the beginning of June which was attended by their entertainers.

Children and young people supported by Forever Colours will also benefit from treat drops and virtual entertainment, all with the aim of spreading smiles and a lot of happiness.

Forever Colours, family Support worker, Vicki Nicholson, is delighted by this partnership. “The joy the Spread a Smile team brings to the faces of the children and their families we support is always heartwarming to see, and we couldn’t be happier that this partnership is going to create more smiles! Everyone at Forever Colours is very grateful”.

Laura Walter, Spread a Smile Director of Services added, “It is a pleasure to be working with the amazing team at Forever Colours to help bring some joy and laughter to their children and families. Most recently we were delighted to join them for their Summer Fete, meeting some of the children and their families and helping to spread smiles with singing, music, balloons, bubbles and more. It was a very special day, and we are looking forward to many more in the future.” 

To find out more about Spread a Smile’s work supporting NHS hospitals and hospices, please click here.

Visit to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children

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Spread a Smile has been supporting the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children for a few years through virtual sessions and treat drops, and it’s always very special when we visit the hospital in person.

Last month, a team of Spread a Smile entertainers along with our Director of Services Laura Walter and Marina our Head of Art, made the trip to Bristol. They visited and provided bespoke entertainment to many children and young people across six wards and ended the day at the hospital’s Activity Centre with the Centre’s Play Assistant Daisy saying:

“Spread a Smile instantly engaged the children in the Activity Centre through song, sparkles, bubbles and magic! They came in with infectious energy and got down on the children’s level straight away. The parents and myself were just as engaged as the children!”

Laura from Spread a Smile added, “It’s important for us to reach as many children and young people across our hospital partners as possible – visiting in person where we can to provide much needed distraction, entertainment and joy during some of the most difficult times. It was wonderful to be able to spend so much time, not only with the children and young people across the wards, but also with the brilliant Play Team at the hospital who already do so much for the children under their care. We are looking forward to making a return visit soon.”

Bristol Royal Hospital for Children is one of 32 NHS hospitals and five hospices supported by Spread a Smile, receiving support for seriously ill children and young people under their care through in-person and virtual entertainer visits and group sessions, seasonal activities, treat drops and more.

To find out more about Spread a Smile’s work, click here.

New weekend visits to GOSH

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Weekends often mean much quieter wards and less distraction and activities available for seriously ill children and young people receiving treatment in hospital. Time can go very slowly, particularly for those spending time in isolation in their own room.

Which is why Spread a Smile recently started weekend visits to patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Laura Walter, Director of Services for Spread a Smile said, “We are so excited to now be offering a monthly Saturday visit at GOSH. We know from speaking to families that it can be difficult to pass the time in hospital over the weekends, and the days can seem long and monotonous. Weekends can also be an added challenge for families, who are torn between home and hospital. At Spread a Smile, we want to provide as many play opportunities to children and young people as possible, and we recognise that play doesn’t stop at the weekend.”

For September, Spread a Smile Visit Manager Debbie, along with Sar and her guitar worked closely with the GOSH Play Team to visit some of the long term babies and toddlers on the wards, bringing  music, instruments and song. It was lovely to receive some fantastic feedback after the visit from staff and parents of patients saying how beneficial and much appreciated the interactions were.

Each month, the visit will focus on a different theme, bringing a variety of exciting activities and sessions over the weekends, with a special LEGO play visit following in October.

Thank you to our generous donors and supporters for enabling us to continue our vital work supporting seriously ill children and their families when they need it most.