Posts Tagged :

family

Outings and events for the whole family

 780 400 Susie
By:

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.

Welcome to Kuljeet de Souza

 780 400 Susie
By:

We are delighted to welcome Kuljeet de Souza, the newest member of the Spread a Smile family.

Kuljeet joins us from Grief Encounter as our Trusts and Foundations Manager, helping to drive and nurture support in this important area of fundraising.

Kuljeet said, “I have worked in the charity sector for 20 years in a variety of organisations and roles including YouthNet, The Children’s Society and most recently, as Trusts and Grants Manager for Grief Encounter.

“I have always been passionate about working for charities that support children and young people, so I was delighted when the role of Trusts and Foundations Manager came up at Spread a Smile. I’m looking forward to developing new and existing relationships and helping to raise much needed funds to ensure the charity can continue to deliver our vital services to those most in need.

“I’m excited to join an organisation that makes such a big difference to the lives of children and families. The team has been so welcoming and is 100% committed to the work they do, and that’s reflected in the wonderful impact the charity has.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive said, “Support from Trusts and Foundations is key to Spread a Smile as we develop and grow to meet our long-term strategic aims and objectives. We’re delighted to welcome Kuljeet to the team. I’m very much looking forward to working with her to continue building a meaningful and impactful fundraising programme in Trusts and Foundations.”

Four family events in five days

 780 400 Susie
By:

The Spread a Smile team went the extra mile during half-term to support seriously ill children through a variety of brilliant family focussed events, welcoming an incredible 240 children and family member across the week.

The week kicked off on Monday with a special trip to London Zoo with 20 patients and their families – generously sponsored for the second year running by our friends from Downing LLP. Our families got to see lots of amazing animals as they explored the zoo, including three baby lion cubs and some very cute baby gorillas. We had a room hired for the day where our families could return for arts and crafts including animal mask masking and clay modelling as well as entertainment such as facepainting, magic and singing fairies. Lunch was a delicious mix of pizza, sliders and chips plus lots of yummy snacks. Huge thanks to the team at London Zoo for their amazing service and our friends at Downing LLP.

“I just wanted to say thank you for our wonderful day at London Zoo, with a special thank you to the magician and fairies who kept making sure Soph was OK. Soph has had a tough year and I can’t thank you guys enough for making her feel so special.” Angela, Mum to Sophie, aged 9

On the Tuesday, we spent the afternoon at Everyman Cinema in King’s Cross, with 18 patients along with their siblings and family members. Our families were treated to lots of snacks including popcorn and sweet treats whilst being entertained by our fantastic Spread a Smile fairies, magicians and singers. With full bellies, we settled down to watch the adorable film Inside Out 2. And to finish the day, our families left with a brilliant goody bag. As always, a huge thanks to the team at Everyman Kings Cross for being so accommodating and welcoming our families with huge smiles and kindness.

“Thank you for such a lovely trip to the cinema and for accommodating Eva’s friend. Eva had a wonderful time, heart and belly full on leaving” Claire, Mum to Eva, aged 10. 

For Hallowe’en, we took a trip to the beautiful Brunswick Art Gallery in Holborn, with 15 families joining us for a creative workshop with a professional artist whilst being serenaded by a live singer and DJ. The party was in full swing as our guests enjoyed a delicious lunch, cupcakes and sweet treats. They were also able to paint their own pumpkins, have their face painted, enjoy some magic tricks, take part in a Hallowe’en scavenger hunt and design their own tote bag – perfect to carry home all their goodies! A huge thank you to Nicholas Lazari and John Themis from Lazari Investments for helping to make this wonderful event possible.

To round off the week, we spent a wonderful ‘Creative Hospital Play Day’ at LEGO London Hub in London. We were joined by 13 patients and their families, alongside Jenny and Catherine – Health Play Specialists from our NHS hospital partners for loads of fun LEGO building activities including the 6 brick challenge and building a LEGO hospital.

Jenny and Catherine ran a wonderful Teddy Bears Clinic during which families could explore lots of creative hospital play with their teddies. There was also syringe painting and a chance to make x-ray pictures using cotton buds and white paint. Families also enjoyed some delicious snacks, plus magic from one of our amazing Spread a Smile entertainers!

“Thank you very much for organising another fun day at Lego HQ. Toomas had an amazing time (thank you very much for the bunnies!) and really enjoyed all the activities. My son was very impressed with Nick, the magician, and has been practising magic tricks all weekend.” Mum, Johanna

A huge shout out to Ellie and Gary from our Family Events team for organising such a range of brilliant events and activities for the families we support. Events such as these might be the only chance for our families to spend time together away from the stress and worry of hospital stays and treatment plans and we are proud to have spread so many times during the half-term period.

To find out more about our Family Events, how you can support them or sign up to join one, please click here.

Family event at Met Lounge, London

 780 400 Susie
By:

It was party time last week with an incredible event at the beautiful Met Lounge in Fitzrovia, London for some of the teenagers we support and their families.

40 people joined us for a delicious dinner with spectacular views of London, accompanied by amazing performances from the Met Lounge’s resident singer, Sharlette and the outstanding electric violinist Stringz Official.

Our VIP guests were on their feet dancing and singing along, with Spread a Smile entertainers on hand to add to the fun with magic, facepainting, poetry and making personalised caps, t-shirts and bags.

The event was designed to provide something really special for some of the older children we support and was a huge success with so much laughter, fun and happiness shared across the evening.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Nicholas Lazari and John Themis from Lazari Investments for making this incredible event possible and we really look forward to doing lots more together in future. We were delighted to welcome them both to see first-hand the difference they are helping to make through their generosity and support. They really made sure our families felt thoroughly spoilt, also providing goody bags for the young people to take home with all sorts of treats and gifts inside.

It made us so happy that everyone left with huge smiles on their faces and lots of happy memories made.

Mildreds and Sister Act for our VIPs

 780 400 Susie
By:

When you’re looking for a memorable experience in London, then dinner followed by a trip to see a West End musical is definitely top of the list. Last week, we treated some of the families supported by Spread a Smile to just that.

We began the party at Mildreds Restaurant in Covent Garden where not only did our families get to enjoy a delicious vegan dinner, they were also entertained throughout with singing, amazing magic, face painting, arts and crafts and our gorgeous therapy dog Buddy, who also came for some cuddles.

After our tummies were full, we headed down to a very special relaxed performance of Sister Act The Musical at London’s Dominion Theatre. The excitement filled the auditorium as everyone relaxed into their seats and enjoyed the amazing show, featuring a star-studded cast. One of guests, Evie, aged 13 was so excited to see actor Ruth Jones perform as she is a big fan of hers and said after the show: “Ruth definitely waved at me!” with a smile from ear to ear.

Evie’s Mum Jo said, “Honestly, thank you from the bottom of my heart. The work you do is just amazing and I’m not sure that thank you is enough for the happiness my girl is feeling right now.”

Viktoria, mum of Emily (13) also said, “We would love to tell you how wonderful you all are! Thank you for all your hard work and lovely smiles to make so many little lives happy. We had a wonderful time with you all and special thank you to the magician Nick, he really blew our minds with his amazing magic!”

We are so grateful to our friends at Mildreds for their continued and generous support and to everyone at the Dominion Theatre for making us so welcome.

Spread a Smile completely relies on donations and support from generous individuals and organisations to fund family events such as this. Please donate here to help ensure we can continue to provide this support for many more families. Thank you.

Announcing our new Family Fun Day

 780 400 Susie
By:

Spread a Smile is delighted to announce its newest fundraising event, our first ever Family Fun Day, generously supported by Sharesy and in collaboration with Non-Stop Action.

To be held on Saturday 28 September at Holly Park Primary School, London N11, the Family Fun Day is a day for our supporters and their families to enjoy, packed full of family-friendly activities, exciting games, and amazing entertainment, all while raising funds to support Spread a Smile.

Our guests will take on the challenge of completing different activity stations, working together as a team to win certificates and prizes. There will also be the chance to meet and see Spread a Smile’s amazing entertainers in action, with magic, music, arts and crafts, face-painting and more.

This fun-filled day out is a great opportunity for our friends and supporters to experience first-hand the joy and laughter Spread a Smile brings to families across the country, helping to raise vital funds to support seriously ill children and their families when they need us most.

A family ticket costs just £25 and you can register for the Family Fun Day here!

The event is generously sponsored by our friends at Sharesy. Felix Atkins, Founder, CEO at Sharesy shared with us his motivation for supporting the Family Fun Day “In March 2021, my son was diagnosed with an auto-inflammatory disease, my priorities and focus shifted in ways I could never have imagined. My wife, Vicki, and I spent the next six weeks in a small hospital room with our little boy, swapping every three days to spend time with our daughter at home. It was every parent’s nightmare. 

“Fortunately, the team at Great Ormond Street Hospital were amazing. We were also supported by the amazing team at Spread a Smile. This wonderful charity brings joy and laughter to seriously ill and hospitalised children and their families during long hospital stays. 

“Coincidentally, we discovered that we shared the same co-working office as Spread a Smile in Highbury. We have since moved to a new location near Archway and whilst we miss the wonderful team at Spread a Smile, we take every opportunity to help them with fundraising or preparing gifts for the children they support. 

“My son’s diagnosis was undoubtedly life-changing, but it also showed me how strong we can be when we come together during difficult times. It certainly puts the stresses of running a start up into perspective and we are delighted to be able to support the Spread Smile Family Fun Day and help spread smiles to even more children and young people when they need it most.”

If you are interested in finding out more about the sponsorship opportunities for this event, please contact our Community Fundraising Manager, Tasha Mann at tashamann@spreadasmile.org or sign up to our enews to stay up to date.

With thanks to Sharesy for their support:

Families join us for special LEGO workshops

 780 400 Susie
By:

Earlier this month we hosted two very special LEGO® workshops for some of the children, young people and families we support.

We were joined by our friends from the LEGO Group for specially crafted sessions, with lots of different activities and building projects using LEGO and DUPLO bricks for our guests to enjoy.

As always, Spread a Smile entertainers joined in the fun with magic, face painting and smiles from Fairy Joanna.

Nearly 30 children and their parents/carers came along, and we are so grateful to the LEGO Group for their continued support and creativity in helping to spread smiles to the families we support.

“Thank you to all the team including the extended LEGO team and performers for the wonderful morning at the LEGO event. You all went to so much effort and Eva had a wonderful time with Joanne the Fairy and Nick the magician.” Claire. Eva’s Mum

Spread a Smile’s outings, events and activities 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. They include workshops such as this, alongside theatre trips, tea parties, annual events and much more.

If you or your company would like to chat about how you can get involved with Spread a Smile and support our vital work, please email us at fundraising@spreadasmile.org

Meet our new team members

 780 400 Susie
By:

It’s our aim to spread smiles to as many seriously ill children and their families as possible and we’re lucky to have an incredible team enabling us to do just that.

Two of the newest members to the Spread a Smile family are Gary Broadway who recently joined our Services team as Family Events Coordinator and Tasha Mann who is our new Community Fundraising Manager.

Here’s a little bit from Gary and Tasha to help you get to know them.

Gary: “I previously worked in the Play Team at Kingston Hospital, providing activities, entertainment, play opportunities and themed events for inpatients during their treatment. Whilst working there, we partnered with Spread a Smile and I instantly fell in love with what they were doing and their mission to provide entertainment for all seriously ill children.

“When the opportunity to join Spread a Smile as Family Events Coordinator came up, I jumped at the chance as I felt my experience of working in hospitals and trying to create magical moments for them aligned with Spread a Smile’s goals. I’ve already been to my first event and I’m very excited to meet all our amazing families, help put on more memorable events and help make more children and young people smile! It really is a special place to work.”

“I love to spend time with my family and friends, and I also love to travel, eat and explore nice places. Seeing other people happy is what makes me smile most!”

Tasha: “I have a background in community and events fundraising and am delighted to be part of the Spread a Smile team. I’ve recently come back from a 5-month trip travelling around South East Asia and Australia (which was incredible) and I’m ready to be back in the charity world and am really enjoying working closely with our wonderful supporters and fundraisers.

“Everyone at Spread a Smile has welcomed me with open arms. Just like the incredible work the charity does to help bring joy and laughter to children, the team reflect that with their compassion, kindness, and warmth. I couldn’t be more excited to join such an important and dynamic organisation.”

“Smiling can have such a hugely positive effect on everyone. For me, running, cooking and spending time with my friends always brings out a smile.”

A huge welcome to both Tasha and Gary and you can meet more of our amazing team here.

A VIP family outing to London Zoo

 780 400 Susie
By:

What a way to end the Summer! Last week we were joined by 18 of the families we support for a very special trip to London Zoo, with VIP access to visit the zoo and exclusive access to the Mappin Pavilion overlooking the emu and wallaby enclosure.

The sun shone and our families enjoyed a wonderful day visiting the animals before enjoying a delicious lunch with yummy cupcakes from our friends at Lola’s Cupcakes. Our guests were also able to choose their own ice creams and toppings from their very own ice cream truck.

Our outings are a brilliant way for seriously ill children and their families to enjoy a day out, away from hospital and the worries and stress of serious illness. As usual, some of the Spread a Smile entertainers joined in the fun including Mr Magic and Paul our magicians, Fairy Betty and Marina and Eva on face painting.

“Thank you so much for today. The children have been really fed up as they have been in hospital for 5 weeks now and were feeling pretty low the last few days. It’s really done them the world of good to get out. Exhausted but happy! We really appreciate it.” Parent

The outing was made possible thanks to generous support from our partners, Downing LLP who sponsored the day. We were also joined on the day by 10 volunteers from Downing who helped run arts and crafts activities for the children and their siblings.

“Being a part of the Zoo experience and seeing first-hand the difference Spread a Smile is making for these families is extraordinary. The children and their families are going through so much, so for them to have an enjoyable break for a whole day was a truly lovely and grounding experience for us to be a part of. Thank you to Spread a Smile for including us, we look forward to supporting them again in the future!” Downing LLP

We would like to say a huge thank you to all of the families who joined us, Downing for supporting this wonderful event, Lola’s Cupcakes and everyone at London Zoo for their kindness and making the day so special.

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