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Toys Hospital Visit Spread a Smile Hasbro

Visit to Southampton Children’s Hospital

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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For International Day of Play on 11 June, the Spread a Smile team took to the road to make a special in-person visit to Southampton Children’s Hospital, bringing moments of joy and laughter to the wards.

We were joined by our wonderful friends at Hasbro, who generously volunteered their time and donated toys to give out to patients and be used in communal play sessions, to help make the day as fun as possible.

Spread a Smile magicians Lee and Nick, Fairy Kirsten and singer Tasha all brought the usual Spread a Smile magic to the visit, reaching over 50 patients across the wards and spreading smiles, happiness and laughter.

Fiona Delement, Health Play Specialist at Southampton Children’s Hospital said,

“The Spread a Smile visit was fantastic! Your team was amazing, so kind, caring and completely understood the way hospitals work. They were patient and understanding and fantastic at their jobs. They definitely did what it said on their t-shirts – the smiles were great to see, and we had such lovely comments from staff and families. My highlights were hearing belly laughter from the children who weren’t keen to start with and the little girl in ED who asked if she could sing for us.”

At Spread a Smile, we recognise the important role of play for children and young people in hospital. During times of isolation and vulnerability, when access to play might be limited, we aim to provide moments of distraction, and happiness. We see play as a key part of their well-being and recovery.

Our sincere thanks to Hasbro for their generosity, both in their toy donations and the support of their volunteers on the day. We are extremely proud of this wonderful partnership.

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Queen Elizabeth Hospital partnership

 780 400 Susie
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Spread a Smile is delighted to announce a new partnership with Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, part of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT). Spread a Smile will be supporting 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 Elizabeth Hospital joins 36 other major and speciality NHS hospitals, and six hospice partners already supported by Spread a Smile, taking the charity 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 Spread a Smile support services including virtual sessions, outings and events. All of which supports Spread a Smile’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.

Summer Pavitt, Healthcare Play Specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said: “At LGT, we are excited to partner with the Spread a Smile team. We’ve seen first-hand the amazing difference this charity makes in the lives of our children and young people during challenging times. We’re looking forward to future visits and are grateful for the positive impact they’ve had on our youngest patients.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive added, “Spread a Smile is proud to be working with the team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, to support young patients under their care, helping to provide distraction and much needed moments of engagement and fun. We are looking forward to our visits, meeting even more patients, families and staff and spreading as many smiles as possible.”

Find out more about our work here.

The importance of play in healthcare

 780 400 Susie
By:

This week for Play in Healthcare Week, we are celebrating the importance of play in healthcare settings and Spread a Smile’s role supporting play in NHS hospitals across the country.

We spoke to Dr Fiona Hikmet, Consultant Paediatrician at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Spread a Smile Trustee, about her experiences of play in hospital and why the work of Spread a Smile is so important.

“I specialise in delivering care to children with cancer in a POSCU – Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Unit and have seen firsthand how play helps along the journey navigating illness and treatment, through a more child friendly, child centred approach.

“Play helps to reduce apprehension and anxiety by bringing normality into a strange place. It is an essential part childhood, and if used in the right way and with the right support, can help no end in the hospital environment, helping to distract and reduce the pain and fear associated with hospital attendance or illness.

“Play can support children before or during procedures to engage them positively with what is happening. It helps to build confidence and allows children to be curious about what they are experiencing and explore it as positively as possible.

“The work Spread a Smile does compliments and supports the work of Play Specialist teams in our NHS hospitals. The impact of being in hospital for a child and their families can be huge psychologically, but Spread a Smile brings so much joy and laughter to the hospital setting. They literally brighten the wards when they visit and patients have told me so many stories about how important the entertainer visits have been, helping to make them smile when they were feeling really unwell. The charity’s team of artists also come in to decorate hospital rooms for children spending a long time as an inpatient, making their space more familiar and less scary. We’re looking forward to having the corridors decorated too, to help moving round the hospital more comfortable and distracting for children and their families.

“We know that play with children in hospital can enhance the speed of recovery, improve engagement in therapies as well as offer distraction, however sadly, play in hospitals remains under resourced. Like many hospitals we do have Play Specialists, but they are mainly ward based, may have limited access to play facilities and are not available 7 days a week. So additional support and environment help from the Spread a Smile team is invaluable and their visits spread smiles to everyone, including staff. They do wonderful work, playing and engaging with each child and supporting them during some very difficult times.

“I have seen the difference play can have in the chemotherapy clinics. When a child receives a new diagnosis and is in the early stages of treatment, it can be a very frightening time. Spread a Smile have been supporting us in the clinics, initially engaging with younger children in the waiting room, helping to distract them and reduce the anxiety of waiting. One 3 year old insisted the entertainers come into the clinic with him to distract him whilst he was having his monthly procedures. Now he has finished treatment he still asks where his friends from Spread a Smile are when he comes for his follow ups. They have played such an important role for him on his treatment journey – and for many others – and that cannot be underestimated.

“Now Spread a Smile will try to visit every child in the clinics and wards that would like to meet them. As I’ve been doing my rounds, I have seen the Spread a Smile entertainers in action and every child I have met afterwards has had a smile on their face, excited to show me their new balloon or tell me what they’ve experienced.

“Some of our patients also join in with the Spread a Smile family days, such as theatre trips and LEGO days. The days out provide brilliant opportunities to be a child, play and just have fun with their family.

“At a time where there is limited NHS funding and inequalities in access to play within hospitals, the entertainers from Spread a Smile are vital. They help to distract, reduce anxiety and distress and have a hugely positive impact not only on the experiences of seriously ill children and their families, but also on their mental health and wellbeing. We are grateful for everything this brilliant charity does within NHS hospitals across the country and the more I see and hear about the charity’s work and aims, the more I feel privileged to be part of the team.”

Please click here to donate to help Spread a Smile continue to spread joy and laughter to seriously ill children and young people in hospital.

 

Visit to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children

 780 400 Susie
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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.

Rennie Grove Peace Hospice – New partner

 780 400 Susie
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Spread a Smile today announces its newest hospice partner, Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, which provides specialist support for children with life-limiting illness and their families across Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

The Spread a Smile team of talented entertainers, including musicians, artists and therapy dogs, will support events for the children and their families at Rennie Grove Peace, spending quality time with patients and helping to spread smiles through music, magic, singing and more.

Children and young people supported by Rennie Grove Peace will also be able to join in with fun and exciting experiences and seasonal Spread a Smile initiatives such as Christmas activities and treat drops, all with the aim of spreading smiles and a lot of happiness to children undergoing treatment and care for serious illness, alongside their families.

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.  Rennie Grove Peace joins four 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.

Karen Raney-Marr, Play Specialist at Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, says: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Spread a Smile to bring new and exciting experiences to our young patients and families. The importance of play in supporting young patients with a life-limiting diagnosis can’t be overstated.  Allowing children and families to connect through play and make precious memories can make a huge difference and is something we focus on with the young people we support. We look forward to working with Spread a Smile to continue and grow this work in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.”

Laura Walter, Spread a Smile Director of Services added, “Rennie Grove Peace is a very special charity and we are delighted to be working with their wonderful team to help bring some joy and laughter to the children and families. Earlier this month Spread a Smile entertainers, Sar with her guitar and Fairy Francesca, visited the hospice to meet some of the children and their families, helping to spread smiles with singing, music and bubbles. 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 in NHS hospitals and hospices across the country, please click here.

Meet our viral sensation, Mr Magic

 780 400 Susie
By:

Spread a Smile magician and viral sensation Mr Magic is hoping his newfound social media fame will continue to bring positivity and joy to those who need it and remind people just how powerful laughter and smiles can be.

Mr Magic’s clip of a cheeky magic wand that refused to be put away earned a rippling,  unfettered belly laugh of giggles from a child he met in hospital, and currently has more than four million views and over 380,000 likes on Instagram alone (@spreadasmileuk)! The film has also helped take Spread a Smile’s followers from just over 6,000 to 20,000 in two months.

Mr Magic, real name Ian Manly, says: “I’ve always thought how wonderful it would be to bottle a child’s amazing laugh, and now we’ve done it.

“I knew it was a great video as there is nothing better than a child laughing. Add in the fact that this child was quite unwell in a hospital, and it just makes it such a strong and emotional piece of film.

“It’s received comments from all around the world with so many people saying, ‘I’m keeping this and will play it every time I need cheering up’. It’s a very proud moment when you realise how much it has positively affected people’s lives.”

Ian began working for Spread a Smile 11 years ago, when Co-Founders Josephine Segal and Vanessa Crocker set up the charity.

He recalls: “It was very small then and the only hospital we visited was Great Ormond Street – and that was once a month.

“I was referred to Josephine and Vanessa by Vanessa’s sister, who had seen me do a magic show. Once I met Josephine and Vanessa I had no hesitation in joining Spread a Smile and have been there ever since, watching with great pride as their determination and hard work ensured it has grown into what it is today.”

“Magic has always fascinated children, who love tapping into their creative imaginations. People think it’s easy to do magic for children, but it’s not. There is so much more going on in a simple children’s magic trick than the actual trick itself. Everyone wants to ‘believe’ and the child has to follow the story and what is happening. The words you use are vital – and of course they need to be entertained continually throughout the trick. Plus, a good trick for one child may not even be a good trick for another child the same age. For me, entertainment is the most important factor.”

All of Spread a Smile’s entertainers bring their own talents, skills and expertise to help spread a little happiness to seriously ill children and young people in hospital and online at home.

Ian says: “The video is as close as anyone can possibly get to actually being in the same room to see the massive difference we make. It’s not unusual to create this laughter and it happens often. The wonderment and fun created by Spread a Smile’s singers, fairies, magicians, musicians, poets and therapy dogs shows on every visit. And not just for the children, but for the parents, grandparents, siblings and friends who are at the hospital and are all heavily involved in their journey too. It is our mission to ‘Spread a Smile’ to everyone and I hope the message taken from the film is that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.”

The film has helped raise huge awareness about Spread a Smile and it’s work in NHS hospitals and hospices across the country, with the growth in audience meaning the charity can reach even more people who need their help. It is also clear from the 4,000+ comments on the film, that the film has been helpful to so many people, helping to spread smiles across the world.

“It’s wonderful to think that people around the world are playing the film over and over and it’s helping them through difficult times. Sometimes the simplest things can make the world of difference to someone.”

Now that really is what we call magic!

if you haven’t already seen the film, head over to @spreadasmileuk on Instagram, Facebook or X, or watch below.

To support our work spreading smiles, please donate here. 

New partner – West Middlesex University Hospital

 780 400 Susie
By:

Spread a Smile today announces its latest hospital partner, West Middlesex University Hospital, part of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which cares for people in west London, serving patients from London Boroughs of Hounslow, Richmond Upon Thames and Ealing.

Spread a Smile works closely with teams who treat seriously ill children and young people receiving treatment for a range of everyday to highly complex conditions and illnesses. These patients, along with their families are invited to join the Spread a Smile family and benefit from their 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.  West Middlesex University Hospital joins 31 other major and speciality NHS hospitals and four hospice partners already supported by Spread a Smile, taking the charity one step closer to its aim.

The Spread a Smile team of talented entertainers, including musicians, artists, magicians and therapy dogs, will spend quality time with patients in hospital through monthly in-person visits. Patients and their families will also be able to access weekly virtual group activity sessions, including art clubs, magic, storytelling and more, enabling the charity to see and support as many people as possible. All with the aim of spreading hundreds of smiles and a lot of happiness to children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses and their families.

Children at West Middlesex University Hospital will also be able to join special themed virtual activity days celebrating seasonal occasions during school holidays and half-term, benefit from regular treat drops and enjoy entertainer visits scheduled throughout the year, all giving seriously ill children and their families the opportunity to join in with fun and exciting experiences that they may otherwise not have access to.

Simii Dhupar, Senior Health Play Specialist at West Middlesex University Hospital said, “Spread a Smile do such an amazing and fantastic job, bringing smiles to patients’ faces during their time in hospital. Whether it’s by visiting the wards to distract and entertain them, joining our patient parties to spread more joy, or providing online sessions so patients in isolation can still join in and don’t miss out. Spread a Smile’s support is amazing and the range of talented people who work hard in front of and behind the scenes just to make a child or young person smile is truly brilliant. We cannot thank them enough for all the joy and laughter they bring.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive added, “Spread a Smile is delighted to be working with West Middlesex University Hospital, their Play Team and wider ward teams to help bring moments of joy and distraction to seriously ill children and young people at the hospital. It is our privilege to help make a difference during some of the most difficult times for these families and are very much looking forward to doing what we can to spread smiles when they are needed most.” 

To find out more about Spread a Smile’s work spreading smiles to seriously ill children and their families across our NHS hospital and hospice partners, please click here.

A special visit from Magic Singh

 780 400 Susie
By:

Last week we were delighted to welcome the amazing Amardeep Singh Dhanjal, aka Magic Singh, for a visit to St Mary’s Hospital, London to entertain young patients on the wards.

Amardeep joined our Director of Services, Laura Walter to help spread some joy and wonder through the art of magic to children and young people receiving treatment at the hospital. It really was a very special visit.

After his visit, Amardeep said, “This was my first hospital visit… and it certainly won’t be the last. It was truly magical to see a smile on the child’s face. That’s real Magic.”

Amardeep began his magic career at the age of 11 after receiving a deck of trick cards from his parents at Christmas. By 15, he was a fully-fledged member of the esteemed ‘The Young Magician’s Circle’, with full membership of the elite ‘The Magic Circle’ following at the age of 18. Today, Amardeep travels the world with his magic, and has an incredible following, including over 2.1million followers on TikTok alone.

Spread a Smile’s Laura Walter said of the visit, “We’re so grateful to Amardeep for joining us at St Mary’s Hospital and sharing his incredible talents with some of the children and young people we support. Magic is a wonderful art form which can help distract our families from the pain and worry of treatment and illness, even if just for a moment. It was a pleasure to watch Amardeep at work and to have the opportunity to share our work with him. We hope this is the first of many more visits to come.” 

Please click here to find out more about our work entertaining and spreading joy to seriously ill children and young people in hospital and at home.

Help spread smiles and joy this Christmas

 780 400 Susie
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This Christmas, Spread a Smile will send over 1,000 personalised festive Smile Hampers and 4,000 gifts to seriously ill children in hospital and at home and to their siblings too, spreading joy when it is needed most.

Our Smile Hampers are packed full of gifts, hand-picked with each child in mind, and are delivered directly to their home or to hospital in time for Christmas. We’ll also be delivering gifts to our NHS hospital and hospice partners to be shared with children and young people on the wards, helping to bring smiles and distraction during the festive period.

To do this, we need the support of generous businesses and individuals to donate gifts and treats for our gift packages.

Can you or your company help to spread a smile this Christmas?

You can purchase gifts from our Amazon gift list which we will then send to children in hospital or pop into one of our Smile Hampers.

If your business can help, or you could put us in touch with one who might, please email the team at fundraising@spreadasmile.org We are looking for items suitable for children of all ages and need more than 4,000 small and medium sized gifts. Everything has to be brand new and we specifically looking for…

  • Gifts for teenagers, (including jewellery, water bottles, stationery, fluffy socks, beanie hats, toiletries, lip balms, crystal art sets, portable speakers and phone accessories);
  • Gifts for boys aged 7+ (such as toiletries, beanie hats, gaming stuff, headphones etc.);
  • Gifts for toddlers and babies aged three and under (books, rattles, teethers, soft and sensory toys).

For the seriously ill children and young people we support, Christmas can be a difficult time, spent in hospital away from the comforts of home. Each year Spread a Smile helps bring back the magic of Christmas.

A huge thank you to the individuals and companies who have donated gifts so far, including
Hasbro, Rainbow Designs, OTL Technology, Cheatwell Games, Aurora World, Plus Plus, Crayola, Barry M, Playmobil and Melissa and Doug.

We have lots planned this festive season to spread smiles far and wide, so please contact the team if you’d like to find out more about sponsoring any of our activities. Thank you.

Children with Cancer UK partnership

 780 400 Susie
By:

Spread a Smile is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with the charity Children with Cancer UK, to help improve the wellbeing of seriously ill and hospitalised children and their siblings and family members through entertainment and events.

Children with Cancer UK will be helping fund Spread a Smile’s in-person and virtual entertainer visits to seriously ill children and young people with cancer in NHS Hospitals. They will also be supporting our summer and winter parties and an annual event for families who have lost a child.

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive said of the partnership, “We are extremely grateful to Children with Cancer UK for supporting our vital work bringing joy and happiness to seriously ill children across the country.

“The Spread a Smile team of talented entertainers, including musicians, artists, magicians, singers and therapy dogs, currently supports 31 NHS hospitals and three hospice partners. Thanks to our partnership, we’ll be able to reach even more vulnerable patients and their families during some of the most difficult times of their lives.

“We are very much looking forward to working closely with the Children with Cancer UK team.”

Jo Elvin, CEO of Children with Cancer UK said: “’We are delighted to be partnering with Spread a Smile. The support they provide to children, parents and siblings whilst they are going through the unimaginable is incredibly inspiring.

“To bring smiles to the families, even on their darkest days, and support their wellbeing is a core value of Children with Cancer UK and we look forward to working together to bring more happiness to those in need.“

The partnership will launch officially on 1 November and will see Children with Cancer UK funding in-person entertainer visits to a number of Spread a Smile partner hospitals as well as virtual entertainer and art visits to children who are in hospital and at home.

Children with Cancer UK will be able to support Spread a Smile in their growth with the aim to increase their number of partners to 38 by the end of the 2023/24, then to 50 by the end of 2024/25. Currently around 50% of the children and young people Spread a Smile support are oncology patients.

Families supported by Children with Cancer UK will be included in Spread a Smile’s Christmas ‘Smile Hamper’ initiative, which sees seriously ill children and their siblings receive personalised gift boxes, delivered to them at home or in hospital and will be invited to meet Father Christmas in Spread a Smile’s virtual Santa’s Grotto. Families will also be invited to Spread a Smile’s annual Winter Party, on 13 January 2024 in Central London and beyond that, Spread a Smile very much looks forward to welcoming children supported by Children with Cancer to other family events including theatre trips and tea parties.