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King’s College Hospital

Bringing Pamper Days to King’s

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
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Last week, we were delighted to host our first Pamper Day at King’s Hospital, London. Our incredible aromatherapist, Collette, was joined by volunteer Precious, offering parents and carers of children with long-term hospital stays the chance to relax and unwind.

Throughout the day, we provided a range of soothing treatments, including aromatherapy and hand massages. Precious was on-hand making people feel beautiful by providing incredible hair cuts and blow dries. These small but significant treatments are designed to offer a moment of self-care and respite from the demanding nature of hospital life.

We know that during a child’s long-term hospital stay, moments of self-care and relaxation are often difficult to find. That’s why it was such a pleasure for us to provide this space for parents and carers to relax. We are committed to bringing more moments of joy and tranquility to the hospital environment and look forward to providing more relaxation to parents and guardians on future visits.

Learn more about what we do at Spread a Smile and sign up for our e-newsletter here to get our news directly in your inbox.

Liam Conlon MP joins Spread a Smile hospital visit

 780 400 Susie
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Liam Conlon, the MP for Beckenham and Penge, joined Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile CEO, on a visit to King’s College Hospital yesterday (Wednesday 23rd April), where he met some of the children and families that Spread a Smile support and saw their work first-hand.

Spread a Smile works in partnership with the Play Team at King’s College Hospital to spread smiles, bring joy, entertainment, and moments of respite. During the visit, Mr Conlon met with young patients, their families, and NHS staff, and witnessed first-hand the powerful impact of the charity’s in-hospital entertainers. On the day we were joined by Collette, a Spread a Smile singer, and Nick, a magician.

Mr Conlon’s visit was particularly poignant given his personal connection to the NHS. As a teenager, he spent several years undergoing treatment at the Royal London Hospital and Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital following a serious accident at age 13.

While it is not the hospital where Liam was treated, King’s College Hospital treats hundreds of his constituents in Beckenham and Penge every year. Mr Conlon said the experience of visiting another children’s ward was “important to him.”

He said, “Today’s visit was very special to me because it is personal. I spent years growing up on NHS children’s wards as a teenager after an accident at 13, and I owe so much to the NHS. And whilst children’s wards are in some ways a grim reality, they are also places of great hope, deep compassion, and world-class care. That is made possible by NHS staff and the people behind incredible initiatives like Spread a Smile which will make such a difference to children and their families.”

“I’m so grateful to the Spread a Smile team and the staff at King’s for the incredible work they do every single day.”

Spread a Smile currently partners with 39 NHS hospitals and six hospices across the UK, delivering in-person and virtual entertainment. Their partnership with King’s started in January 2020 and we currently make three visits a month to the hospital and have plans to increase this in the coming months.

A huge thank you to Mr Conlan for joining us on the visit and to all the team at Kings College Hospital for their support. Find out more about Spread a Smile’s work here.