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spread a smile

Our amazing 2024 Winter Party

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On Saturday 13 January we held our Winter Party at St Mary’s Marylebone London.

It was an incredible day which saw us welcome over 320 of the children and young people we support including their families and some of our colleagues from our NHS hospital partners. Due to the Covid pandemic, it was the first time we’d held a winter party since 2019. 

CREDIT: Suzan Moore

Held over two floors, this very special family event was packed full of different stalls and activities for our VIP guests to enjoy, run by the Spread a Smile team and over 60 brilliant volunteers.  There was something for everyone including gingerbread house making, a sweet stall, nail art, face painting, play doh, glitter tattoos, friendship bracelet making, teddy bear t-shirt and tote bag decorating, storytelling and pizza making.

“The Spread a Smile Winter Party was awesome. So many great activities for the kids to do and everyone volunteering was so kind. Hugo loved the play doh table and spent ages on the gingerbread house table too. Thank you so much for a fantastic day of treats and such a magical day. Hugo will be talking about this day for a long, long time.” Morgan, Hugo’s Mum

We were joined by All About Anna’s Animals who brought along some gorgeous animals to hold and learn more about. Our friends from the LEGO Group were on hand with a table full of LEGO® for everyone to get creative building and playing games and there was storytelling in the beautiful snow dome from The UK Dome Company. Guests also enjoyed fun on our bumper cars, a VR experience  from Bryght Ltd, a Silent Disco thanks to Silent Event, fancy dress and keepsake photos from Polabooth UK, plus a truly slimy slime making experience with Slime Planet.

CREDIT: Suzan Moore

Our brilliant team of Spread a Smile entertainers joined us to fill the day with music, singing, dancing, bubbles, magic, poetry and much more.

We were treated to a very special interactive performance from Embracing Arts, who put on a fantastic interactive theatre show and our very own Anna from Frozen welcomed children to the stage for a dance and a sing-a-long. Plus our Therapy Dogs Thomas and Harry loved meeting guests. 

To keep everyone going, we put on food and treats galore, including Sushi rolls from SushiDog, delicious pizzas from Pizza Pilgrims and yummy cupcakes from our friends at Lola’s Cupcakes and Brigit’s Bakery. We also made sure parents and carers were given a special self-care moment with hand massages, aromatherapy and a team of hairdressers.

We are extremely proud to deliver days such as this for the families we support and it was lovely to see so many of them relaxing and meeting the team and other families. We were also delighted to welcome our Ambassador Suzi Ruffell and our Trustees to share in the magic of this very special day.

CREDIT: Suzan Moore

We can’t thank our wonderful volunteers enough for giving up their time to make the day possible, plus all of our generous corporate supporters who donated supplies, food and drink. Thank you to our friends from BlackRock, Bregal Milestone, Brigit’s Bakery, Hasbro, C. Hoare & Co, the LEGO Group, LMAC Group, Lola’s Cupcakes, Opticore, Rotary Club, Sidekick Management and McVities, for their generous support of this event. In particular to Children with Cancer UK and the Children’s Welfare and Research Foundation whose support made the event possible. 

Thank you to all of our friends, families and colleagues for joining us and making our Winter Party 2024 one to remember. Watch this space for details of our Summer Party.

To help ensure we can continue to spread smiles to seriously ill children and young people, please donate here. Thank you.

If you would like to find out about attending our family events in the future, please register for our services and sign up to receive our Family Newsletter here.

Photos Credit: Suzan Moore

Constellia new partnership

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We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Constellia, a leading procurement specialist for the public and private sector in the UK.

As a procurement partner to the NHS and the wider public sector, Constellia understands the enormous pressures the NHS faces daily when it comes to time and resources to deliver lifesaving work. By choosing Spread a Smile as its nominated charity of the year for 2024, Constellia hopes it can in some small way help Spread a Smile to bring precious moments of joy to seriously ill children, teenagers and their families.

The partnership will include volunteering opportunities, financial contributions and providing us with a platform to showcase our work to Constellia’s dynamic marketplace of suppliers and clients.

To kick off the partnership, Constellia’s team joined forces with Spread a Smile and their social value partners at whatimpact.com for a heartwarming day of packing “Smile Hampers.” These hampers, filled with handpicked gifts and treats, are intended for the homes of some of the incredible children and young people supported by Spread a Smile, as well as their siblings. This collaborative effort was part of Spread a Smile’s annual campaign, which this year saw 1,450 boxes sent out to the families we support. The campaign achieved remarkable success, with the joint efforts of 530 volunteers from all over the UK.

Rob Levene, CEO of Constellia, commented, “At Constellia, we are passionate about making a positive social impact, and Spread a Smile’s incredible work aligns perfectly with our values. We are honoured to support them as our nominated charity of the year and look forward to contributing to their mission of bringing smiles to children and teenagers facing challenging times.”

Lucy Jackson, CEO of Spread a Smile, commented, “We are thrilled to have Constellia as a charity partner. Their commitment to helping children and young people facing illness is heartwarming, and their support will enable us to continue bringing happiness and laughter to those who need it most.”

A huge thank you to Constellia for their support.

Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice partnership

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Spread a Smile today announces its newest supported charity, Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service, based in Maidenhead, Alexander Devine offers vital care to babies, children, young people and their families with life limiting and life-threatening conditions across Berkshire and into surrounding counties.

Spread a Smile will provide additional opportunities to the children and their families, with in person visits throughout the year at family events, treat drops and bespoke art sessions.

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.  Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service joins 3 other hospices, and 31 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 spend quality time with patients at family events where the Spread a Smile family will invite them to join in one-to-one sessions and group activities, with the aim of spreading smiles and happiness to children undergoing treatment for serious illness, alongside their families.

Children and young people at Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service will also be able to sign up for seasonal Spread a Smile activities such as Christmas eventsenjoy entertainer visits scheduled throughout the year, all giving children and their families the opportunity to join in with fun and exciting experiences.

Gemma Wood, Play Specialist at Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service said “Spread a Smile has lived up to their name with the support they have given to us. Laura, their Director of Services reached out to us earlier in the year to offer their skills and experience to us. Spread a Smile helped to provide entertainment for our siblings day. This enabled our cared for children and their siblings to experience fun and joy together, helping the families make precious memories together.

“Marina, their Head of Art has provided some amazing artwork in our dining room which is in view when you enter our hospice. This has brought a smile to our families and staff faces as it lights up the entire area. Thank you Spread a Smile.” 

Laura Walter, Spread a Smile Director of Services added, “We are delighted to be working with Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service and their wonderful team to help bring a little joy and laughter to the children and families. It’s a very special place and we are proud to be able to share the Spread a Smile magic and reach even more children and young people in the hospice setting.”

A huge thank you to everyone who makes our work possible. Please click here for more on the different NHS hospital and hospice partners that we support.

A special visit from Magic Singh

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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.

Comedy Night a huge success

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What a night! Monday saw our third annual Comedy Night at The Comedy Store London, sponsored by Canary Wharf Contractors Fund and curated and hosted by our amazing Ambassador Suzi Ruffell.

The evening was sold out, with 400 guests joining us for an incredible night of standup comedy from the extremely talented Rob Beckett, Laura Smyth, Dinesh Nathan, Maisie Adam, Thanyia Moore and Tom Allen.

The Spread a Smile Comedy Night is an important date in our fundraising calendar, providing an opportunity to welcome supporters and new friends for a fun night out whilst also raising vital funds for our work spreading smiles to seriously ill children, young people and their families. Over £22,000 was raised on the night through ticket sales and a raffle and guests heard more about our work and the difference they are helping to make to the families we support.

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive said, “This year’s Comedy Night was a huge success, made possible by the wonderful support by our incredible Ambassador Suzi Ruffell, her fellow comedians, our headline sponsor and guests. The room was filled with so much joy and it really brought home just how important smiles and laughter are. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who made this brilliant event possible and for helping to raise such a brilliant amount to ensure we can keep spreading smiles to our families when they need us most.”

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined us and to Suzi for all her hard work bringing this brilliant event together. To comedians Rob Beckett, Laura Smyth, Dinesh Nathan, Maisie Adam, Thanyia Moore and Tom Allen for treating us to such a wonderful evening of entertainment and giving up their time to help spread smiles.

Also thank you to our headline sponsor Canary Wharf Contractors Fund for their continued support, our VIP guests Hamilton Court FX, Bright Little Stars Nursery and Westgate Healthcare and everyone who donated prizes and gifts including, Marmalade of London, Dash Drinks, Tony’s Chocolonely UK, Romesh Ranganathan and Riding House Café.

Please do get in touch with us at fundraising@spreadasmile.org if you or your company would like to find out more about supporting our work.

Festive Smile Hamper Appeal 2023

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Christmas is always a busy time of year for Spread a Smile because it’s a time when the families we support need us most. For children and young people battling serious or terminal illness, Christmas can mean time spent in hospital, undergoing treatment and separated from family and friends.

Please join us in our mission to bring the magic of Christmas and as much joy and laughter as possible to the thousands of children we support and their families as we send out over 1,400 personalised Smile Hampers for children and their siblings. A Smile Hamper is a complimentary gift box containing a selection of toys, games and treats. Each hamper is personalised and handpicked for each child.

Please donate £25 to help fund a Smile Hamper for a seriously ill child or their sibling.

“Folakemi’s heart condition is life-limiting and as she grows we just don’t know what will happen. Spread a Smile shines a little light through all the worry and darkness, particularly at Christmas time. Folakemi and her sister Temitope are so looking forward to receiving their Smile Hampers. The excitement and joy are wonderful and it brings a tear to my eye watching them laugh and unwrap their gifts. It means the world to all of us.” Anita, Folakemi and Temitope’s Mum

The children we support deserve a special treat and with your help, we can give them just that. Please give what you can and help us reach every family who needs us with a little bit of Spread a Smile joy this festive season. Thank you.

Help spread smiles and joy this Christmas

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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

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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.

A very special party for our families

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Last Saturday we welcomed over 100 of children and families we support to a special Spread a Smile Party, generously hosted by our friends at Corinthia London.

It was a truly magical day out for everyone who joined us, with our guests enjoying a special visit from Father Christmas, magic, facepainting and the chance to meet Thomas the Therapy Dog, Santa’s elves and our beautiful Christmas tree fairy.

There was so much to do and see, with a delicious afternoon tea, hot chocolate, cookie decorating, bauble making, Christmas card crafts and graffiti art, nail painting and more. It really was a day to remember full of festive fun and activities.

Days out like this mean a huge amount to the families we support. We know that everyone in a family is deeply affected by the illness of a child or sibling. 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.

As the parent of one of the children we support said, “I just wanted to say a massive thank you for our amazing experience on Saturday. It really was a wonderland, and it was so special for us to spend some one-to-one time together as her brother has been going through treatment for 2.5 years, so as you can imagine time together doing lovely things has been very little. Everyone was so welcoming and went out of their way to make her so happy.”

A big thank you to the Corinthia London for their wonderful support and for helping to make our families so welcome. This very special partnership is making a real and positive impact for our families and we can’t thank them enough for their support.

Find out more about our events and outings here.

Rosie Grace McClelland supports Spread a Smile

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We are delighted to announce that singer, actor and lifestyle influencer, Rosie Grace McClelland will be supporting Spread a Smile through some exciting initiatives over the coming months.

Rosie first shot to fame back in 2012 when she appeared on ‘The Ellen Show’, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres when she was just 5 years old. Rosie was catapulted to overnight fame along with her cousin Sophia Grace, after they performed a Nicki Minaj ‘Superbase’ rendition.

Rosie, now 17 years old, boasts over 10 years in the entertainment industry as a singer, dancer, actor, and lifestyle influencer.  In May 2022 she released her 8th Single, Hurt So Good and was recently back in LA, recording new music for an EP due to be released in 2024.

Rosie first got to know Spread a Smile earlier this year, running a bespoke virtual workshop and Q&A session for some of the young people we support. She received incredible feedback from everyone who attended with one of our NHS hospital partners saying, “We find that children and young people live through experiences by media, so having the option for online activities can make our patients feel included, especially when one of our long-term patients interacted with her favourite YouTube star in a Spread a Smile event!”

We’re looking forward to working closely with Rosie in the New Year to organise more virtual sessions and developing a partnership that will inspire and support some of the young people we reach. Alongside the virtual sessions, Rosie will be creating content especially for Spread a Smile’s 24-hour online entertainment channel, Smile TV, reaching hundreds of young people with her incredible talent.

“Rosie is a wonderful talent, full of passion and we are so grateful to her for sharing her time and energy with us and helping to spread a little bit of joy to the young people we support. At Spread a Smile, we see every day just how difficult and isolating a serious illness can be. I’ve no doubt that Rosie’s sessions will provide a wonderful and uplifting distraction and we can’t thank her enough for her support.” Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive

Rosie said, “I’m so honoured to have been chosen to team up with Spread a Smile charity, they are such a special organisation bringing happy opportunities to these amazingly brave children.

“This charity is one that is very close to my heart, and I feel very lucky to have already met so many children on our virtual sessions, I can’t wait to meet more inspirational children and their families and create content exclusively for them to enjoy on Smile TV.”

Follow us on social media (@spreadasmileuk on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) to be the fist to hear about Rosie’s new initiatives as they launch.