Posts Tagged :

spread a smile

What a night! B&C Awards 2023

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Spread a Smile was delighted to be chosen as charity partner for this years B&C Awards, held at the prestigious Hurlingham Club in London last Thursday night.

The Awards, organised by Medianett Publishing in association with Market Finance Solutions, celebrate companies and individuals from the specialist finance market, with 30 awards handed out on the night.

Spread a Smile Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson along with our Head of Fundraising Amanda Azouz and Mr Magic joined guests for a wonderful evening centred around the theme of the Rio de Janeiro Carnival. An amazing £19,000 was raised on the night through pledges and a silent auction to help spread smiles to seriously ill children and young people and their families.

“After hearing the stories about the amazing work Spread A Smile does for thousands of children with acute or chronic conditions every year, we were delighted to team up with Spread a Smile at this year’s B&C Awards as our charity partner.” said Medianett Publishing’s Managing Director Beth Fisher.

“After Lucy gave her heartfelt speech and presented her video to our guests, magicians from Spread a Smile worked their magic to get donations from the crowd of over 780 professionals in the specialist finance industry throughout the night.

“We hope the generous donations towards the Silent Auction and from table holders will support this fantastic charity in spreading smiles to thousands more children.”

Andrew Bloom, owner of Spring Finance — who holds the charity close to his heart and recommended us as this year’s Awards partner — commented: “Spread A Smile is a truly special charity; what could be purer than bringing joy and laughter to a seriously ill child. In 2023, their entertainers will visit dozens of hospitals nationwide spreading smiles to thousands of children. I am delighted to be part of an industry that supports charities like these.”

Our thanks go to Spring Finance and Medianett Publishing for their wonderful support.

Please do get in touch with the team at fundraising@spreadasmile.org if you are interested in supporting our work. Thank you.

Spread a Smile Golf Days a huge success

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Last week we celebrated our 3rd annual Golf Days at the stunning Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, welcoming an amazing 36 teams of four-balls across two days of golf.

The sun shone as the teams took on the 18-hole Palmerston Course, with Spread a Smile entertainers dotted around the course to cheer everyone on. Our magicians wowed our golfers with a little bit of magic, Judge the Poet was on hand with a bit of spontaneous poetry and our musicians Collette and Andy sang and played, making everyone smile with their personalised dedications.

Once the score sheets were in, guests enjoyed a lovely three course meal in the club house, followed by prize giving and a raffle, with Spread a Smile Chief Executive Lucy Jackson sharing a little bit about how our golfers will help to make a huge difference to the families we support.

Neil Taylor, Managing Director at Opticore IT said, “The organisation of the Spread a Smile Golf Day is always exceptional and the cause itself surpasses everything; it resonates with every person that attends. Having so many people in one place having a great time with a shared intention of making a difference is great see, it continues to bring people back year after year.”

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our teams for joining us and for helping to raise vital funds to spread smiles to the seriously ill children we support.

Also, to Opticore IT for sponsoring the water bottles, Elaine and Andrew Jaye for sponsoring the raffle, Activit Drinks for their generous donation of 200 cans of Tropical Boost Sparkling Water and Olly’s for kindly donating pretzels and olives for the golfers to enjoy on the course.

Please do get in touch with Rosie at rosie@spreadasmile.org if you would like to find out more about joining our 2024 Golf Days and our exciting sponsorship opportunities.

Introducing our Real Estate Committee

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We are proud to announce the launch of our new Real Estate Committee, created to explore new avenues to help us raise funds and awareness for the children and families we support.

The Real Estate Committee is a first for Spread a Smile. Chaired by Shaun Simons, Founder of Compton, the Committee brings together key industry figures; Richard Fine and Dan Uzan, Brotherton, alongside James Lass, Swiss Life Asset Managers, Michael Mirelman, GRE Finance and Chris Davies, CEO, Uncommon.

Prior to the unveiling of the Committee, Compton has already hosted two very well-attended dinners at their restaurant, with a guestlist from the real estate world. The dinner was a brilliant networking opportunity raising important funds to support Spread a Smile’s work, providing in-hospital and virtual entertainment for critically ill children and their families. The idea for the dinners was conceived following a meeting between Lucy Jackson, the charity’s Chief Executive and Shaun Simons, Founder of Compton, who specialise in commercial office leasing & investment.

Collectively the group will create opportunities to raise awareness and vital funds for the charity, via a programme of intimate events and industry dinners, at which guests will learn all about the crucial support that Spread a Smile provides.

Shaun Simons said of his role, “I was blown away when I first learned of the work that Spread a Smile does.  They are an amazingly unique charity and the support they provide really resonated with me from the very first introduction.  My son, who is now 10, was born 4 months premature and together with my wife, we spent over 5 months in various hospitals whilst he received urgent care. Having had significant exposure to many children’s wards I can really understand the importance of the service Spread a Smile provides.

“I have worked in the property industry for 23 years, it’s an amazingly social industry filled with great people. I have formed a strong and widespread network and along with my fellow committee members, I’m confident we can help raise the profile of the charity. I’m sure we will have amazing support from the property industry, a sector that currently knows very little about what the charity provides and the joy they can bring to those struggling. 

Shaun added, “I simply could not refuse the Chair position and I’m really flattered to be asked, and am eager to get stuck in, personally and professionally.  The wider Compton team will also work closely with the Committee, and will be supporting our plans across the Compton brand platforms to further spotlight the incredibly important work Spread a Smile do.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile’s Chief Executive said “I’m so looking forward to working with Shaun and the rest of the committee. I’m incredibly grateful to all of them for giving up their time and making important introductions to support our work and raise funds and awareness. This will enable Spread a Smile to continue to deliver our work and support new hospitals, spreading smiles to seriously ill children and their families when they need it the most.”

The Committee’s 2023 programme will deliver two events; invite only dinners with engaging speakers and entertainment. The ambition is to bolster this with more events, plus open them out further inviting members from within the wider property community to get involved, all in an attempt to further raise the Spread a Smile charity.

To find out more about the Committee or how your company could get involved with supporting Spread a Smile, please email Lucy Keith at lucykeith@spreadasmile.org. Read more about our Real Estate Committee members 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.

 

Jenna Coleman spreads smiles at BGC Charity Day

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Spread a Smile is delighted to have been chosen as a beneficiary charity for the 19th annual BGC Charity Day yesterday.

The fundraiser takes place every year on September 11th to raise money in memory of the brokerage’s 658 colleagues and 61 Eurobrokers employees who tragically lost their lives in the World Trade Centre attacks on 9/11. 100% of BGC Group’s global revenues on the day will be donated to charities around the world, including Spread a Smile.

Photo Credit: Dave Benett

It was a very special day, and we are extremely grateful that BAFTA-nominated British actor Jenna Coleman joined us to represent Spread a Smile on the trading floor at BGC Group, hitting the phones to help raise vital funds for charitable causes alongside a host of other celebrities.

“Spread a Smile is an incredible charity which brings much needed laughter and happiness to seriously ill children in hospital. I’m proud to represent them at the BGC Charity Day and have had a wonderful afternoon on the trading floor and meeting some of the inspirational families the charity supports, along with some very talented Spread a Smile entertainers. It’s been an absolute pleasure and I hope that we’ve managed to raise lots of much needed awareness and funds to help ensure they can continue to share the Spread a Smile magic.” Jenna Coleman

We were also delighted that some of the families we support, along with our talented entertainers were also invited for this exciting day out at the BGC office, with treats and lots of fun and games along the way.

Spread a Smile does not receive any government funding and needs to raise £1.4million each year to continue to deliver our services spreading joy and laughter up and down the country. Support from amazing companies and individuals like BGC Group and Jenna will make a huge impact, raising much needed funds and awareness and helping us to spread even more smiles to seriously ill children, young people and their families when they need it most.

“We are so grateful to be benefitting from this year’s BGC Charity Day. Funds raised will support our work, bringing much-needed joy and laughter to critically ill children in hospital. We also owe a huge thank you to Jenna Coleman who represented Spread a Smile on the day and was joined by some inspirational families who have been supported by Spread a Smile.” Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive.

Thank you to Jenna Coleman and her team, our families and entertainers and everyone at BGC Group for all their hard work and for inviting Spread a Smile to be part of this wonderful initiative.

Every Pack Gives Back with McVitie’s BN biscuits

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We are delighted to announce that McVitie’s has partnered with Spread a Smile, supporting the charity through its iconic McVitie’s BN biscuits. The partnership is a perfect fit, as the BN biscuit is well-known for its smiley face.

Not only have McVitie’s BN donated to help fund Spread a Smile’s work supporting seriously ill children in hospital, they are also including the charity’s branding and details of the partnership on in store media to raise awareness of the work we do under their ‘Every Pack Gives Back’ messaging.

McVitie’s BN biscuits made a triumphant return to shelves in January 2022, allowing fans the chance to once again ‘taste the smile’.

The first wave of the ‘Every Pack Gives Back campaign’ supporting Spread a Smile appeared in Asda stores across the country back in May 2023. A second burst of activity is planned for September, reaching into even more major retailers, including Sainsbury’s.

The return of the BN biscuits jingle “BN BN, do doo do doo-do” across several radio stations this month is also helping to raise awareness of the partnership with Spread a Smile.

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive said, “Our partnership with McVitie’s BN is an exciting opportunity for Spread a Smile. This year, our aim is to spread smiles to even more seriously ill children and their families in more hospitals and thanks to the financial support and brand awareness provided by McVitie’s, we’ll be able to do just that. We are extremely grateful to them for sharing their BN smile with us.” 

Aslı Özen Turhan, Chief Marketing Officer at pladis UK&I said: We at McVitie’s BN are proud to support Spread a Smile with the incredible work they do bringing joy to thousands of seriously ill children in hospitals and hospices across the UK. We hope the partnership with BN helps continue to bring smiles to those who need it most.”

We’d like to say a huge thank you to McVitie’s BN for their support and helping us to spread smiles far and wide.

Please get in touch with Amanda Azouz if you or your company are interested in supporting Spread a Smile and making a difference to seriously ill children in hospital. Thank you

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and a time to highlight the impact cancer has on children, young people and their families.

Each year, Spread a Smile’s team of therapeutic entertainers support hundreds of children, young people and their families, battling all kinds of serious illnesses. Cancer is one of them.

Around 12 children and young people in the UK will find out the devastating news that they have cancer every day, which marks the beginning of a difficult path navigating hospital admissions, invasive treatments, pain and horrible side effects, and ongoing worry and uncertainty.

Spread a Smile’s mission is to be there for as many young people and their families as possible, bringing joy, fun, laughter, distraction, and friendship during some of the most difficult times. Young people like Hannah who in 2022 was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma (cancer).

Andrea, Hannah’s Mum said, “We discovered Spread a Smile whilst waiting for proton beam therapy in the hospital playroom. There was a notice on the wall saying that Spread a Smile would be visiting with a therapy dog, so we asked to change Hannah’s treatment time to coincide with their visit. 

“We met Laura from the charity who explained what Spread a Smile does and how they could support Hannah. Laura was so kind, asking Hannah what she was interested in and listening to her and what she had to say. We realised that Hannah really enjoyed art and so she started weekly art classes in hospital with Abi, one of the Spread a Smile artists. Hannah also loved meeting the magicians and therapy dogs – Buddy, Harry, Thomas and Choco!

“It was such a good thing for both of us – throwing balls for the dogs, having cuddles, learning magic tricks and creating something in art. Hannah would become very poorly whilst on chemotherapy, so we weren’t allowed home at weekends and spent six weeks away from home and family in London. Meeting Spread a Smile would break up the week and give Hannah (and me) so many moments of laughter, happiness and enjoyment.  

“Instead of just turning up at the exact time for our appointments, we would arrive at hospital first thing for when Spread a Smile arrived, so we could spend as much time as possible with them. Hannah didn’t want to miss a thing! It gave her a sense of purpose and meant a huge amount to both of us.

“Spread a Smile also invited us on an outing to afternoon tea at Mildreds restaurant in London – which was brilliant. It was a chance for us to have a day out together, in amongst all the treatment and hospital stuff. We were able to relax and breathe for a while.”

“Since coming home, we are so lucky that Hannah has been able to continue her art classes every other week over Zoom. The classes are a way of her being with other people – friends now – who don’t treat her differently because of her illness. She is Hannah the person, not the illness. She looks forward to the sessions as she is listened to and valued. She has choices and independence which is hugely important when your life feels like it’s controlled by something like cancer.

“Spread a Smile has made a huge difference to Hannah, making life just a bit more manageable.”

Thank you to everyone who makes the work we do spreading smiles to young people like Hannah possible. Click here to find out more about our work across the UK.

Please get in touch if you would like to access our services here.

Reaching more patients virtually

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Spread a Smile’s mission is to bring joy to as many seriously ill children and young people across the country. Thanks to a generous donation of 10 iPads and cases from CJC IT we’ll now be able to reach even more of the most vulnerable patients, carrying out virtual visits in hospitals when face-to-face visits aren’t possible.

Some hospitalised patients are not able to meet our team in person due to infection risk, for example, if they are severely immunocompromised and at a greater risk of serious infection. Spread a Smile Visit Managers will take an iPad with them to our NHS hospital partners and safely pass the iPad to a seriously ill patient so they can meet the Spread a Smile entertainers virtually and enjoy the magic and distraction that they bring.

Spread a Smile Director of Services, Laura Walter said, “When a child is seriously ill, sometimes they might spend weeks or even months isolated from the world around them, not able to do things that other children are doing or see many people other than medical staff. Thanks to the generous gift of iPads from CJC IT, Spread a Smile will be able to reach some of the most vulnerable and seriously ill children and young people, providing moments of comfort and joy during one of the most difficult times of their lives.”

Some of the iPads will also be donated to our hospitals so that Play Teams and staff can access our wider virtual visits and group sessions with their patients when we are not there in person.

Paul Gow, Chief Executive Officer and Founder at CJC said, “Seeing the impact of Spread a Smile first-hand last year really touched me, personally and as a company, CJC is committed and strongly supports the welfare and children’s wellbeing.” He adds, “Many of CJC’s staff are actively volunteering and raising money in support of Spread a Smile, for example, Tough Mudder London next month.”

A huge thank you to CJC IT for their wonderful support and for helping us to spread even more smiles when they are needed most.

Please get in touch with us at fundraising@spreadasmile.org to find out how you or your company can help spread smiles across the UK.

*As always, Spread a Smile will work with the hospital team to adhere to strict infection control procedures, wiping down and sterilising the iPad in between patients.

Building our partnership with the LEGO Group

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Since beginning our partnership with the LEGO Group in 2022, we’ve seen some wonderful initiatives take place for our families, including a special LEGO® build for our 10th anniversary dinner centre pieces and a brilliant LEGO® Masterclass last year as part of their ‘Build the Change’ program.

More recently Spread a Smile’s entertainers and Visit Managers took part in a special Play Agent workshop, exploring the importance of play and how to creatively use LEGO® bricks to facilitate play during our hospital visits.

When a child is ill in hospital, so many day-to-day childhood experiences are lost. Our aim is to bring back some of those experiences, taking them into hospital and helping children to smile and escape from what is going on around them for a little while.

Since the workshop, some of our entertainers have been using LEGO® bricks in hospital to help break the ice before sessions, often finding it a useful and relaxed way of introducing ourselves to new patients, particularly some of the older ones, as the bricks act as a great distraction and point of engagement.

We were also delighted to accompany three of the families we support to the LEGO Group’s office in London for a very special all-exclusive tour, during which we enjoyed a fascinating workshop hosted by the LEGO Group and the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the iconic LEGO® bricks, including the heaviest set and when the first brick was created.

We’re so grateful to the LEGO Group for their continued support and creativity in helping to spread smiles to the seriously ill children we support.

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 Debbie, Spread a Smile Visit Manager

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Spread a Smile Visit Managers play a vital role facilitating the delivery of our services across our hospital and hospice partners. Acting as the point of contact between our partners and the entertainment team, they ensure the smooth running of our visits.

Meet Debbie Tropp who has been a Spread a Smile Visit Manager for seven years and read on to find out more about her work.

Tell us about your role with Spread a Smile and what it involves…

“I started working for Spread a Smile nine years ago, providing monthly art and craft sessions at the Royal London Hospital in their huge playroom. Straight away I loved it. I love working with the amazing children and families, the fabulous medical staff, Spread a Smile’s talented team of entertainers and the incredible team in the office.  

“Since the pandemic, I am mainly based at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), organising the regular weekly visits into the intensive care areas. This involves teaming up with one of our talented singers and visiting all of the babies, children and teenagers in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and Cardiac Intensive Care Unity (CICU) and also the older babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The singers will sing beautiful songs from nursery rhymes to Disney, show tunes and pop songs. We mostly sing to the patients but also take parent requests too. Anything goes really.

“I also help deliver the Spread a Smile weekly entertainer visits on a Thursday morning to GOSH, where we try and visit as many wards and hospital areas as we can, delivering a whole range of entertainment from music, to magic, to therapy dog and fairy visits.”

What does a day in the life of a Visit Manager look like?

“I meet up with the entertainer(s) before going into the hospital and we walk to the ward, always following infection control procedures. We normally see the nurse in charge or Play Specialist for a quick hand over and then proceed to walk around the ward, being mindful of what is going on for each individual patient.

“We absolutely love it when a staff member specifically tells us that they have someone they want us to see. It’s amazing how beneficial our interactions and singing are for the patient, parent and all medical and non-medical staff. Often, I observe staff singing along, tapping away or doing a fully shimmy as our entertainer sings to the child and family. A few times the medical staff have noticed positive changes in a child’s heart recording. Many times, I have seen children really relax and even fall asleep.

“We receive so many positive comments saying that our visits have helped reduce anxiety and brought out smiles in children who haven’t smiled for a while. I remember Tash, one of our singers once singing to three babies, one after the other, all in a row, sending them all to sleep. The atmosphere completely changed and staff and parents were all talking about the wonderful therapeutic value of soft singing.”

Tell us about your specialist work in the intensive care areas at GOSH

“I feel honoured to be allowed to visit the intensive care areas and help provide some therapeutic input in a very clinical situation. We started regular visits just before the pandemic lockdown and then worked closely with medical staff and Matrons to continue to deliver these sessions. Even during the pandemic, I would have an iPad and use that to deliver the entertainment, with our singers singing virtually. This is something we have continued with some of the most vulnerable children under infection control. It’s important work, providing much needed and wanted distraction, stimulation and entertainment to the patient and everyone in the room with them. Being able to visit these patients in PICU and CICU from outside the room means we can help create some very special moments and memories during a very intense time for the families.”

“We had a baby in PICU recently, who hadn’t slept properly all day and was lying in her Mother’s arm. I approached the Mum, quietly inquiring if they would like us to sing. At first she was a bit hesitant as her child was so exhausted, really struggling to sleep. Mum also said that her baby usually loved to hear singing especially Disney and nursery rhymes as she had an older child. I reassured Mum that we could stop at any time. Our lovely talented fairy Tamara sang very softly, nursery and Disney songs and you could just see the Mother and child relax and connect as Tamara sang. Around us the doctors were listening, the nurses were swaying and the parents in the next bed where smiling as they watched their child sleeping. The whole atmosphere was soothed by the singing. The Mum was so happy that we had visited that we ended up going back again to sing to her older child who came to visit a while later.”

What is the best thing about your role? 

“Seeing the huge difference we make to children and families in the intensive care units is very special. It is also amazing to connect with the lovely caring staff in hospital who work so hard to support their patients.

“When a parent sees and shares the benefit of our visit with us, it’s amazing as we know that what we’re doing is worthwhile and making such a difference. We often support families who have been on the wards for a long time, and we feel part of their journey. When they get to go home, it is a very emotional time and it’s wonderful when they then access our Spread a Smile virtual entertainment, family parties and events. We are on their journey with them for as long as they need us.”

Can you share any poignant experiences with us?

“During lockdown, when infection control procedures allowed, I set up a music group with singing and instruments for a small group of children waiting for a heart and/or lung transplant in a high dependency unit at GOSH. I am a qualified Play Specialist and was allowed to come in once a week to spend time with a wonderful group of children. Only one parent was allowed to visit, so we would Zoom in other family members to join in with the session. It felt so important to be helping to connect families during one of the most difficult times of their lives, when the pandemic and serious illness were keeping them apart.

“Before the Pandemic we visited PICU and CICU once or twice a week. From the end February 2021, all visits stopped, so we made art packs to send in for the children on the wards, along with presents to help cheer them up. I agreed with GOSH and Spread a Smile that I would volunteer at the GOSH, using my volunteer badge and experience as a qualified Hospital Play Specialist. I was given a yellow volunteer top to wear and it felt like such a proud moment.

“I helped out on Bear ward once a week on a Tuesday and it was so strange at first wearing a mask for the whole day. It was hard for the patients and their families as only one parent was allowed to stay with their child on the ward and it had to be the same parent each time, meaning families where separated. I remember some parents didn’t get to see their children on the wards, for four months during the first lockdown.

“Alongside the music group, I also worked with Spread a Smile to deliver entertainment via Zoom on iPads so that the children could enjoy even more of the Spread a Smile ‘magic’. As time went on, we expanded our offering to other wards and I increased the number of days I visited, also being allowed to visit children in PICU. It was a challenging, but special time knowing we were making a difference when it was needed most.

“I love my work and one of the best things is when staff stop us as we walk around the hospital telling us that we do exactly what it says on our t-shirts ‘Spread a Smile’.