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spread a smile

Louise Spread a Smile entertainer

Meet entertainer Louise

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Louise is one of our entertainers, sharing her many skills as a balloon artist, magician, face painter and children’s entertainer. She has worked with Spread a Smile for two years and is best known for the amazing bespoke balloon models she creates for the children and young people she meets.

How did you start working for Spread a Smile?

Louise Spread a Smile entertainerI’ve been a children’s entertainer for 20 years, and love everything about my work; the joy it brings people, the fun I share with everyone, and the wonderful teams and people I have the pleasure of working with. I feel incredibly lucky to earn a living from something that brings so much happiness.

“I initially started working for a party franchise as the face painter and balloon modeller and over my time with them, I trained up to become a senior entertainer, fully running their parties and events. I enjoyed it so much, that I eventually set up my own party business and am still loving every second.

“I’ve always included balloon modelling as part of my shows, but started researching balloon art in more detail. I arranged to meet with a local balloon artist and started to attend balloon art learning events and conventions. Since then, I have won many awards for my balloon art, and taken part in special events with some of the best balloon artists in the world.

“Both of my twins have additional needs, and I have worked as a support assistant in two special needs schools. My personal journey has given me lots of experience working with and getting to know lots of children, young people and families, with all sorts of diversities.

“When a friend and colleague asked if he could put me forward to work with Spread a Smile, I was over the moon. The Spread a Smile entertainers are the best and I felt honoured to even be considered. The charity stands for everything my heart loves about my job, and I can relate to how important it is to provide a positive distraction from every day difficulties and challenged. I knew it was something I would love to be part of.

Tell us about your work for Spread a Smile

“I joined Spread a Smile during lockdown in Summer 2020, initially doing magic shows over Zoom until hospitals allowed us back to visit in person. I then started to make bespoke balloon sculptures for children to keep.

Louise Spread a Smile entertainer The Hulk“When I meet a patient, I invite them to ask for a balloon sculpture they would like. I have a ‘menu’ of ideas to inspire them such as spiderman, a mermaid, unicorn, dinosaur, princess, tiger etc, but I am open to trying anything and often suggest they challenge me with an idea! This usually builds the excitement as they begin to think of something they think would be impossible to make. I always take on the challenge, and there aren’t many things I haven’t had a go at making.

“I’m so proud of my work as a Spread a Smile entertainer. We bring distraction and fun for patients and families who spend so much time bored, stuck in hospital, with very little to do, meeting medical professionals and having serious conversations. The entertainers come along with a completely different and new energy, helping people to escape that “hospital feeling” – even if it’s for a short while. We try to make the children we meet feel special, and I love the fact that they get to keep the balloon models and hopefully it will make them smile for days to come.

“It’s brilliant to see the wonder on a child’s face as a simple balloon or two is transformed into something special that they have requested. The parents and carers love it too – it’s a moment of escape where they can forget the severity of what is happening to them.

Tell us about your most unusual requests for balloon models
Balloon model“I’ve had some brilliant requests on my hospital visits, with some of the most memorable including a hedgehog and an axolotl. I make a lot of favourite footballers, Mr Tumble and Elsa. I’ve made balloon versions of favourite toys or pets as a lot of children are missing their pets, so they show me a photo and I build them a balloon version of their cat, dog, rabbit or guinea pig, so that it matches perfectly. I’ve even been asked to make a sculpture of one of the nurses on a ward!”

What about your balloon modelling online workshops

“Balloon modelling workshops are so much fun! Each participant is sent their own pack of modelling balloons and a pump in the post, and I start by teaching the children how to inflate their balloon safely with the right amount of air. Then we learn how to easily tie a knot. We often start with something like a balloon dog, then move onto an advanced flower with one balloon for the petals, and another one for the stem and the leaves. We make sure that we send out lots of spare balloons so that everyone can practice what they have learnt. It’s great to know we can reach even more seriously ill children and their siblings who may be isolating at home and not able to get out and about.”

Why do you do what you do?
“I love the reactions from parents, children, and even the hospital staff.  Quite often they watch me putting something together and have no idea what it will turn into, or they can’t imagine how I could possibly make their wild request from balloons. When it all comes together, the joy and reaction is my favourite part. I love how happy people are to receive a balloon sculpture of something they love. I always say “Can your balloon hang out with you for the day now? Will you let them watch TV with you? Or play your game together?” They always say yes, with a big grin, often hugging their new balloon friend. It brings me so much joy to give something so cherished.

“It’s really special to see the same patients again on my return visits and hear how long their balloon lasted and see photos of what we’ve made together before. One patient has a photo scrap book of all the balloons I’ve made her on each visit. She always plans what she’d like to ask for on my next visit. It’s so lovely for the children and families to have some positive and happy memories of their time in hospital, and I love that we can bring that for them.”

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

Frozen - the Musical

Frozen, Terrible Thames and more

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We know that everyone in a family is deeply affected by the illness of a child or sibling. Which is why 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.

The last few months have been packed full of some wonderful Spread a Smile family outings and events, from West End theatre trips to cooking lessons and boat trips. Read on to find out more.

Frozen, the Musical

Frozen - the Musical“Absolutely no words to say how grateful we are for this afternoon – an incredible show! All thanks to you and your ever so fab team.” Parent

We’re so happy to know that our theatre trips really make a difference to those we support. They are a chance for our families to see shows they might not be able to afford and sit back and escape into the wonder of theatre.

Last month we took 14 families to see Frozen – The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London – and what a day it was! Our pre-show party was packed full of yummy treats, face-painting, glitter tattoos, entertainment and singing from Fairy Betty, Fairy Jude and Colette and magic from our Magicians Sacha and Paul. Then none other than Elsa and Anna came to say hello to our special guests – helping to create some incredible memories for everyone involved.

Brigit’s Bakery Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus Tour

Brigits BakeryIt was a pleasure to welcome 14 of the families we support on board the double-decker bus for a Paddington-themed afternoon tea featuring ‘the best marmalade sandwich ever’! Guests enjoyed entertainment from Spread a Smile’s Mr Magic and entertainer Ellie whilst driving around London and taking in some of its famous landmarks. One guest said,

“You don’t know how much these events mean to us. They really help us through the hard times.”

 

Underground Cookery School

Underground Cookery SchoolSince October 2022, we’ve been running special cookery days at Underground Cookery School in partnership with Teens Unite Fighting Cancer. Together we welcome young people affected by serious illness to learn how to cook a delicious 2-course meal before sitting down together to enjoy the meal they have prepared.

They are fun filled days which provide a relaxed opportunity for the young people to learn new skills

and a chance to connect and share their experiences in a safe environment whilst simply being a teenager amongst other teenagers.

“I wanted to thank you again. In addition to the cooking itself, we got a lot out of the day in terms of being able to speak with other parents and kids that have been through the same treatment. Thank you!”

“Thank you so much – we had such a wonderful day and really enjoyed ourselves. We loved having the opportunity to learn some amazing skills from the team at Underground Cookery School – to meet new friends and forget about illness for a short while. It means so much.”

We’re so grateful to everyone who makes these days possible, including theatre staff, cast and crew, Brigit’s Bakery, Lola’s Cupckares, NuNosh, Underground Cookery School and all of our volunteers who support us at the events. Team work definitely makes the dream work.

Please help ensure we can continue to provide support our families with special moments like these by making a donation. Thank you.

The Butterfly Tree - Corinthia London

The Butterfly Tree – Corinthia London

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Butterflies are a beautiful symbol of hope and joy and our friends at Corinthia London installed a beautiful Butterfly Tree at the hotel to support Spread a Smile.

Created by McQueen’s Flowers, The Butterfly tree stood in the reception of the Corinthia London during May and June, inviting guests and visitors to choose butterflies from the branches in exchange for a donation to Spread a Smile.

It was such a wonderfully, creative way of spreading awareness about Spread a Smile’s work and raising vital funds to help ensure we can continue to spread smiles to even more seriously ill children and young people.

The Corinthia London team announced Spread a Smile as its first charity partner in May this year and since then have been planning and developing various support and fundraising initiatives and activities for the coming months.

Thomas Kochs, Managing Director of Corinthia London said, “When we were first introduced to Spread a Smile and met their incredible team, we immediately recognised how rare and meaningful their work is and the impact Spread a Smile has on the lives of the children and families they touch. As a team at Corinthia London, we felt that this will be the perfect partnership and charity for us to support.”

Corinthia Family TeaEarlier this month Corinthia London invited two of the young people we support and their families to visit the Hotel and see the tree for themselves. It was such a special afternoon full of so much warmth with our VIP guests choosing their own butterflies from the tree to take home before sitting down with their families for an incredible 5-star afternoon tea.

“We had such a wonderful day at Corinthia London. The Butterfly Tree is so beautiful, and Aditi loved looking at it and choosing her own butterfly. Having the opportunity to do things like this, as a family, means the world to us. In amongst all of the other worries, we are so grateful to have these wonderful opportunities. Thank you Spread a Smile and the Corinthia London!” Aditi’s Dad

Working with partners such as Corintha London makes a positive impact on our Spread a Smile’s ability to reach even more seriously ill children and young people at times when joy and laughter is most needed.

Lucy Jackson Spread a Smile Chief Executive said, “This is an incredibly exciting partnership for Spread a Smile. We are honoured and delighted to be working with Corinthia London. Their support will enable us to uplift lives and spread many smiles to seriously ill children in hospital and their families. Both Spread a Smile and Corinthia London place a real emphasis on creating a unique family-feel throughout our work, injecting energy and positivity into everything we do and I know these shared values will make this an incredibly meaningful and special partnership. I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Corinthia London for their enthusiasm and support and I’m so looking forward to getting started with all the exciting and creative ideas we have.”

Thank you to everyone at Corinthia London for their incredible support and commitment.

Play That Goes Wrong

Mischief May raises over £6k

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We’re so grateful to everyone from multi award-winning comedy troupe Mischief and the London company of The Play That Goes Wrong for their support during ‘Mischief May’.

During the month of May, the team, cast and crew all put in a huge amount of effort to raise vital funds and awareness for Spread a Smile, raising over £6,400 through bucket collections and online donations to help spread smiles to seriously ill children and young people across the UK.

It’s been a fantastic month which saw some brilliantly creative initiatives and support for the charity, including a behind the scenes half-term online workshop especially for our families. During the workshop, guests had the opportunity to discover how the chaos and total mayhem of the play is created and meet the cast, creative and stage management teams during a live Q&A.

Play That Goes WrongAs a very special treat, Mischief also invited some of the families supported by Spread a Smile to see The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre, London, including a meet and greet with the cast and crew. Outings such as this are extremely important, providing a chance to escape from the worries and restrictions of serious illness, even if just for a short while.

Earlier this month, Spread a Smile Co-Founder and Trustee, Josephine Segal was invited on stage to accept their donation on behalf of all of the families we support saying,

“It’s been wonderful to see such generous support from everyone at Mischief and The Play That Goes Wrong. We are honoured and grateful to have worked with their incredible teams and can’t thank them enough for everything they have done during Mischief May. It has meant a huge amount to us and all of the families who have been touched by their creativity and commitment to our work.” Josephine Segal, Co-Founder and Trustee, Spread a Smile

Thank you to everyone at Mischief, the Play That Goes Wrong and the Duchess Theatre for their support. We’ve loved your spirit, positivity, and every moment of Mischief May!

Croydon University Hospital. May Chu with Spread a Smile team

Croydon University Hospital collaboration

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Today Spread a Smile announces its newest collaboration with Croydon University Hospital to help spread smiles of joy to seriously ill patients under their care.

Patients and families across the Paediatric Unit, Oncology Clinic and inpatient and outpatients wards will now be able to access the many vital services that Spread a Smile provides, such as in-person entertainer visits as well as visits done virtually, suiting to the patient’s needs.

Working closely with hospital staff and play teams, we aim to spread joy and laughter at the most difficult times, providing opportunities for connection and distraction from treatment and illness. Croydon University Hospital joins the Spread a Smile family alongside the 25 other NHS hospitals and 2 hospices nationwide.

By collaborating together, we aim to help seriously ill children who are on their road to recovery with entertainment, smiles and laughter. The Spread a Smile team will spend quality time with patients, as well as running holiday themed virtual events and entertainment. Virtual visits alongside face-to-face sessions allow the team to see as many patients as possible, all with the aim of spreading hundreds of smiles at the hospital every single year.

The collaboration will add to the work already accomplished by the Croydon Health Charity, which continually raises funds to enhance the patient experience for Croydon’s sick children and young people.

Children will be invited to join weekly virtual group hospital sessions with Spread a Smile entertainers, take part in themed activity days when celebrating events like Easter and Christmas, giving children and their families many opportunities to join in with other activities, including family days out. Families of long-term patients will also be able to book one-on-one sessions.

May Chu, Senior Healthcare Play Specialist at Croydon University Hospital said, “Spread a Smile never fails to bring happiness and joy to our patients and staff. We always look forward to showing them around. The time and effort they take for each patient is really appreciated.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive added, “We are delighted to be providing monthly in-person entertainer visits. We know that our visits help patients cope better with the hospital environment and allow them to feel less isolated. 

“Our support to the young oncology patients is all about making their experience in hospital a more positive one and distracting them from challenging treatments and procedures. We look forward to more in-person visits with our team of entertainers in the future.”  

Please consider making a donation to help us continue our vital work supporting seriously ill children in hospital. Thank you.

Mount Toubkal Summit - Team Smile

Team Smile conquers Mount Toubkal

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Last week, 14 amazing supporters joined our Chief Executive, Lucy Jackson us for an incredible 6-day fundraising trek through the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco in aid of Spread a Smile.

This tough but incredibly rewarding challenge pushed the team mentally and physically, taking in peaks dotted with Berber villages before tackling northern Africa’s tallest peak – Jebel Toubkal, standing at a whopping 4,167m.

Team Smile Mount Toubkal“The trek was an absolutely incredible experience. Being part of a group and watching people find their physical and emotional edge and push on past it to reach a summit of 4,167 meters is something I ‘ll never forget. Thank you to everyone in the group. Sharing that experience with some of the Spread a Smile team made it really special for me.” Richard Balloqui

We are so grateful to this brilliant team who raised over £30,000 for our work spreading smiles to seriously ill children and young people. A HUGE Spread a Smile shout out to Aron, Danielle, Ernest, Janet, Joanna, Lisa, Liz, Lucy, Matthew, Natalie, Nicole, Rachel, Richard and Sammy. Also to our trek partners Charity Challenge.

“You have a picture in your mind of how the trek is going to go and then as you start to climb higher and higher, that picture fades away and reality kicks in. It was so much harder than we thought it would be, However you have two choices; to stop, turn around and return to something comfortable or to push yourself past what you thought was your limit and reach that summit stronger than you ever believed you could be.

“At all times in the back of our minds are the families and children in hospital. Thinking about them spurred us on. Every step we took, we took for them. As a group we could not have done this without each other. The support and camaraderie was amazing. It was an experience never to be forgotten, making us stronger as individuals and hopefully spreading more smiles to the wonderful children who deserve only happiness in their lives.” Natalie Gubbay-Jackson

We’re already planning our 2024 trip and we’d love for you to join us! Please email us at fundraising@spreadasmile.org to be the first to find out more.

 

Chloe and Therapy Dog

Mental Health Awareness Week

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Today is the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, a very important week which aims to educate and raise awareness around mental health.

For the families we support, the pressures of serious illness can be hugely and negatively impactful on mental health. Spread a Smile aims to support our families and their wellbeing, providing positive and happy moments of distraction and helping to reduce stress and feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Our team of entertainers include musicians, magicians, poets, therapy dogs, artists, fairies and more. Each bring their own unique talents and abilities to their work, creating special moments of joy, fun and engagement which enable our families to escape – even if it’s just for a moment – from their day-to-day realities. A visit from one of our team to a child at their hospital bedside can make such a difference to how they feel and manage their hospital experience.

“I have seen the Spread a Smile team interact with my child when he was so ill that he list all interest in play, but they managed to re-engage the magic.” Parent

“Having a singer sing nursery rhymes at her bedside filled us with joy, as it just felt like some normality amongst all of the chaos and heartache.” Parent

Our Therapy Dogs provide a physical comfort and warmth to the patients they meet. Patients enjoy brushing their fur, stroking them, sitting quietly with them and feeding them treats.

“It was during our daily visits to UCLH that we met Spread a Smile. The team were visiting with Buddy, one of their Therapy Dogs. Kaiden was in recovery from general anaesthetic and wasn’t particularly bothered about seeing anyone. However, within a couple of minutes of meeting Buddy, he was sitting up in bed, stroking and playing with Buddy and giving him treats. Kaiden’s recovery from anaesthetic was super quick that day! He just wanted to get up and absolutely loved being with Buddy. It was wonderful for me to see Kaiden happy and enjoying something different. When you spend so long in hospital, anything that breaks the monotony is a treat.” Parent

As part of #mentalhealthawarenessweek we are extremely grateful to our friends at Opticore for sponsoring our Therapy Dog visits to University College London Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Art is important in every child’s development. It encourages children to express their creativity, develop motor skills and heightens their ability to communicate and problem solve. For children in hospital, our art related projects and activities also provide a welcome distraction from treatment and the hospital environment.

“I have seen children express their feelings, fear and hopes through art in a wat they never could with words. Watching these young people, many of whom are going through the toughest times, utterly distracted from their treatment and hospital environment is a joy.” Marina Constantinou, Spread a Smile Head of Art.

We couldn’t do what we do without the generous support of our donors, fundraisers, volunteers and partners. Thank you for all your support and please take a look here for how you enable us to make a difference for incredible children like Chloe and their families.

Tasha - Spread a Smile entertainer

Meet Visit Manager Tasha

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The Spread a Smile team of entertainers is at the heart of everything we do spreading smiles to seriously ill children and young people across our NHS hospital and hospice partners. We spoke to Tasha, one of our Visit Managers about her role with Spread a Smile.

“I have been working in theatre for 10 years now and am a singer and Visit Manager for Spread a Smile.

“I came to start working for the charity after hearing about them through a friend who already worked there. Being an Auntie to 7 little ones, I love kids and it sounded like an incredible thing to be part of. 

“Singing is my favorite thing to do and it’s a huge privilege to be able to use this to bring joy to children  and their families during some of their most challenging times. I remember singing to a little girl who didn’t speak any English but sang along with me to ‘Let it Go!’ Her Mum told me that her daughter hadn’t smiled much in weeks and suddenly there we were laughing together. We performed to her Grandparents over zoom from her hospital room and it was a memorable experience which I’m sure none of us will forget.

“Taking part in the TCS London Marathon was a huge moment for me. I started running during Covid when I was no longer able to perform and had a lot of time on my hands! When I got a place in the ballot I saw it as an amazing opportunity to raise some money for a charity where I see first hand just the enormous difference that’s being made.

“The marathon was extremely difficult, but the atmosphere and support was incredible. When I was struggling along the way, I just thought about some of the amazingly strong kids I have met through Spread a Smile and it kept me going! 

“I think often the most special part of what we do is seeing the parents’ reaction when they see their child simply being a child again – laughing and having fun. I love being part of the Spread a Smile team and everyone is so supportive with one common goal: to use what we do to bring as much joy as possible to those who need it most.”

To support Tasha’s work spreading smiles in hospitals and beyond, please donate here. Thank you.

Broadcast Revolution pro bono support

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The support of external organisations is vital for charities like Spread a Smile. Our work simply wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our partners and suppliers. One of the partners we’ve been lucky enough to work with is Broadcast Revolution, a specialist broadcast PR agency who have worked pro-bono to help Spread a Smile reach the airwaves of UK TV and Radio stations.

An example of this was for the launch of Smile TV, Spread a Smile’s 24-hour entertainment channel. As the pandemic significantly affected our ability to work in hospitals, we wanted to get the word out about our virtual entertainment programmes to reach as many seriously ill children and young people and their families. It was important not only to spread the message of Spread a Smile’s work, but to help us stand out when so many other charities were also dominating the news agenda. The launch was featured on LBC News, Talk Radio, and BBC London.

Other initiatives that Broadcast Revolution have supported on include our Riding House tea parties, Valentine’s Day balloons, celebrity ambassador announcements, our comedy shows, our virtual Christmas Grotto, and our summer party! It’s been wonderful to work with such a brilliant organisation to highlight our family events.

Broadcast Revolution have also generously supported us with video production, helping to develop a moving and impactful film about one of our annual golf days.

Pro bono support such as this is hugely impactful, enabling Spread a Smile to reach new audiences and achieve even more in our mission to make a difference to the lives of families struggling with the impact of serious illness. A huge thank you to Broadcast Revolution and all of the amazing companies that give up their time and resource to give so much.

Please contact our Head of Fundraising, Amanda Azouz to find out more about working with and supporting Spread a Smile.

10th Anniversary Gala Dinner

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Last night we celebrated 10 years of Spread a Smile at our special 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner at the beautiful Nobu Hotel London Portman Square. And what an amazing evening it was with an incredible £505,000 raised for our work spreading smiles to seriously ill children and young people.

We were joined by nearly 400 supporters, friends, families, and colleagues from across our hospital partners for an incredible evening of good food, entertainment, magic and of course laughter.

Suzi RuffellOur host, comedian Suzi Ruffell, expertly guided us through the proceedings, sharing her own personal journey as to how she became a Spread a Smile Ambassador after a friend’s child was in hospital and saw what a positive difference our entertainers made.

We also heard from our Co-Founders and Trustees, Josephine Segal and Vanessa Crocker who set up the charity after seeing the positive impact a magician’s visit had on Josephine’s young nephew, Aaron, during his treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). A very special moment followed when Josephine welcomed Aaron himself to the stage to share his story with us.

Richard JonesAs always, our talented entertainers were on hand to spread smiles during dinner, wowing guests with magic, poetry and musical performances. We were treated to very special performance from Spread a Smile Ambassador, magician, and winner of Britain’s Got Talent, Richard Jones, who kept everyone on the edge of their seats with his magical skills.

Spread a Smile CEO, Lucy Jackson and Chair of Trustees, Paul Godfrey both spoke about the impact of our work and how our guests and supporters have played an important role enabling the charity to grow over the last 10 years and will continue to do so as we embark on plans to achieve even more in the future.

Our work is vital to the children, young people and families we support and also the medical staff across our hospital and hospice partners. Eleanor Tyrell, Matron, Children’s and Young People’s Cancer Service at University College Hospital spoke to guests about her first-hand experience of Spread a Smile and the difference we make to staff and patients alike.

We were also honoured to welcome the family of Chloe Balloqui to share their journey with us. We met Chloe, Mum Karen, Dad Richard, and brother James in 2013, not long after Chloe’s diagnosis of stage 4 neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer. Last night Karen, Richard and James all spoke about the hugely positive impact Spread a Smile had on their lives during this dreadful time. We are so grateful to this brave, kind and inspirational family for sharing their personal life and experiences with us. You can find out more about Chloe’s journey and watch her special film here.

Guests had the opportunity to commit their support to Spread a Smile by pledging on the night and we are delighted to announce that an incredible £505,000 was raised for our work spreading smiles to seriously ill children, young people and their families across the UK.

A huge thank you to everyone for joining is last night, for their kindness and commitment and for helping us to celebrate our 10th birthday in style. You can take a look at photos from the event here.

Make sure you keep an eye out for photos of the amazing LEGO® table centrepieces; each one made by one of the families we support using sets donated by our friends at the LEGO Group. (You can read more about this amazing initiative here).

Thanks to the Nobu Hotel London Portman Square and our headline sponsor, Spring Finance Limited for their generous support and making this event possible.

Also, to Suzi Ruffell, Richard Jones, Aaron Maurice and everyone who helped make the event such a huge success. Here’s to the next 10 years!