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spread a smile

Our work, our impact

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Spread a Smile currently works with 25 NHS hospital partners and two hospices to support seriously ill children and young people under their care. To understand more about our impact of our work, we spoke to Tina Halton, Play Service Team Lead at St Mary’s Hospital, London who we have been supporting since 2014.

Tina said: “Spread a Smile have a marvellous ability to make the staff smile, without compromising on their total commitment to making each child feel special. For example, the positive calming effect of the therapy dog visits on everyone is clear to see. Thomas and Harry (dogs) stop to ‘say’ hello to everyone from the consultants to the cleaners and you can see the staff continue with their day a little bit happier after a stroke. This sense of calm filters through and the staff love to share stories of their own pets with the families who can often be seen getting out photos of their pets and telling stories. Everyone love the visit days. It makes their day calmer and helps them do the medical/nursing roles whilst the children are entertained.

“Spread a Smile’s impact on the patients cannot be underestimated. Their entertainers are carefully chosen with care and it shows. They are the best of the best at what they do. By that I mean they are abundantly talented but most important are the subtleties of their interactions with each patient. Being able to engage and impress a teenager who’s having a terrible time, for a few quiet moments in a magic trick or capturing the mood on intensive care to sing a calm song to a baby who would otherwise be listening to the beeps on a machine is worth its weight in gold.

“Without Spread a Smile, the wards wouldn’t be quite so bright! Funding in the NHS is stretched so although we still try to make it as fun and nice as we can for the families, in reality, Marina’s window art and hospital murals bring a new life and positivity to an often-overlooked space. 

“On the days Spread a Smile don’t visit the wards, we still create fun for the kids, but it’s not the same as having a new entertainer visit or a surprise delivery of red heart Valentine’s Day balloons. These things remind the families that they haven’t been forgotten and the little moment of attention brings fresh smiles. The kids see us all the time so the novelty wears off! We would all be sad not to see a fresh smiling face. 

“I’ve seen Spread a Smile grow in both size and scope, but it hasn’t lost its heart at the core. The range of entertainment and events continue to be unique to Spread a Smile, but all possess the same personal touch. The hospital programme is expertly planned and delivered by people who understand the healthcare field well and really care. What they do appears effortless but in fact takes a lot of effort and dedication. Love goes into every virtual session, gift drop and visit. This is the magic. Nothing is too much – if they can make it happen, they will! 

“As Spread a Smile implements changes, they have always been focused first and foremost on the child. We know that safeguarding, safety and infection control is always a top priority and never an afterthought. Spread a Smile has confidently risen to the challenges of the last couple of years. Working alongside acute hospital trusts is never an easy task and none of us could plan for the impact this time has had on children in hospital. The adaptability and consistency of Spread a Smile throughout the pandemic and beyond proves that they are versatile and without a doubt one of our most reliable support. We moved fluidly alongside them as we all navigated the crazy hospital world during this time. It is exciting to be a part of what Spread a Smile does next.

“One of my most memorable moments of working with Spread a Smile was during a session with a poorly young girl with additional needs. She was in an isolation room as she had a low immune system so wasn’t allowed visitors. She had begun feeling very unwell and her Mum, who was staying by her bedside, was completely exhausted. The little girl joined a virtual session with Makaton (expertly aimed right at her level) and the Spread a Smile team got her to join in the group session. 

She laughed for the first time in days and her Mum took a video to send to her Dad of her eagerly signing back to the magician. 

“Unfortunately, our hospital Wi-Fi cut out towards the end of one of the tricks and she was in tears for missing it. A quick phone call to Spread a Smile and they arranged for the child to have a 1:1 mini session with some magic just for her. She was delighted, as was her very tired Mum. She guessed the colours in the trick and waved her hand at the screen to make things appear, it was just right!

“Sadly, this little girl was very poorly and passed away not long after this session. I feel confident that the video and memories of the smiles during this precious moment are priceless for the family.”

Please donate to help us continue our vital work supporting hospitals like St Mary’s and their patients. Thank you.

Easter egg-xtravaganza

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Each year, we spread a little joy to children in hospital during the Easter holidays by collecting and sending out Easter eggs to all 27 of our NHS hospital and hospice partners.

The eggs are kindly donated to us by our supporters purchasing eggs from our Amazon wish list and also generous companies either collecting eggs from staff or funding larger quantities of eggs.

Thanks to this support, we’ll send out over 3,000 eggs to be distributed to seriously ill children. It’s a huge task organising, packaging up and distributing so many eggs.

“Easter holidays spent in hospital when other children are out enjoying Springtime can be really challenging for young people on the wards. Receiving an Easter egg from Spread a Smile can make such a difference. It helps make the children feel included and special, bringing Easter fun into hospital so they don’t miss out.”

For a child stuck in hospital or hospice over the Easter weekend, receiving an egg can really help to spread some joy and springtime cheer. We have also planned a brilliant week of virtual Easter themed sessions for the children we support and their siblings. From biscuit decorating, to Easter art and a live session with Zoo2U, we hope to spread as many smiles as possible to families up and down the country.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the individuals who generously bought eggs from our list and the following companies who have helped make our Easter initiatives possible including:

  • Enra who made a generous donation which not only enabled us to buy eggs and also fund additional Easter holiday activities;
  • WUKPG who made a considerable donation;
  • Uncommon and their clients for collecting and sourcing loads of eggs;
  • Also our friends at Downing LLP, TritonExec, BRE Group, ICAB, Koda Staff, Totes, Fitzgerald House, Little Learners, Chancellor’s School and Handyman Ltd for their kind donations.

Happy Easter to you all!

UCLH

Partner Focus – UCLH

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Spread a Smile has been supporting and working with UCLH (University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) for nearly 10 years through regular in person visits, online sessions, treat drops and much more.

The Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals, is one of UCLH’s specialist hospitals, with the Paediatric Dentistry Unit sees complex patients for whom a typical dental visit in primary care would be difficult. Since November 2022 in partnership with the hospital we have been trialing the use of therapy dogs to provide support for patients visiting the Unit to help reduce anxiety and stress.

We spoke to Paul Ashley, Professor/Honorary Consultant, Paediatric Dentistry about how this exciting new initiative is providing invaluable support for patients who would otherwise find a visit to the unit particularly challenging.

What was the reasoning behind involving Spread a Smile at the Paediatric Dentistry Unit?

“I was a committee member on the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidance – ‘Babies, children and young people’s experience of healthcare’. It was clear from some of the focus group work carried out with children that therapy animals were really important to them. So, following this feedback, I decided to work with Spread a Smile to see how therapy dogs could help in our Unit.”

How does the initiative work practically?

UCLH - Patient with Thomas“The Spread a Smile team currently work with the families to help reduce stress and worry whilst they are waiting in the waiting room before a procedure. When the patient arrives, they are met by Thomas or Harry, one of the Spread a Smile’s Therapy Dogs, along with one of the Spread a Smile Entertainers. They stay with the patient in the waiting room, building up a rapport. They might sing or talk together and the therapy dog provides a soothing distraction for the child as they stroke their fur and pet them. It helps to calm the patient (and any family members) and reduce anxiety in the lead up to the procedure they are there for. “In the longer term we would like the Spread a Smile team to also then follow patients through into the treatment area to continue to support the child whilst any dental procedures are taking place.”

How have Spread a Smile helped to make a positive difference for patients?

“In general, the ‘vibe’ in the waiting room is lovely when we have the Spread a Smile team here. Everyone looks forward to their visits – staff as well as patients. They help provide a calmer, more fun environment which can only be of benefit to the patients and their families. The therapy dogs are a welcome distraction.”

Generally Spread a Smile supports our delivery of high-quality care for our patients, improving the experience for both patient and dentist.”

Please help us continue our vital work spreading smiles to children in hospital by donating today. Thank you. 

Riding House Cafes

Riding House Restaurants

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We are hugely grateful to our friends at Riding House Restaurants for raising an incredible £21,000 since the start of our partnership in January 2022.

They have raised this amazing amount by adding 25p to the bill of every diner and will be continuing their support on an ongoing basis.

Together, we also host regular tea parties at their restaurants for the families we support, helping to provide respite and moments of relaxation and enjoyment in amongst the pressures of hospitals and treatment for serious illness.

Riding House Cafes

“The money raised by Riding House Café will have a huge impact on our work, helping us reach even more seriously ill children and young people in hospital. We can’t thank Riding House Café and their customers enough for their generosity, commitment and support for us and our families. Together, we will be able to spread thousands of smiles.” Lucy Jackson, CEO, Spread a Smile

Jane Moore from Riding House Café said: “We are so proud to support Spread a Smile and it’s wonderful to know that we can make a difference to seriously ill children and young people. We’re looking forward to doing even more together in 2023.”

We are looking forward to continuing our partnership into 2023 and a huge thank you again to everyone at Riding House Café for their support.

Spring Finance Limited

Spring Finance – Partnership launch

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We are delighted to announce that we have become the official charity partner for specialist finance lender, Spring Finance Limited. To kick start the partnership, they have come on board as headline sponsor for our Gala Dinner on 24 April 2023.

This year, at our Gala Dinner, we will celebrate 10 years of Spread a Smile, with the dinner taking place at the prestigious Nobu Hotel London Portman Square. It is the perfect year for Spring Finance to join us and we are looking forward to welcoming them for what looks set to be a very special evening, bringing together our wonderful patrons, partners and supporters for a magical evening, with opportunities to learn more about the impact of Spread a Smile’s work.

Lucy Jackson, Chief Executive at Spread a Smile said: “I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Spring Finance for their support. We are so looking forward to working with them, getting to know the team and together spreading smiles to seriously ill children in hospital.”  

Gavin Diamon, CEO, Spring Finance LimitedGavin Diamond, CEO of Spring Finance said: “We are proud to be associated with this special charity that makes a real difference to thousands of seriously ill children and their families in hospitals every year. We are hopeful that our partnership will allow them to reach an increasing number of children and we look forward to supporting them with both fundraising and volunteers.”

 

In addition to Spring Finance’s generous support of the dinner, throughout the year we will be working together to raise funds for Spread a Smile through events, challenges and lots more.

B&C Awards 2023

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We are delighted to announce that Spread a Smile has been chosen as this year’s charity partner at the B&C Awards 2023, thanks to support from Medianett Publishing and Spring Finance.

The Awards are open to companies and individuals from the specialist finance market, competing for 30 awards in total. This year’s event will take place at the prestigious Hurlingham Club, London on Thursday 21 September and looks set to be a brilliant evening, not least because this year’s theme is Rio de Janeiro Carnival — The Summer Spectacle.

Lucy Jackson our CEO said: “Spread a Smile is delighted to have been chosen as charity partner for the B&C Awards 2023. We’re looking forward to an amazing evening and a great opportunity for us to share our vital work with a wider audience. We’re extremely grateful to Medianett Publishing for helping us to spread even more smiles to seriously ill children and young people in hospital.”

Beth Fisher, Managing Director at Medianett Publishing said: “After hearing the stories about the amazing work they do for thousands of children with acute or chronic conditions every year, we were delighted to partner with Spread a Smile at the 2023 B&C Awards.

“We know how generous the specialist finance industry is when it comes to charitable initiatives, and therefore what better place to raise awareness and money for a brilliant cause than at our event.

“The charity will also be organising for some of its magicians to attend the Awards and provide close-up magic to table holders. Hopefully they can make large donations appear from our kind guests!”

Andrew Bloom, owner of Spring Finance — who holds the charity close to his heart and recommended them 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.

Suzi Ruffell and Dinesh Nathan visit

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Yesterday we were delighted to welcome our Ambassador and Comedian Suzi Ruffell, along with fellow Comedian Dinesh Nathan on one of our visits to University College London Hospital (UCLH).

Suzi and Dinesh joined us to meet teenagers receiving treatment in the oncology inpatient and outpatient units and to find out more about how Spread a Smile work with our hospital partners to support the seriously ill children and young people in their care.

They joined the Spread a Smile team – our Magician Nick, and one of our Entertainers, Rosie – to help spread a little bit of joy and laughter and provide some distraction and fun to the young people they met.

Spread a Smile Ambassador Suzi Ruffell said: “Laughter has an incredible way of lifting spirits and helping people escape from day to day realities – even if it’s just for a short time. I’m proud to be an Ambassador for Spread a Smile and feel even more proud every time I get the opportunity to join them in hospital and meet some of the incredible young people that they help support.”

Dinesh said: ‘It was brilliant to join Spread a Smile in hospital yesterday to see what they do first hand and meet some of the teenagers they support. It was easy to see the difference they make to these young people who are going through some really difficult times. It was great to be involved and help in some way. I’ll definitely be back!’

Thank you to both Suzi and Dinesh for their support and for helping us to spread even more smiles to some of our families.

Please join Suzi and Dinesh and support our vital work spreading smiles to young people in hospital by donating today. Thank you. 

The Royal London Hospital Eye Club

Partner Focus – The Royal London Hospital

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This week’s ‘Partner Focus’ features The Royal London Hospital in East London which includes one of the largest children’s hospitals in the UK. It’s specialist Eye Treatment Centre is the only centre in the south of England (and one of only two in the country) that can screen, diagnose and treat Retinoblastoma (a form of eye cancer).

Spread a Smile has been supporting staff and children and young people on the wards for a number of years. Alongside regular in person bi-monthly visits from our entertainers and the usual treat drops and online offering, we recently supported their ‘Eye Club’ and ‘Sib Squad’. The club welcomes children with artificial eyes so they can meet, make friends and learn how to look after their eyes.

We spoke to Gemma Melisi, Play Specialist at The Royal London Hospital about how Spread a Smile is supporting these amazing children initiative.

What is your role as a hospital Play Specialist?

“A Play Specialist uses therapeutic play to support and inform children and young people during a hospital visit, helping them to cope in an environment that can be quite scary. Through play, we give children an outlet to work through their anxiety and stress. We use friendly and comforting toys and medical equipment to help children through unfamiliar events and help to provide distraction during procedures.

“I am based in the Retinoblastoma (RB) service and support children who have RB. Sometimes a child might need to have an artificial eye and through play we aim to make this easier for the patient and family, including a sibling day called ‘Sib Squad’ where we help create positive memories by making scrapbooks.  

How does Spread a Smile support your work?

The Royal London Hospital Eye Club

The Royal London Hospital Eye Club

“Spread a Smile send in their amazing people and entertainers to help support the children at Eye Club. The children had so much fun with the Spread a Smile team and really enjoyed the day.

“I love working with Spread a Smile and everyone always looks forward to their visit. They bring so much joy to the children, families and wards and offer a great distraction to a hospital stay/visit.  Spread a Smile always brings that smile! They allow the children and staff to escape from what can be a really difficult time. We really can’t thank Spread a Smile enough for your support. Keep up the amazing work and we can’t wait to do it all again soon!”

Please help us continue our vital work spreading smiles to children in hospital by donating today. Thank you. 

Healthcare professionals nominations

Healthcare professionals nominations

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Spread a Smile is proud to work with and support some incredible healthcare professionals across our NHS hospital and hospice partners, including doctors, nurses, play specialists, therapists and more.

To recognise the amazing work of our healthcare professionals, we asked the families we support to nominate someone who makes their child smile the most in hospital. We celebrate all of our nominees, with five lucky winners receiving dinner with wine kindly donated by our friends at Riding House Café.

Here are some of our amazing nominations and congratulations to all of our nominees.

Jen Vincent and Jennifer Beggy: Epilepsy Nurse Specialists at Colchester Hospital                    “Both Jen and Jenny go above and beyond what is expected of them in their role as epilepsy nurse specialists. They are always at the end of the phone for advice and support. When our son is admitted to hospital or attending for appointments, they make the time to come and see him. Bringing fun through games and engaging him with his favourite activities. They’ll talk, laugh and play for as long as he needs. They’re truly one of a kind.”

Gemma Melisi: Royal London Hospital (Retinoblastoma Clinic)
“Gemma knows all her children so well, finding toys and activities to suit them. She’s always cheerful, laughing and smiling. She’s the hook for hospital visits for so many and we miss her when we don’t go to hospital. She’s taken the time to collate photos so that our daughter has a book to show her journey for when she’s older. We love Gemma!”

Helen Farmer: Cancer Nurse Specialist at Watford Hospital
“Helen is a very dedicated professional who has been dedicated to Camila, our beautiful daughter, since day one. Always looking to support us as a family in this journey, looking for the best interest of Camila in terms of her care plan but also development. Helen is an outstanding professional, knowledgeable and very organised made our journey a bit more bearable in different occasions of our treatment.”

Aine O’Donovan: University College London Hospital (Radiotherapy)
“Aine is always so kind, thoughtful and cheerful, helping so much to keep Fin calm.”

Amy Lloyd and Amy Crowley: Fox Ward, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)                          “In the three years we were in GOSH they always made Jessica smile while she was in hospital. They would help her achieve her crazy ideas i.e. making passports for her dolls and teddies. They always kept her busy with arts and crafts and toys. They would spend time playing games with her and take it well when Jessica always won! They would make Jessica feel special.

“During covid they lost the volunteers overnight so had to look after both wards, providing play sessions and making sure the children were entertained and safe. They never missed a session with us even though they had 21 other patients on the ward between them. They were always calm and never rushed the sessions.

“They supported Jessica through some of her difficult times. They supported her when her Dad died while we were in hospital. Helped her make treatment plans for operations, dressing changes and books about procedures she was going to have. They accompanied us to theatre to support both of us as the anaesthetic was given.

“They would also make sure I was ok and give me time to myself. I will always be grateful for that hour to myself – it kept me sane, especially when Covid meant we weren’t allowed to use the parents room.

“When we found out that Jessica was dying they helped me tell her and her brother. They organised for a photographer to come and take pictures of us as a family as we hadn’t been together for 18 months. They helped us make memory canvases.  They also fulfilled Jessica’s only wish which was to have the play team with her all day. They made sure that I was supported and Alfie was entertained during Jessica’s final days. It really helped me knowing that Alfie was ok

“They would sit with Jessica holding her hand while I spoke to doctors outside the room, they made sure she was never alone. This made it easier for me to leave the room knowing she had someone she loved and that cared for her with her should anything happen while I wasn’t there.

They sat with me after Jessica had died, sharing memories, laughing and crying together.

They supported the whole family from the day we arrived until the day we left. They were there for the fun times and the most difficult times. I don’t think I could have managed 3 years in hospital without them, they became like family and we are still in touch today.

Jessica would have been nominating them had she still been alive. When you asked her what the best bit of her hospital stay was, she would say playing with Amy and Amy and the nurses.”

Molly Craig: Nurse on Elephant Ward, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)
“She is nice and funny. Always smiles and is in a contagious good mood.”

Ellie Pitt: T11N nurse at University College London Hospital (UCLH)
“She is nice and funny. She shared her journey of courage with me and that was inspiring.”

Jay Thomas: Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Psychology Department                                              “Jay has worked with Jake for over 12 months now and engaged well with him always putting a smile on his face. He has helped Jake to overcome so many fears mainly having bloods taken.”

Victoria Riddleston: Ward C3, Addenbrookes Hospital
“We spent three weeks on the ward with Vicky when George had just had his tracheostomy in. She made him smile every day! She had messy play ready (even if she couldn’t be there) as a motivator for his daily dressing changes – tapes then messy play. Vicky works by her values that play and happiness heal. She listened to George’s likes and interests and tailored his play to develop these further.

“George caught hospital bug upon hospital bug and spent weeks isolating in his room, unable to use play rooms or play with other children. She filled his room with resources and created play spaces so that the isolation wasn’t such a big deal.

“One day our son had had many tricky procedures. He said he wanted to dance so she surprised him with some sensory lighting and music that filled his hospital room and brought so much joy! Another day George talked about visiting a library so she created a library role play area, with a library card, till and books which sparked his imagination.

“When we needed to help him get better at laying flat for his tube changes, she got him a space tent to go over his bed. He would lay down looking at the stars. Here she used play to make his difficult procedures more manageable.

“As a parent, she gave me space to think and breathe which is a luxury when you are caring for your child 24/7. Our family will always be grateful for the joy (and mess) Vicky brought during those weeks.”

Jacob Simmonds: Heart Transplant Consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)
“They make us smile because: Jacob is always smiling. He takes the time to find out what Abigail loves (pandas, dogs and maths); he remembers and will spend time chatting about dogs instead of medical things, even in a busy clinic. He goes above and beyond to help Abigail (for example, offering to bake a cake for her when she was in intensive care for seven weeks last year and wouldn’t eat). Jacob talks to Abigail rather than me (and makes her happy); other consultants talk to me (Mum) and not Abigail. He always makes time to chat, even when he’s not meant to be at work (we’ve chatted outside Waitrose in the Brunswick Centre near GOSH), and he always leaves Abigail smiling.”

Hannah: PDAU, North Middlesex Hospital
“Hannah is brilliant in every crisis and she always has a big smile for Jacob. She is the best nurse ever. If he’s having a hard time, she changes it round to a brilliant day.” 

Lorraine Cossar: Padua Children’s Ward, William Harvey Hospital
“Lorraine always goes above and beyond to support chronically ill children like our son Josh. Knowing that Josh was needle phobic and was having a port fitted, Lorraine invited him up to the ward to play in the play room regularly even when he didn’t need to have any medical procedure to try and lessen his anxiety. Lorraine created a dolly who had a port and who Joshy could play with and pretend to treat. The dolly was a huge hit and was Joshy’s toy of choice for a long time.

“Not only does Lorraine always ensure Joshy has some toys to play with at every stay, she has also been a huge support to me as his Mum. Sometimes when you spend long periods of time in hospital you become all consumed by your child’s health and often find yourself doubting yourself because you have nobody to talk things through with. Lorraine has encouraged me to advocate for my son, and always offers an ear for me to talk things through. Lorraine is probably completely unaware of the amazing support she provides and how much of an impact she has had on me and my family. She is wonderful.”

Charlotte Holt: Play specialist on Eagle Ward at Great Ormand Street Hospital (GOSH)
“Charlotte makes me smile because she has always consistently been happy, smiling and caring. She has always gone out of her way to keep Jia entertained, 

positive and as happy as possible. She has created special and funny memories which Jia has treasured over the years and still talks about today – nearly three years on! Thank you Charlotte!”

Jenny: Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)
“She is very caring, always knows how to get a smile from us and looks out for different things to do while at the hospital.”

Nurse Catherine: Children’s Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Unit, Great North Children’s Hospital, Royal Victoria Infirmary
“Catherine lifts our spirits when she comes into the room, she is always happy and jolly but also caring and knows when I need help with things. She also helps to take a little bile off my stomach and this helps me feel better after my stem cell transplant.”

Online music lesson

Online music lessons

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Amongst the virtual sessions we offer to the children and young people we support are one-to-one music lessons, providing a wonderful opportunity for children at home or in hospital to connect and learn a new skill. We spoke to Andy, one of our music teachers, who has been working with Spread a Smile for the last three years providing piano and guitar lessons.

What is your musical background?

“I became involved in music at an early age as I grew up in a musical home – my Mum is a violin teacher. I studied guitar at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford and song writing at Berlkee School of Music in Boston. Upon returning to London, I got involved in various musical projects – playing for original bands, song writing and touring extensively around the UK, Europe and America. I play an array of instruments with my main instruments being piano, trombone and guitar.”

How did you first becomes involved with Spread a Smile?

“I had been teaching one of the Spread a Smile Trustees for a few years and when one of the patients who had their own keyboard in hospital asked if Spread a Smile offered piano lessons, they asked me if it would be something I’d be interested in doing.

“It was not something that Spread a Smile had offered before, but with the Country being in lockdown at the time through Covid restrictions, it seemed like a great opportunity. I therefore started providing lessons over Zoom and the response was amazing. It gave the patient something to do in their own time and the speed of learning and improvement was incredible. Spread a Smile soon discovered that there were other patients who also had pianos and guitars with them in hospital and some hospitals owned their own keyboards. So they decided to offer the lessons out to other patients.”  

How do the music lessons work?

Spread a Smile music lesson

“All of my lessons are carried out virtually on Zoom because it’s a platform that works so well and it means we can reach more children. I use several cameras to capture different aspects of the lesson… my fingers on the keys of a keyboard for example, or the music sheet. I can drag music and chord shapes in and out of the screen to help teach.”

 

Tell us about a special moment working for Spread a Smile?

“One of my highlights was my first teaching lesson and seeing the surprise on the Mum’s faces when their child told them that they’d learnt how to play Beethoven!

“Also once when I was teaching a lesson on song writing and I said ‘One day I’ll be teaching people how to play your songs’ and they told me that they didn’t want me to teach their songs in case I took the credit for it. I found that very funny, but good music business.”

How do you think music positively impacts mental health?

“Music is almost like another language and something that we all feel within us. You play a song to a baby that can’t even speak and you’ll see them bobbing around to the beat of the music instinctively. It’s something that’s built inside us and something that we all respond to. So I guess with all the problems that we may face in the real world – be it our mental health or trying to find the money to pay our next electricity bill – music gives us something to take us away from it all.”

How does music help with positive connections?

“I’m an adult and I find hospitals scary places so I can’t image what it must be like for a child. If I’m able to take them away from it all for just a couple of minutes, then I feel that my time as a piano/guitar teacher has been worthwhile. I think that’s something each and every one of us at Spread a Smile try to do and are proud of.”

How do your music lessons make a difference to the children that Spread a Smile supports?

“Music is something that we practice, improve on and get better at. It’s amazing to see the improvement from lesson to lesson and the children notice it too. I think that kind of positivity can be good for anyone because it gives us something to reach towards and achieve.

“It’s been so nice working with Spread a Smile and to see how much the children enjoy their lessons. You notice a real change week to week in their playing and with so much of their time spent in hospital, it gives them something to concentrate on other than their treatment.”

Please make a donation to help ensure we can continue to provide our online music lessons for seriously ill children and young people. Thank you.