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spread a smile

10 years of spreading smiles

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10 years ago today, Josephine Segal and Vanessa Crocker co-founded Spread a Smile, and what a 10 years it’s been!

We have grown considerably since we started spreading smiles in our first hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), and today we work in partnership with 25 NHS hospitals and 2 hospices across the UK. We are extremely proud to work alongside and provide important support to the incredible teams who care for seriously ill children and young people on a daily basis.

“Every time we hear a child we are caring for giggle and laugh along with the Spread a Smile entertainers, it is huge. Knowing that for a brief period they can just be children brings a smile to our faces and it makes the tough times that bit easier.” Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialists, Miriam Sager and Tenneh Koroma, Northwick Park Hospital

The families we support are at the heart of everything we do. During 2022/23, we visited over 8,500 hospital bedsides and made over 1,800 virtual visits, spreading smiles and laughter to many thousands of patients, their siblings and family members.

“We appreciate you so, so much. In hospital, out of hospital, at home, via zoom, for siblings and through lockdown. I really don’t know what my children would’ve done without you – making cakes, paintings and magic shows. You are a real true blessing. The summer party this year was a first out of hospital and I still talk about it to this day!” Parent

As we head into 2023/24, our aim is to reach even more children in even more hospitals across the country, expanding our reach and spreading smiles where they are needed most. We couldn’t do that without our entertainers, service and support team, fundraisers, trustees and the amazing donors and organisations who make everything we do possible.

“Thank you to everyone who has been there for Spread a Smile and the families we support over the last 10 years, helping us to grow, develop and bring so much joy during some of the darkest times. We couldn’t have done it without our dedicated office team, our wonderfully talented entertainers, our brilliant trustees and of course our generous supporters”.  Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive

Happy Birthday Spread a Smile and here’s to the next 10 years and beyond!

Meet Magic Nick

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Meet Nick, the Magician, aka ‘Magic Nick’ and our newest recruit to the Spread a Smile team of entertainers.

Nick became interested in magic from a young age, sharing his natural talent for all things magic with family and friends at every opportunity. He is now a full-time Magician and we spoke to Nick about why he decided to use his skills to help spread smiles to some of the seriously ill children and young people we support.

“My journey with Spread a Smile started because of a personal connection. I have two nephews, both of whom spend time in and out of hospital, including Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

“It was my youngest nephew’s second birthday during one hospital visit to GOSH and knowing this, one of the nurses arranged for a virtual visit with a Spread a Smile Fairy. The session was like pure magic. For 30 minutes, the clinical hospital room felt like a space in which we could celebrate. The sounds of the machines faded into the background and instead the room was filled with songs, cheer and most importantly, laughter.

“Not long after that Spread a Smile visited my nephew in person, and I was delighted to see it was a magician who came to visit. My nephew absolutely loved it and so did his older brother.

“For the boys’ Mum, it was a welcome change from the medical side of hospital. Seeing your child unwell is difficult for any parent and as their Uncle, I found it extremely challenging. You feel helpless. So when someone like Spread a Smile visits whose only job is to bring joy and laughter, it is incredible. You can escape, even if it’s just for a short time and you’re reminded how to be a child again.

“From that moment I knew I had to get involved with Spread a Smile as a Magician and I am so proud to now have the opportunity to join the team and go into hospitals to help make children laugh when they really need it. It is some of the most rewarding work I have ever done – leaving a visit and hearing the heartfelt thanks from a parent, guardian or the child themselves. There is nothing like it and I feel privileged to be able to help in some way.”

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

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.