Posts Tagged :

spread a smile

Join our fundraising team

Join our Fundraising team

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Are you a Senior Fundraiser looking for an exciting challenge working alongside a brilliant team?

We’re recruiting for an experienced Senior Fundraising Manager on a full-time, 12-month maternity leave contract.

Click here for the Job Description and how to apply. The deadline for applications is Friday 23 December at 5pm.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Newham Hospital Partnership Launch

Newham Hospital partnership

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Spread a Smile today announces its newest partner, Newham Hospital, an NHS Hospital in Plaistow, Newham in London.

Children and their relatives are now invited to the Spread a Smile family and the partnership will allow smiles to be spread widely to children across the hospital, with monthly in person visits to its Oncology Clinics and its wards where we will visit both inpatients and outpatients.

In addition, the Spread a Smile team will also offer Newham Hospital patients access to their virtual visits and treat drops.

Newham Hospital joins the Spread a Smile support roster, alongside its other major and speciality London and nationwide hospital partners, taking the total to 27 partners.

Spread a Smile’s mission is to bring joy and laughter to all seriously ill children in NHS hospitals, clinical settings, hospices and homes across the UK and this partnership takes them one step closer. The Spread a Smile team will spend quality time with patients, as well as running virtual events and sending their entertainers to the Christmas party in December.  The virtual visits, alongside the in-person 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.

As well as the in-person visits, children at Newham Hospital will be invited to join weekly virtual group hospital visits from entertainers, take part in themed activity days that include key calendar events such as the Christmas Grotto in December. Families of long-term patients will also be able to book one-on-one sessions with Spread a Smile’s wonderful entertainers.

Hamera Elahi, children’s play specialist at Newham Hospital’s children’s ward, said of the partnership, “All of us who work on the children’s ward at Newham Hospital are thrilled to be joining the Spread a Smile family. This partnership will allow us to provide vital entertainment and play opportunities to the children we care for, as well as providing them with lots of fun treats, which is vital to their recovery and recuperation. We’re so grateful to the Spread a Smile team and can’t wait to work with them more.” 

To find out how you can support our work and help spread more smiles, please click here.

Thomas the Therapy Dog

Meet Thomas the Therapy Dog

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Meet Thomas, one of our Therapy Dogs and his owner, Spread a Smile Visit Manager Olivia Leich.

Thomas is an 8-year-old miniature Australian Labradoodle – a breed known to be wonderfully calm companions. We spoke to Olivia about Thomas, how he became a Therapy Dog and the important role he plays during their hospital visits.

“Thomas is such a lovely dog – peaceful, calm and a real comfort. When a colleague suggested that Thomas might make a brilliant Therapy Dog for Spread a Smile, I thought it would be perfect for him.

Olivia and Thomas

He had an interview with a ‘Pets As Therapy’ Dog Assessor to check his suitability – things such as whether he jumped up at people, barked, was friendly and calm around children and how he reacted to sudden movements and loud noises. Needless to say he passed with flying colours and since February this year, he’s been joining me for three shifts a week visiting hospitals.

Thomas’ role is to bring happiness, spread smiles and distract away from the hardships of life in hospital. He is a natural, immediately putting people at ease. From the moment I clip on his Spread a Smile bandana, he is so excited to get going, waiting by the door for us to leave.

As soon as we enter the hospital Thomas takes his role very seriously and really enjoys visiting the children on the wards. Everyone has the opportunity to open his treat box and give him a treat, but first they have to ask him for a high five and a fist pump before he is rewarded. He never fails and always takes the treat as if it’s the first one he’s ever had!

Thomas is very caring and proud of what he does. He can sense if a child is really unwell and bed bound and needs him to be calm and still. He will let me gently place him on the bed close to them, where he will lie calmly so that the child can stroke him or brush his fur.

During a typical week, Thomas might meet between 10 – 30 patients across various paediatric wards ranging from intensive care to rehabilitation clinics, outpatients, A&E and long term stay wards.

Quite simply, Thomas is an integral part of the team, bringing another level of joy and this joy is felt not just by the patients but also by their families and staff on the wards. I couldn’t imagine doing my job without him. Seeing the happiness he brings to the wards is incredible. He brings a sense of calm, fun and love which is immeasurable.”