Posts Tagged :

spread a smile

Easter tea party at Corinthia London

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To kick off the Easter holidays, 18 families joined us at the beautiful Corinthia London for a delicious Easter themed afternoon tea.

Upon arrival, the families were greeted with glittery welcome drinks in Spread a Smile colours before being shown to their tables to enjoy a tasty afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, cakes, hot chocolates and more.

In true Spread a Smile style there was entertainment from some of our magicians, singers and fairies, along with lots of Easter crafts and a scavenger hunt with the end prize of a personalised apron for each child to take home.

We are extremely grateful to our friends at Corinthia London for hosting us so beautifully and treating our guests like royalty. As one family told us,

“The afternoon tea was absolutely delicious and on another level. Thank you always so, so much for thinking of everything and being so kind to us all. We honestly had a fabulous time, and it was such a special treat to be able to take the kids (and us) to somewhere so luxurious. Thank you as always for the amazing magic, face painting and singing. Jacob and Kaitlin were in hysterics at the magician, and it was so funny to watch.” Love the Youens family.

Our family events and outings support young patients, their parents, carers and siblings and bring moments of respite, joyful experiences and enduring memories at the most challenging of times.

To find out more about our work and how you can get involved, please click here.

Meet Cara and new therapy Dog, Scout

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We’re delighted to welcome Cara and Scout to the Spread a Smile team.

Scout is a 5-year-old female cockapoo and our newest recruit to our team of therapy dogs, making regular visits to children in hospital with owner, Cara. Cara told us a little bit more about Scout and her journey to becoming a therapy dog with Spread a Smile.

“Scout is very intelligent and lots of fun, but most importantly a friendly, calm dog. I think she makes a great therapy dog as she absolutely adores people and loves getting cuddles – she can never have too many! She’d make an absolutely terrible guard dog, though. 

“I’m a children’s writer and spend a lot of time visiting schools with Scout to read my stories. Scout has also been working as a registered ‘Pets as Therapy’ dog for 3 years, going into a local primary school to read with the children. A few people mentioned to me what an asset she would be as a hospital dog, so this is something I started considering. In addition, I am a mum of three girls, including one who was sadly stillborn, I feel a real affinity with parents who are going through very difficult times. When I read about Spread a Smile in a magazine, I realised it would be the perfect organisation for us to get involved with.”

“To become a therapy dog, Scout was assessed by Pets as Therapy in 2022 and she passed with flying colours. Since joining the Spread a Smile team, we’ve been in to visit children and young people in hospital, and it’s been a great first introduction to the charity and the important work they do. We met some children in the playroom first, and then went to individual beds on the ward. The children and their parents were really happy to see Scout and she brought a lot of smiles to their faces.

“Even though it was a very different to her usual surroundings, Scout was perfectly comfortable in hospital and took all the strange equipment, busy corridors and noises in her stride. It was lovely seeing the children visibly relax in her presence and enjoy a moment of calm between medical procedures. I think Scout is always so insistent on attention and love, that she brings people out of their present worries and gives them something else to focus on, even just for a short time. She particularly loved having her fur brushed.

“Just like on my school visits, we always take time to introduce ourselves and take things very gently. Scout seems to know which side of her personality to bring out depending on the child – so sometimes she gives excited with tail-waggy greetings, and at other times she simply curls up for a quiet pat. When encouraged, Scout loves showing off a few of her tricks (only ‘sit’, ‘paw’ and ‘lie down’ – but she performs them very diligently!) and being given her favourite treat – cubes of mature cheddar cheese – as a reward.

“I have been able to bring copies of my rhyming picture book, Finding Floss, along with me on hospital visits and hand them out to children, along with stickers. This ties in perfectly with Scout’s visits, as the book is about a loveable cockapoo. Storytelling is something I have always been passionate about and most of my stories contain a huge dollop of silliness and absurdity – I love seeing children get the giggles, especially when they’ve been feeling sad or worried. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine. 

“I am hoping to do some book readings and story sessions with Spread a Smile in the future. I have more books due to come out – more silly animal capers – so would love to read these too. 

“I’d heard about therapy dogs in hospitals, but hadn’t, until recently, heard of Spread a Smile. What is immediately impressive, is the sheer amount of hard work and organisation that goes in to coordinating the visits, and the amount of people that help to make it happen. I have also enjoyed meeting other Spread a Smile entertainers on my visits – from magicians, to singers, to balloon artists. They are all so talented and I’ve loved seeing children, from tiny babies to teenagers, light up in their presence. Both Scout and I are really looking forward to what lies ahead on our journey with Spread a Smile.”

Please donate to help ensure we can continue to fund our therapy dog visits for children and young people in hospital. Thank you.

Micro Scooters make a ‘wheely’ big difference

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“The Micro Scooter gives my daughter a sense of ownership, independence and mobility. My child received a gift of a kidney from her mother in March 2023. In just 7 days she got moving around the ward and first thing she called out for was to bring her pink Micro Scooter from home, which she used to get around the ward.” Parent

Since 2021, Micro Scooters has generously been supporting Spread a Smile, donating an amazing 166 micro scooters, helmets and scooting accessories to support seriously ill children and their families.

Hospitalisation can be a very scary experience for children, often causing significant anxiety and distress. Play is an essential part of childhood and is at the very heart of mental, social and emotional growth and wellbeing. Prolonged and repeated hospitalisation, time at home or endless days feeling unwell significantly reduces opportunities for play, socialisation and physical movement.

Laura Walter, Spread a Smile Director of Services continued saying, “Physical activity is important for everyone, including children who are in hospital. Some patients can be in hospital for a long time, so it is important that they stay as active as possible during their stay. Scooting is a fantastic way to encourage them to take part in exercise that is fun, when they feel able to.”

The scooters have been used to help children get from one area of the hospital to another for treatment and also to support children’s rehabilitation by promoting physical activity and improving motor skills

One parent told us, “The scooter makes a huge difference to our son. He has a chronic lung condition, which means he struggles to walk any distance. He has a wheelchair which he can use, but he doesn’t like to be so different from his friends and other kids. When we travel into London for hospital appointments, we use a scooter as a much easier way for him to travel without exerting himself. The scooter is also easier for me to lift on and off the train. It makes a huge difference to his life and disability.”

We are so grateful for the fantastic support from Micro Scooters and are looking forward to continuing to work in partnership with them to spread even more smiles to even more children.

Partnerships such as this play a vital role in ensuring we can continue to be there for seriously ill children and their families when they need us most. Please do reach out with our Partnerships Manager, Lucy Keith by emailing lucykeith@spreadasmile.org to find out more about exciting partnership opportunities with Spread a Smile.

Queen’s Hospital partners with Spread a Smile

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Spread a Smile has announced a new partnership, with Queen’s Hospital in Romford, part of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. The charity will support children and young people receiving treatment at the hospital and they, along with their families, are invited to join the Spread a Smile family and benefit from its services.

Spread a Smile’s mission is to bring joy and laughter to as many seriously ill children as possible in NHS hospitals, clinical settings, hospices and homes across the UK. Queen’s Hospital joins 37 other major and speciality NHS hospitals, and six hospice partners already supported by the charity, taking Spread a Smile one step closer to its aim of spreading smiles to every seriously ill child and young person across the country.

The Spread a Smile team of talented entertainers, including musicians, artists, magicians and therapy dogs, will spend quality time with patients through regular in-person visits to the hospital. In addition, patients and their families will be able to access a range of its support services including virtual sessions, outings and events. All of which supports the charity’s aim of reaching and supporting as many young people as possible, spreading smiles and a lot of happiness to children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses and their families.

Caroline Jenkins, Health Play Specialist at Queen’s Hospital, said: “Having Spread a Smile visit us has really made such a difference to the children and young people at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, we are a busy district general hospital covering three very diverse areas. Spread a Smile’s visits are impactful brightening everyone’s day from the children and young people, their parents & carers and all the staff, the visits lift everyone’s mood. Thank you for all you do and we look forward to continuing to work with you helping you make an even greater impact in the future.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive added, “Spread a Smile’s aim is to bring joy and happiness into the lives of as many seriously ill children, young people and their families across the country as possible. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the brilliant team at Queen’s Hospital to deliver entertainment, laughter and bring the Spread a Smile magic to patients, families and staff alike.”

To find out more about what we do and how we support our hospital and hospice partners, click here.

February 2025 newsletter

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Our February supporter newsletter is here!

Take a look for all the latest from Spread a Smile including…

  • News on our two latest hospital partners
  • The latest on our family events and half-term activities
  • Kian’s story for International Epilepsy Day
  • Launch of our two 2025 Padel Tournaments
  • An update on our Real Estate Committee
  • More on the London to Brighton bike ride in July
  • Freddie and Richard’s story, from support to fundraising

We hope you enjoy reading our latest newsletter and if you’re not already receiving it, you can sign up here.

Valentine’s event gets the party started

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On Thursday 20 February Spread a Smile held a brilliant Valentine’s Party at the Brunswick Art Gallery for some of the seriously ill children we support and their families.

The day was filled with lots of valentine’s themed art activities including canvas painting, coaster designing and decorating heart shaped trinket boxes with gems, sequins and heart shaped stickers. There was also a ‘selfie mirror’ with props, a DJ and live singer, a magic show from Mr Magic, face painting, and a scavenger hunt.

Our guests enjoyed a sweet stand, pizza, chicken and chips and yummy cupcakes and brownies, generously donated by our friends at Lola’s Cupcakes.

Towards the end of the party, everyone had the chance to have a go on the DJ decks and sing songs of their choice which was such a special moment as everyone gather around and cheered one another on. From ‘Popular’ to ‘Let it Go’ with a bit of AC/DC thrown in too – the families all clapped and cheered as the children felt comfortable enough to sing in front of everyone. It was a really special moment for everyone in the room.

This was Spread a Smile’s second time hosting an event at the Brunswick Art Gallery and the day was summed up by Mum Claire and her daughter Eva who sent us the following message after the event:

“What a wonderful day full of crafting, fun, laughter, trickery, music and happy proud tears!

“Each child and their family was made feel so special and encouraged and as always are bellies and hearts were filled. From Tik Toks to DJ-ing, Karaoke and Broadway showcases, the talent and encouragement in the room was something to behold.

“Spread a Smile doesn’t just spread smiles, they spread confidence and create a safe space no matter the venue for children and families to become so comfortable that barriers drop and families support each other.

“Hospitals and treatments in their nature create isolation which can hinder children in their ability to interact with their peers. They can lose out on forming and building these key skills, but Spread a Smile helps to rebuild their resilience.

“Over the last year we have seen our shy and reserved child blossom into a more confident pre-teen. To see her supporting the magician and leading the room in a song was monumental. We are very lucky to have you all championing each child to remember what childhood should and can be – FUN!”

Every year, Spread a Smile organises events like this to support families with seriously ill children. They range from art events, to theatre trips, foodie experiences, zoo outings and so much more and it’s thanks to our generous supporters and fundraisers that we are able to continue to provide these important experiences for families going through the worst of times.

Please do get in touch to find out more about our events or how you can get involved to support this vital work which brings joy and happiness during the darkest of times.

Chocolate workshop at MyChocolate

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At Spread a Smile, we try to ensure our family events cater for all ‘tastes’, so our first ever chocolate making workshop really did go down a treat.

The workshop was held at MyChocolate near Old Street in London and led by one of their brilliant theatrical chocolatiers, who brought so much energy and flair to the session. We were joined by 12 children who all experienced making some delicious chocolate truffles, filled with all sorts of yummy flavours such as honeycomb, sea salt, dried fruits and colourful sprinkles.

The chocolatier guided them through each step, from piping the chocolate to rolling it to their desired shape and finally coating the truffles in cocoa powder before topping it with edible decorations.

Our VIP guests also enjoyed making chocolate slabs and were taught the art of decorative feathering and other design work using dark, milk and white chocolate.

There was chocolate everywhere, but everyone had such a fantastic time creating their chocolate masterpieces. Working in pairs meant that the young people taking part were able to make new friends and socialise with other patients whilst their parents enjoyed a relaxing cup of tea, sitting together and chatting.

Every year Spread a Smile organises a calendar of family outings, events and activities 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.

Our thanks go to Hannah Saxton, Owner of MyChocolate for making us all feel so welcome and creating such a wonderful day which brought so much joy to the families who joined us.

Find out more about our work here.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital partnership

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Spread a Smile is delighted to announce a new partnership with Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, part of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT). Spread a Smile will be supporting children and young people receiving treatment at the hospital and they, along with their families, are invited to join the Spread a Smile family and benefit from its services.

Spread a Smile’s mission is to bring joy and laughter to as many seriously ill children as possible in NHS hospitals, clinical settings, hospices and homes across the UK. Queen Elizabeth Hospital joins 36 other major and speciality NHS hospitals, and six hospice partners already supported by Spread a Smile, taking the charity one step closer to its aim of spreading smiles to every seriously ill child and young person across the country.

The Spread a Smile team of talented entertainers, including musicians, artists, magicians and therapy dogs, will spend quality time with patients through regular in-person visits to the hospital. In addition, patients and their families will be able to access a range of Spread a Smile support services including virtual sessions, outings and events. All of which supports Spread a Smile’s aim of reaching and supporting as many young people as possible, spreading smiles and a lot of happiness to children undergoing treatment for serious illnesses and their families.

Summer Pavitt, Healthcare Play Specialist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said: “At LGT, we are excited to partner with the Spread a Smile team. We’ve seen first-hand the amazing difference this charity makes in the lives of our children and young people during challenging times. We’re looking forward to future visits and are grateful for the positive impact they’ve had on our youngest patients.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive added, “Spread a Smile is proud to be working with the team at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, to support young patients under their care, helping to provide distraction and much needed moments of engagement and fun. We are looking forward to our visits, meeting even more patients, families and staff and spreading as many smiles as possible.”

Find out more about our work here.

Family event with The Brain Tumour Charity

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On Saturday 1 February, Spread a Smile and The Brain Tumour Charity joined forces to host a wonderful family event for young patients affected by a brain tumour, along with their families.

This was the first event of its kind, taking place at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, with 60 guests joining us for a day full of fun activities and entertainment, with the aim of bringing together families going through some of the most difficult times in a shared, positive experience.

Ellen Walker, Head of Family events said, “It was a pleasure to welcome so many families supported by Spread a Smile and The Brain Tumour Charity for a such a wonderful day together. It was so lovely to see everyone chatting and sharing their experiences, knowing that the other family knew exactly what they were going through.”

Spread a Smile entertainers, including magicians, fairies, balloon modellers and more, were on hand to join in the fun, with so much for everyone to enjoy including magic shows with Makaton, singing, arts and crafts, face painting and music quizzes.

Our friends from Brigits Bakery provided gorgeous afternoon tea boxes for the children and young people, alongside delicious cupcakes from the brilliant Lola’s Cupcakes. The adults were not left out and were treated to lovely sandwich platters and snacks.

Clare Jackson, Support Manager for The Brain Tumour Charity said, “We are so pleased to have worked with Spread a Smile to offer this event to families within our community. It was brilliant to bring so many families together for a fun filled day, whilst providing the opportunity to connect with others who understand.” 

The room was filled with laughter and smiles and we would like to say a huge thank you to all our guests for joining us. Also to The Brain Tumour Charity for their hard work in making the day such a success and Brigits Bakery and Lola’s Cupcakes for their support.

New NHS partnership with The NHNN

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Spread a Smile is delighted to announce a new partnership with The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. NHNN is the UK’s largest dedicated neurological and neurosurgical hospital, providing comprehensive services for the diagnosis, treatment and care of all conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nervous system and muscles.

NHNN is an adult hospital, but Spread a Smile will be supporting young people receiving specialist treatment at the hospital, with our talented entertainers, including musicians, artists, magicians and therapy dogs, spending quality time with patients through regular monthly in-person visits. In addition, patients and their families will be able to access a range of Spread a Smile support services including virtual sessions, outings and events.

Frenchesca James-Young, Advanced Youth & Young Adult Support Co-ordinator for The NHNN/UCLH said: “One of our patients, B, has been at the NHNN for 6 months, following a swift transfer from another hospital. This time has been a rollercoaster for both him and his Dad, with B rapidly deteriorating and being moved to the ITU at the NHNN. There were many points where we thought he would not have seen Christmas.  

“During this time, I contacted Spread a Smile, having worked with them previously, to see if they would consider visiting young people in an adult setting at The NHNN to help spread smiles. Of course, Spread a Smile responded immediately, making it happen.

“For a patient like B, aged 22 but developmentally aged around 6/7, this was instrumental in helping to boost his mood from the day to day medical things that were happening to him. Spread a Smile brought magic and songs, cheer and joy into an adult hospital – something we hadn’t seen before.

“Fast forward to Christmas 2024 and Spread a Smile organised a special visit on Christmas Day for B on ITU! They brought an amazing gift hamper full of things he loved – Toy Story’s Buzz lightyear, football and stickers to name a few.

“B is not the only young person who has benefitted from the joy Spread a Smile brings. Our project sees patients up to the age of 24 – some want to sing, some might miss their dog at home and love meeting the Spread a Smile therapy dogs, some enjoy the tricks by the magicians.

“I can’t thank Spread a Smile enough for all they do and the joy I get from seeing the faces of patients, their families and the staff around them is truly amazing.”

Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile Chief Executive added, “Spread a Smile is proud to be supporting young patients at The NHNN, helping to provide distraction and much needed moments of engagement and fun. We are looking forward to our visits, meeting even more patients, families and staff and spreading as many smiles as possible.”

Click here to find out more about our work with 36 NHS hospital and 6 hospice partners across the country.