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theatre spread a smile

Hercules: A VIP Family Day

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
By:

Twelve young patients and their families enjoyed an unforgettable day at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see Hercules. Their visit included a joyful pre‑theatre gathering with magical entertainment, face painting, pizza, cupcakes and interval ice creams, followed by a special VIP meet and greet with the cast. It was a warm and relaxed experience, offering families the chance to spend meaningful time together and connect with others on similar journeys.

Spread a Smile family events are designed to give seriously ill children and young people precious moments away from treatment, hospital life and the pressures that come with navigating a serious illness. For many families, planning an outing of this kind can be challenging. Medical appointments, complex health needs and financial considerations often make special experiences like a West End trip difficult to access. By removing those barriers, we enable families to enjoy time together, have fun and experience a sense of normality during an otherwise demanding period.

After the performance, our guests were welcomed backstage for a VIP meet and greet with members of the cast. For many children, this was the highlight of the day – an extraordinary opportunity to chat with the performers, take photographs and experience a truly memorable moment. These encounters help create treasured memories that stay with families long after the day itself.

Ellie, Spread a Smile’s Head of Family Events, said:
“It’s a privilege to run these events and see the difference they make. Families often tell us how valuable it is to have something positive to look forward to alongside treatment. Giving young patients a day filled with joy and connection is incredibly important, and it’s why we do what we do.”

We also received this lovely feedback from a parent who joined us on the day:
“I just wanted to say thank you to you & the amazing Spread a Smile team for giving us  the most wonderful day! She hasn’t stopped talking about it all evening, excitedly telling her dad about how, she met all of the performers! (Even if she was a little shy at the actual meeting! That seems to have been long forgotten!) She has also asked if we can do the same next week!! No pressure!

It was the first time we had been able to make any of the Spread a Smile events, even though you’ve been in our lives since we first visited gosh over 6 years ago!”

We are deeply grateful to everyone who helps make these outings possible. Your support ensures that families caring for seriously ill children can enjoy meaningful moments of joy when they are needed most.

Please donate today to ensure we can continue spreading smiles when they’re needed most.

The Lion King Spread a Smile Theatre Trip 2025

A Day of Pride at The Lion King

 780 400 Gabrielle Devine
By:

The team at Spread a Smile recently had the pleasure of welcoming 15 young patients and their families to watch The Lion King at London’s Lyceum Theatre as part of our family events programme. It was an incredible day out for the families who joined us, offering them a chance to enjoy a fun day out away from the day-to-day worries an stress that often accompany serious illness.

Our guests were treated to a special pre-show party in the Ambassadors Lounge with pizza, Lola’s cupcakes, snacks and of course entertainment from Spread a Smile’s talented entertainers including magic, fairies, guitarist, face painting and arts and crafts – plus a Lion King themed quiz! As always, the room was filled with so much happiness and it really set the scene before our families headed in to the theatre to watch the show.

The families then headed into the theatre to enjoy the show. They got ice creams in the interval and then a special treat after the show with a brilliant meet and greet with Simba, Nala and Scar from the cast! Seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces was a perfect end to the day.

The magic of our family events is best captured by the families who attend them, and Caroline, a mother who joined us for the day with her children, shared this message:  “I just wanted to say a huge ‘Thank you’ to everybody at Spread a Smile for the day out at The Lion King. We were all definitely smiling at the end of the day and the whole family had a great time.  We really appreciated the team and being made to feel so special. Thank you! “

Every year, Spread a Smile organises a calendar of family focused events which 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. We are so grateful to everyone at the Lyceum Theatre and the cast of The Lion King for their wonderful support and helping to make the day so special. Also, to Lola’s Cupcakes for providing such delicious treats.

We couldn’t continue to provide these events without the support and generosity of our donors, fundraisers and corporate partners. To find out more about how you can get involved and support our vital work, please take a look here . Thank you.

 

 

 

The Lion King a roaring success

 780 400 Susie
By:

With January in full swing, Spread a Smile hosted another brilliant family outing last week to see The Lion King at London’s Lyceum Theatre!

16 families joined us for a lovely afternoon together, starting with a wonderful pre-show party, brimming with entertainment from our talented Spread a Smile entertainers.

Families were treated to magic, face painting, engaging arts and crafts activities and even a fairy sing a long! There were also plenty of delicious treats to enjoy, including pizza and the adorable animal cupcakes from Lola’s.

As usual, the performance itself was breathtaking and our guests enjoyed soaking up the magic and wonder of The Lion King. It certainly was a day filled with laughter, smiles, and a lot of singing.

“I just wanted to say a massive thank you for the incredible opportunity to attend The Lion King yesterday. Olivia and I had such a wonderful time—it was honestly magical and such a treat for both of us.

“Your organisation was seamless, and the little surprises were just lovely. Olivia was over the moon with her gift—it made her feel so special—and having a photo with the cast was such a perfect touch. She hasn’t stopped talking about it!

“It was so nice to just step away from everything for a while and enjoy such a vibrant, uplifting show together. Moments like this are so precious, and I’m so grateful to you for making it happen.

“Thank you for spreading so much joy and for creating memories we’ll treasure forever. You really made a difference to our day—and our week!” Izabella and Olivia

Spread a Smile organises regular outings and events for the families we support providing a chance for them to have fun and make memories together.

To find out more click here.

Mildreds and Sister Act for our VIPs

 780 400 Susie
By:

When you’re looking for a memorable experience in London, then dinner followed by a trip to see a West End musical is definitely top of the list. Last week, we treated some of the families supported by Spread a Smile to just that.

We began the party at Mildreds Restaurant in Covent Garden where not only did our families get to enjoy a delicious vegan dinner, they were also entertained throughout with singing, amazing magic, face painting, arts and crafts and our gorgeous therapy dog Buddy, who also came for some cuddles.

After our tummies were full, we headed down to a very special relaxed performance of Sister Act The Musical at London’s Dominion Theatre. The excitement filled the auditorium as everyone relaxed into their seats and enjoyed the amazing show, featuring a star-studded cast. One of guests, Evie, aged 13 was so excited to see actor Ruth Jones perform as she is a big fan of hers and said after the show: “Ruth definitely waved at me!” with a smile from ear to ear.

Evie’s Mum Jo said, “Honestly, thank you from the bottom of my heart. The work you do is just amazing and I’m not sure that thank you is enough for the happiness my girl is feeling right now.”

Viktoria, mum of Emily (13) also said, “We would love to tell you how wonderful you all are! Thank you for all your hard work and lovely smiles to make so many little lives happy. We had a wonderful time with you all and special thank you to the magician Nick, he really blew our minds with his amazing magic!”

We are so grateful to our friends at Mildreds for their continued and generous support and to everyone at the Dominion Theatre for making us so welcome.

Spread a Smile completely relies on donations and support from generous individuals and organisations to fund family events such as this. Please donate here to help ensure we can continue to provide this support for many more families. Thank you.

Mamma Mia – My, my what a show!

 780 400 Susie
By:

My, my what a show! The team from Spread a Smile had a glorious afternoon taking nine of the families we support to see Mamma Mia the Musical at the Novello Theatre in London.

Our VIPS loved watching the smash hit musical, singing, dancing and clapping along and the smiles were as bright as the theatre lights.

After the show, our families were incredibly lucky to meet several members of the cast, who kindly gave up their time to pose for photos and answer any questions our families had. Tessa, 10, who wants to be performer asked, “do you ever forget your lines?” and “do all the cast members get on?”.

Lauren, mum of Elsa (13) said “Thank you so, so much for yesterday it was amazing and as I predicted Elsa has not stopped telling everyone especially how she “met the characters” – I keep telling her they are the cast! She has taken the programme into school today. I honestly cannot express our gratitude as always, words do not seem enough.”

A huge Spread a Smile thank you to the cast of Mamma Mia for being so amazing and taking the time out of their busy schedule to meet our families after the show – you’re all Super Troupers!

To find out more about our family events, click here.

A day to remember at The Lion King

 780 400 Susie
By:

Spread a Smile’s theatre trips for the families of seriously ill children really are something special and last week’s trip to see The Lion King musical at the Lyceum Theatre, London was no exception.

An incredible 10 families joined us for this special treat and we made sure they were completely spoilt. With a pre-show party full of delicious pizza, snacks, face painting, magic, singing and Lola’s Cupcakes, our families were able to relax and enjoy themselves, sharing many laughs and smiles together.

The Lion King is an incredible spectacle and our guests had a wonderful time, escaping into the magic of Africa. The performance was followed by a meet and greet with some of the cast members, who generously came out to spend time with our VIP guests and building on special memories for years to come.

“Noah absolutely loved it, from the moment we stepped foot into the building we felt so very VIP – like royalty, spoilt rotten by the team at Spread a Smile. Every moment felt so magical. Noah was very excited and as soon as it started, he was mesmerised, singing along to the songs, repeating the script and wiggling away to all the beats.

“Noah was blown away during the meet and greet, he had his eyes locked in on the cast the whole time and he felt so special having pictures with them.

“Thank you so much for such a magical, enchanting VIP experience and for making us feel so very special. We had to remember to take off our invisible crowns on the way out! I’m so grateful to you and the Spread a Smile team for giving us such a special memorable experience that will be imprinted on Noah’s memory for a lifetime.” Khadijah, Noah’s Mum

A huge thank you to everyone at the Lyceum Theatre and the cast and crew for making us feel so welcome. Also to Lola’s Cupcakes for the delicious treats.

“Thank you to you and the extended team for such a wonderful day and the pure joy of experiencing the Lion King for the first time. Eva loved every minute and was so lovely to see her confidence grow since the last session to chat to everyone, you do really all make everyone feel at ease. Such wonderful memories to cherish.” Claire, Eva’s Mum

Please donate to help ensure we can continue to provide these wonderful moments of respite and joy for the seriously ill children and families we support.

Providing respite in the magic of Frozen

 780 400 Susie
By:

Alongside in-person and virtual entertainer visits to seriously ill children in hospital, Spread a Smile organises a variety of outings and events for the families we support.

Our aim is to provide special days out for the whole family so they can enjoy themselves together. Last week we took 17 children and their siblings and parents to watch Frozen on stage at the Drury Lane Theatre in London.

As always, Spread a Smile created a wonderful, welcoming environment and pre-show party with magic, face painting, art and a sprinkle of fairy magic. Our guests were also treated to pizza, snacks and delicious cupcakes donated by our friends at Lola’s Cupcakes.

After the show, the incredible actors playing Elsa, Ana and Kristoff came out to meet the families, helping to spread even more smiles and magic. It really was a wonderful day.

“Kian and I had the most amazing day. Kian hasn’t stopped telling anyone who will listen about the brilliant spread a smile team, the show and meeting his favourite Disney princesses.

“The whole team were fantastic and we just wanted to pass on our thanks to you all. I believe Kian’s exact words were ‘I’m the luckiest kid in the world’.” Danielle and Kian

We are so grateful to everyone who helps make these events possible; our donors, fundraisers and supporters, Lola’s Cupcakes, the amazing cast and crew of Frozen and the Drury Lane Theatre and Disney UK.

To find out more about our work and accessing our services, click here.

New year family events

 780 400 Susie
By:

It’s been a busy start to the year, with some incredible family events and outings for some of the children, young people and families we support.

We once again returned to Underground Cookery School in partnership with cancer support charity Teens Unite Fighting Cancer, inviting young people affected by serious illness to learn how to cook a delicious 2-course meal from scratch. As always, it was a fun day, filled with much laughter, providing a relaxed opportunity for the young people to learn new skills and then sit down together to enjoy the meal they had prepared. Outings such as these are hugely important for the young people we support as they provide respite and a chance to connect and share their experiences in a safe environment whilst simply being a teenager amongst other teenagers.

We also invited families to join us for visit to see Wicked at the Apollo Theatre in London – a wonderful experience and a lovely way for families to spend time together, allowing moments of escape in to the magical world of the theatre.

Last month our good friends at Mildreds Restaurants welcomed families for a delicious afternoon tea at their London restaurant. This monthly initiative is always such a joy, with Spread a Smile entertainers on hand to add to the fun. Often these afternoons enable children and young people going through treatment for serious illness to meet other families in similar situations. To see the smiles and relaxation makes everything we do worthwhile.

We know that everyone in a family is deeply affected by the illness of a child or sibling. Our outings, events and activities 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.

Thank you to Underground Cookery School, Mildreds Restaurants, Apollo Theatre for helping to spread smiles and make all of our family events possible.

To find out more about our family events, please take a look here or register your interest.

First family event outside London

 780 400 Susie
By:

Last month, as part of Play in Hospital Week 2023, we were proud to organise our first ever family event outside of London.

18 families from Leicester Children’s Hospital and Nottingham Children’s Hospital joined us for a theatre trip to see ‘Peter Pan Goes Wrong’ at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. It was such a special evening as one of our very own Spread a Smile singers played the role of Tink and Mrs Darling in the show.

Our guests were treated to delicious cupcakes from Lola’s Cupcakes and a goody bag from Hasbro plus a meet and greet with the cast after the show which involved a Q&A. Every family was able to take photos with their favourite cast members and they even got to see the magic of Peter Pan flying!

“I just wanted to message and say a massive thank you for tonight. We all had the best time at Peter Pan Goes Wrong and we appreciate the memories we made tonight so much. I find it overwhelming the kindness shown to our special little warrior. Keep up the hard work as the memories that your charity brings are priceless.” Parent

Laura Walter, Director of Services for Spread a Smile said, “We’re so glad we were able to meet so many of our families in person from Leicester and Nottingham Children’s Hospitals. We have seen first-hand just how important it is for our families to be able to experience these special times outside of hospital and we are delighted that we could bring so much laughter and happiness for a wonderful evening together.”

A huge thank you to all of our families for joining us, Lola’s Cupcakes and Hasbro for their kind donations and the team, cast and crew from Mischief and Peter Pan Goes Wrong for their wonderful support and kindness.

Please click here to find out more about our family events and outings.