Spread A Smile
Spread a Smile brings joy and hope to seriously ill children in hospitals, hospices and homes across the UK.
Through in-person and virtual visits, our renowned entertainers – from magicians to face-painters, musicians to therapy dogs – generate moments of distraction and excitement, helping young patients and their families to face their significant health challenges with optimism and positivity.
Since our founding in 2013, we have built a reputation for developing bespoke relationships with each family and each health setting, so that we can offer the most meaningful, impactful support. We complement our main work with art initiatives, family outings and seasonal celebration events.
In 2023-24, we will deliver over 12,000 in-person bedside visits and over 2,000 virtual visits, in partnership with 25 hospitals and two hospice partners.
Our core services include:
Entertainer visits – scheduled face-to-face and virtual hospital visits to children under the care of our hospital partners from our team of professional entertainers including play specialists, artists, magicians, musicians, poets and therapy dogs.
Outings and Events – an extended programme of family-focused theatre trips and physical and virtual family, sibling and teenage events plus regular treat drops across our hospital partners.
Art Initiatives – Enriching Spaces creates colourful murals on hospital wards and windows to make the hospital environment a more welcoming place for young patients and their families. Our hand-painted, bespoke masks and moulds support young patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment.
Registered Number 1152205