Spread a Smile today announces its 10th hospital trust partner, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, one of the leading hospital trusts in London. Every child and their relatives are now automatically invited to the Spread a Smile family and the partnership will allow smiles to be spread widely across the Trust’s hospitals – Chelsea and Westminster and West Middlesex. The visits will be delivered in collaboration with the Trust’s official charity CW+, as part of their participatory Arts in Health programme to improve the hospital experience for patients and their families.
This is the 10th major London hospital trust to partner closely with Spread a Smile, with the aim of spreading smiles to poorly children all over the city. It marks the next milestone in the charity’s mission to offer comfort, laughter, and support to families of sick children all over the UK.
Children at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will be invited to join weekly virtual group hospital visits from entertainers, take part in themed activity days that include key calendar hook events linked to Easter, Halloween and Christmas as well as receive surprise treat drops like ice cream on World Ice Cream Day….and plans are already underway for surprises on the upcoming Valentine’s Day. Families of long-term patients will also be able to book one-on-one sessions with Spread a Smile’s wonderful entertainers and will also receive delivery of post-procedure treat boxes.
The Trusts patients will also enjoy some of the first in-person entertainer visits, back by popular demand following a period of being put on hold, due to the pandemic, and will be treated to visiting Spread a Smile fairies, in the flesh, very soon.
Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile CEO, added, “We are thrilled to be able to name our 10th hospital trust partner, and that they have chosen us. A 10th partner is a real milestone for the charity, and we’re delighted it’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. All our hospital partnerships are special, and they allow us to work closely with hospital play teams to provide fun and entertainment to all the children and families receiving care, helping to distract from treatment, reduce anxieties, and increase emotional wellbeing. We are really looking forward to working together and putting some much-needed smiles on faces!”
