SPREAD A SMILE

Registered charity 1152205 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as -

To enhance the wellbeing of seriously ill children, their siblings and families. Through the provision of entertainment and family events, we help young patients and their families cope with the pain and anxiety of serious illness and hospitalisation.

Objects

To relieve the needs of children receiving hospital treatment for critical, life-limiting and long-term conditions, those in end-of-life care and their families through the provision of entertainment in hospital and family events.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Islington, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity ended the year with a surplus of £76,285, resulting in total unrestricted and restricted funds of £1,178,390. The trustees' report indicates that the charity holds unrestricted reserves consistent with a policy target of six months of unrestricted expenditure. The auditors confirmed that there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by Knox Cropper LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

• Letters from Santa help spread a smile at Christmas time for patients in Alder Hey theguideliverpool.com · 25/11/2025
• Oxford University Hospitals Partners With Spread A Smile oxfordshireguardian.co.uk · 03/09/2024

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Spread a Smile (matched by registered charity number).

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• The National Lottery Community Fund — “The National Lottery Community Fund” (source page)
• Canary Wharf Contractors Fund — “‘ It is such a privilege to support Spread a Smile. The Canary Wharf Contractors Fund have loved building a relationship with the team there…” (source page)
• LMAC Group Ltd — ““We first crossed paths with Spread a Smile a few years ago when we donated to the crowdfunding page of Rob Threadgold ( Chair of Spread a S…” (source page)
• Hilco Capital — ““We’re delighted to partner with Spread a Smile following a fun day of volunteering with the team at Christmas. We love what they do and hav…” (source page)
• Downing — ““It has been our privilege to be part of the Spread a Smile story and the incredibly important work that they do. Our partnership has far su…” (source page)
• Riding House Café — ““We are proud to partner with Spread a Smile. As well as utilising our space to host events, we are fully committed to continue to raising …” (source page)
• Broadcast Revolution — “Broadcast Revolution is a specialist broadcast PR agency that provides a fresh and creative way to deliver quality coverage for brands thr…” (source page)

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~6.7 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (89% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 23.1% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.3%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Paul Godfreychair
• Andrew Bloom
• Dr Fiona Hikmet
• Dr Sanjiv Patel
• Edward James Stanton Gordon-Hall
• Elizabeth Gould
• PAUL CROCKER
• Samuel Anstey
• Vanessa Crocker

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Grants marked “Unverified read” were flagged by automated checks as possibly misread from the funder’s filed accounts. They are listed, but left out of the totals, counts and funder relationships this site computes.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED.

• ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED income £531k
• MILES FOR SMILES income £133k
• JOSEPH'S SMILE income £169k
• MAKE THEM SMILE income £483k
• SMILE GROUP income £281k
• GIFT A SMILE income £141k

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.