We are thrilled to announce that we have been recognised at the This is Manchester Awards, winning “Organisation Making a Difference in the Community.”

This award celebrates our continued dedication to supporting bereaved families and providing vital emotional and practical support to children and young people during the most challenging times in their lives.

Winning this ‘Organisation makes a difference’ award is a testament to the hard work, passion and commitment of our team, volunteers and supporters. Together, we’ve created a space where families can find hope, healing and a brighter future.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported our charity, from our incredible staff to our supporters and donors who make our work possible. This recognition belongs to all of you.

Let’s continue making a difference-together.

Last week, Trafford Palazzo was buzzing with excitement as our charity hosted two spectacular events: our Once Upon a Smile Birthday Party and a high-energy Nerf Corporate Event. The venue was transformed into a hub of joy, laughter, and unforgettable moments, making it a day to remember.

Once Upon a Smile Birthday Party

The Birthday Party was a heartwarming celebration aimed at bringing smiles to the faces of children and families visiting the centre. The event was filled with fun activities, from craft activities to interactive games, ensuring that everyone had a great time.

A highlight of the party was the appearance of mascots of the charity and Trafford Palazzo Sidley and Maximus.

 

Sidley and Maximus Dancing Competition

Adding an extra layer of excitement to the day was a dance competition between Sidley and Maximus. Sidley the bear is known for his charisma and dance prowess, paired up with Maximus, The Trafford Palazzo bear. They created great entertainment for children and their families. Sidley managed to pip Maximus to become winner of the dance competition!

Nerf Corporate Event

On the corporate side, our Nerf Action Xperience event was a hit, offering a unique and engaging team-building experience. Employees from various companies came together to participate in exhilarating Nerf battles as part of our birthday celebrations. The event offered players different zones for competitive play, obstacle courses, and strategic planning sessions.

 

Congratulations to team Cargill for winning overall team!

The combination of the Once Upon a Smile Birthday Party and the Nerf Corporate Event made for an amazing day at Trafford Palazzo. The events provided a great start to our month of celebrations which will help raise vital funds to support our work.

We’ve been shortlisted!

We were also delighted to be told that we have been shortlisted for the Trafford Palazzo charity of the year. VOTE HERE

A huge thank you to everyone involved in particular Trafford Palazzo, Nerf Action Xperience, our volunteers, kind donations from KeyTeq, Taste & See and Café Sorrel and our guests.

We are delighted to announce that Aspire Scientific is now part of our Corporate Partnership Family.

Aspire Scientific, a leading medical writing and communications agency, will be partnering with us over the next 12 months. This collaboration will greatly enhance our ability to provide tailored practical and emotional support to bereaved children and their families.

Throughout the partnership, the agency will engage in a range of fundraising activities and help raise awareness of our charity.

“We are thrilled that the team at Aspire Scientific is joining our family. We are excited to work with them and are truly grateful for their support.” – Dan Jillings, Co-Founder & CEO of Once Upon a Smile

We extend our heartfelt thanks for their support and for choosing Once Upon a Smile as their charity of choice. We look forward to a fruitful partnership ahead!

Children and their parents often worry that they will forget things about loved ones who have died. But after a death there are many ways that children and families can remember loved ones.

Parents of Once Upon a Smile have come up with 10 ways to remember loved ones on special days:

1. Visit the grave or the place where their ashes are buried or scattered
2. Listen to their favourite music
3. Make a memory box
4. Have their favourite meal
5. Write a special message on a helium balloon and let it go into the sky
6. Write a letter or a poem
7. Light a candle
8. Share memories with family members
9. Plant a tree or a flower in their memory
10. Look over photos and remember the happy times shared

They did it! Last month, (June) a group of dedicated colleagues from Phillips & Cohen Associates (PCA) took on the Edale Skyline hike in support of Once Upon a Smile. The team, composed of 7 colleagues from their Liverpool and Manchester offices, successfully completed the challenging 20km route with an overall elevation gain of 889m.

The hike offered not only stunning views of the Peak District, thanks to perfect weather conditions, but also a fantastic team-building experience and raising funds for our charity. What was lovely was that the more experienced hikers lent a hand to their teammates, ensuring everyone could enjoy the journey and complete the hike together.

They even topped off their fabulous fundraising by hosting a bake sale in their offices near Media City on the Monday! How fabulous is that!

Congratulations and thank you to the PCA team for their incredible effort and commitment to making a difference!

Leasing Options, a leading vehicle leasing company, recently organised a golf day and also took part in walking Snowdon as part of fundraising activities to support Once Upon a Smile.

The business have been loyal charity partners of our charity and are always taking on new challenges and attending fundraising activities to help raise vital funds needed.

Here are two recent examples:

Golf Day Success

The golf day took place at a prestigious local golf club, attracting both amateur and seasoned golfers. Participants enjoyed a day of friendly competition, with various prizes awarded for the longest drive, closest to the pin, and overall team performance. The event included a raffle and auction with items generously donated by local businesses, further boosting their fundraising efforts.

Climbing Snowdon

In addition to the golf day, a small team from Leasing Options joined charity supporters to embark on a challenging hike on Snowdon, the highest peak in Wales. Despite the rigorous climb and unpredictable weather conditions, the team’s determination and camaraderie shone through, making the event a triumphant success.

Both of these amazing fundraising efforts from Leasing Options has raised over £3,000 for our charity. We’d like to say a huge thank you to these wonderful corporate supporters. -We think you are amazing, thank you for being part of our family!

Children’s bereavement charity, Once Upon a Smile put glitz and glamour yet again into their popular fundraising event-The Grand Ball.

Hosted at the Emirates Stadium by the charities Co-Founders, Danny Miller (Emmerdale, I’m a Celebrity) and Daniel Jillings (Coronation Street), guests were treated to a magical night of live performances and amazing entertainment throughout.

Performances on the night included Urban Fusion Dance, 911, The Trilogies, Somewhere from Hotten and Kelly Llorenna (of N-Trance).

With the amazing support from our guests on the evening we raised over £35,000!

Since 2011, the charity has seen a huge increase in the number of referrals for children’s bereavement support. They are the only charity in the North West with a dedicated child bereavement centre with sessions tailored to the needs of the children they support. The funds raised at this event make a huge difference to help the charity continue their support.

We thank our sponsors Videcon and Roydon Group and event partners Marc Darcy, Phillips & Cohen along with our loyal supporters, for their continued contributions which helped us immensely with the event.

And also to our volunteers and our amazing performers

• Rock Choir
• Urban Fusion Dance
• Richie Sanderson
• Somewhere Near Hotten
• The Trilogies
• 911
• Kelly Llorenna

Notes for Editors:

Once Upon a Smile provide emotional and practical support for children and families when a parent/guardian, sibling or significant person has died. The charity provides opportunities for children to understand and express their emotions in a fun and safe environment.

They have been working with children and families from across Greater Manchester and further afield, since 2011. They accept online referrals from health, education, and other organisations, as well as self-referrals.

The charity can provide a wide range of tailored activities for bereaved children such as 1:1 and group sessions at Sidley House. They have 10 tailored rooms which allow children to express and explore their emotions following the death of a loved one.

Registered charity: 1170975

Did you know you can fundraise on Instagram when sharing a story with your followers?

When creating a story on Instagram you can also add a donation button to raise funds for Once Upon a Smile. Simply head to the GIF section and click “Donation” and search @sidley_ouas.

Your friends and family can then donate to Once Upon a Smile via your story.

Once Upon a Smile has done it again! Their hit Christmas charity fundraiser was back for 2023.

This year’s was another unforgettable event with the charity’s co-founders and hosts of the event, Danny Miller and Daniel Jillings at the helm, who ensured the event was filled with joy and festivity for over 250 guests in attendance.

Best friends, Danny and Daniel founded Once Upon a Smile in 2011, to provide emotional and practical support to bereaved families, after it became apparent that there was a lack of support for families after the death of a loved one, specifically a parent or child/sibling.

Having taken place at The Mercure Piccadilly, guests were treated to mesmerising performances featuring one of the UK’s leading choirs the Manchester Chamber Choir, the talented King of Swing, singer Paul Pashley and the Princes of Motown, a group created by former Drifters member and X-Factor finalist, Pierre Herelle.

While enjoying these outstanding performances, there was also a delightful 3-course meal and sparking drinks, adding a touch of elegance to the festivities.

Making the event an experience, guests also were provided magical surprises throughout the day.

Christmas can be an incredibly difficult time so it’s important to remember to take care of yourself and your family over the festive period. If you’re struggling, know that guidance and support at Christmas is available to help you navigate this period.

Please remember that no two people will grieve in the same way.

Some family members may want to celebrate Christmas. Some may not feel like celebrating at all. There is no right or wrong way. The important thing is to find a safe space to have open conversations about how each of you are feeling. Christmas can trigger some BIG feelings; it is important to give children a voice and to listen to each other in a sensitive way that considers everyone’s wishes, where practical.

Some families like to keep the Christmas traditions, while others prefer to do things differently. The earlier these conversations are had, the lighter you may feel in the build up and on the day itself. Whilst there in no right or wrong way to manage your Christmas, what matters is that you do what feels right for you and your family.

Be kind to yourself when around family and friends

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself and don’t feel obliged to ‘hold it together.’ Many families have shared with us that they have felt the need to do this, especially in front of extended family and friends who are hosting them for Christmas. Having early conversations with family and friends may bring comfort to everyone. You could use the below examples of how to have these conversations.

For friends and family: ‘We may feel a little overwhelmed over the festive period, we may need to take time out during the day to have a little rest, please don’t feel we don’t appreciate you or you have done something wrong’ ‘We are not sure how we will feel on Christmas day, please do not be offended if we only stay a little while, we are very grateful for your invite’.

For you and your children: ‘I am feeling a little sad right now, I am missing mummy a lot today. I am just going to sit down for a while and spend a little time to look after myself. If this is something you need to do today, then that’s ok too’.‘Christmas can still be exciting, no one should have any expectations on how you should feel. It’s perfectly normal to still have fun and laugh today, there may be times when you feel sad and that’s ok too.’

Christmas Day Traditions

When your loved one was a huge part of your traditional Christmas it can often feel overwhelming to stay at home. The festive season can bring back memories that intensify feelings. You may want to continue with traditions, and you may feel comfort in doing so or you may want to do something different. It may feel overwhelming to cook a traditional Christmas dinner, if so, it’s okay to cook something completely different. Here are a few simple ideas if you choose to do something different this year:

• Book a restaurant, you may want to relief yourself of cooking a festive meal.
• Go on holiday, if this is something you can afford then heading off during the festive period can be very comforting and provides time to relax & recharge.
• Family and friends, spend Christmas surrounded by loved ones.
• Volunteer – it can be rewarding whilst giving you time out of the family home for a few hours.

Writing and receiving Christmas cards

There are no rules when it comes to writing Christmas cards, but something many families struggle with. Writing cards for the very first time without including a loved one can be a heartfelt moment. Send them if it feels right for you but don’t put pressure on yourself to do so. If you want to include your loved one in the card but not sure how, you may choose to write ‘from the Jones family’. Many parents ask if they should write their child a card from the person who has died, this is personal to you, we would suggest making them aware that you wrote the card in memory of their loved one to prevent younger children from magical thinking that their loved one is still here. Some people may not be aware your loved one has died or may not know what to write. Seeing your loved one’s name in a card may bring comfort or sadness. Please know this is not personal and people are trying their best to support your feelings.

Putting a tree up

‘My husband would always get the tree out of the loft, he would sit for hours untangling the lights, we would celebrate the switch on with laughter and love. We would put the tree up as a family whilst stuffing our faces with mince pies and listening to festive music, the thought of doing this without him for the first time in 27 years fills me with dread’.

So many adults tell us that they don’t want to put a tree up, and again, there’s no right or wrong answer. For some it’s a difficult decision to make as it welcomes many anticipated feelings to the build up of Christmas. The absence of tiny rituals can be hard to face but many children love decorating trees. Maybe you will choose to do things slightly different this year to ensure everyone’s wishes are considered.

• Reach out for support, you don’t have to face this alone. Maybe a family member or friend can hunt the Christmas tree out for you.
•  Maybe the children will enjoy decorating the tree on their own? You might be pleasantly surprised with their creation.
•  Ask a family member or friend to help the children decorate the tree.
• You may want to find a completely difference space in your home for the tree.
•  You may all decide you don’t want a tree and choose something else to decorate and that’s ok.

Self-care

Some people feel guilty for carrying on with celebrations, but please remember you are all deserving of happiness. You will have good and bad days but what is important is that you look after each other. Here are a few ideas that families have shared with us:

• Ask for help if you need it
• Don’t stop doing the things that bring joy
• Eat healthy, drink water, gets lots of rest, plenty of fresh air
• Keep things flexible
• Limit alcohol
• Make new traditions
• Its OK to be OK
• Do mindfulness activities
• Try journalling
• Have open conversations with your children
• Feel free to decline
• Feel free to say no

Below are some self care ideas that you can do with your children – Remember to give them a choice, where practical:

• Light a special candle
• Visit a special place
• Pull a Christmas cracker in memory of your loved one
• Set up a craft table with paints, paper etc
• Personalise a Christmas ornament
• Embrace happy memories you shared
• Listen to their favourite music
• Make their favourite recipes
• String a garland of memories together
• Make a memory table runner
• Make a tree topper in memory
• Watch a favourite film
• Arrange a family walk
• Have cuddles on the sofa with a warm blanket

If you need guidance and support at Christmas, remember you are not alone.

Once Upon a Smile can provide you with emotional and practical support at your time of need to enable you to adjust to a new life without your loved one.

We support children and families when a parent/guardian or sibling has died. We pride ourselves in tailoring our support to the needs of each individual family.

We accept online referrals from health, education and other organisations, as well as self-referrals. Alternatively, you can get in touch & speak to a member of our team.

For guidance and support at Christmas, we’re here for you.