Smiley Movement
Founded by a group of animal lovers in 1897, Blue Cross have been helping animals and vulnerable pets through the battles of World War One and Two, and continuing this work right up to today with the Ukraine Pet Welfare Fund.
The Blue Cross aim to keep pets and people together. And, when that’s not possible, making sure animals get the lifelong care and support they need.
To learn more about The Blue Cross and their amazing history, visit their website here.
Ella Joseph is the Chief Executive of Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.
They provide free ‘home away from home’ accommodation for families with children in Hospital.
This means that families can be by their child’s bedside in a matter of moments, whilst maintaining a degree of normal life and reducing emotional and financial strain.
They rely on the generosity of fundraisers to help them support families in their Houses. Their vision is for every child in hospital to have their families close by, and to ensure families are fully supported in their Houses and remain actively involved in their child’s care.
Visit the Ronald McDonald House Charities Website
The world’s oldest animal hospital, The Blue Cross goes above and beyond to help pets as well as their owners.
“When we have an animal in that’s poorly it’s just as much about helping the pet as it is about looking after the client”
The charity campaigns for better animal rights and much more…
Visit The Blue Cross to learn more about their life-saving work.
Speak Up! by Smiley Movement is a series of roundtable discussions where we tackle some of the big issues in our world – and focus on the solutions.
We gather experts and people who are striving to make a difference to give them an opportunity to speak up and share their story.
In our third episode, we gathered experts to help us discuss why and how people within the LGBTQ+ community are so passionate about social activism.
Watch a four-minute highlight of the episode here.
Hear from:
Yasmin Benoit, Asexual activist and Stonewall ambassador.
Lip Wieckowski, Centre Manager, London LGBTQ+ Centre
Zarith, an ambassador for Rainbow Migration
Stephanie Fuller, CEO, Switchboard – National LGBTQ+ Helpline
WAY is the only national charity in the UK for people aged 50 or under when their partner died.
It’s a peer-to-peer support group operating with a network of volunteers who have been bereaved at a young age themselves, so they understand exactly what other members are going through.
You don’t have to face widowhood alone – join over 4,700 other young widowed people across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales who ‘get it’.
If you’ve lost your partner before your 51st birthday and live in the UK – whether you were married or not, with or without children, whatever your sexual orientation, race or religion – you are welcome to join us.
Joining up to WAY takes just minutes via online and costs just £25 a year, which can be paid either by direct debit or PayPal. https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk
Just 30 minutes of your time a week could make a massive difference to an older person’s life.
If you’re empathetic and good at talking on the phone, you could be a Telephone Friendship Service volunteer at Age UK.
We decided to see the impact this volunteering role can have, by going to visit Pamela, who had an Age UK befriender, Cessa – which has now blossomed into a wonderful friendship.
Find out more: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/getinvolved/volunteer/telephone-friend/
Support Age UK: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/
Stephanie Patrick is WAY (Widowed And Young)’s CEO.
WAY is the only national charity in the UK for people aged 50 or under when their partner died.
It’s a peer-to-peer support group operating with a network of volunteers who have been bereaved at a young age themselves, so they understand exactly what other members are going through.
Find out more: https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk/about-us/
The 6th Charity Film Awards were held at the ODEON Luxe, Leicester Square on the 21 March.
It was an incredible evening bringing together hundreds of charities to celebrate their cause-based films.
We managed to speak to some celebs about what charity means to them, the causes close to their hearts, and how we can engage more people to support the third sector.
You can see all the winning films from the 6th Charity Film Awards here: https://smileycharityfilmawards.com/winners-2023
Meet the man and his cat exploring London on a bike – bringing smiles to everyone they see.
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, many families have to travel miles from home to get to specialised hospitals, and that costs a huge amount of money.
In this episode we met Young Lives vs Cancer CEO Rachel Kirby-Rider in a car park a stone’s throw away from UCH London.
The charity provides practical and financial support to families who are entering into this difficult journey.
Find out more: https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/