Charity that brings laughter to sick and vulnerable kids has reason to smile after receiving National Lottery Funding

A charity that brings much-needed moments of joy and laughter to sick and vulnerable children is celebrating after receiving a £10,000 grant from The National Lottery Community Fund.

The Laughter Specialists in Saffron Walden brings together specially trained entertainers and performers to provide fun, laughter, and moments of relief to children with severe illness and a range of conditions across Essex and the surrounding regions.

The project - which visits children and their families in hospital, at home, and in care settings - builds on research that shows that laughter really can be among the best medicines: lowering blood pressure, strengthening immune systems, and improving circulation, among other benefits.

The Laughter Specialists harness the power of laughter by providing bespoke interactions through music, spontaneous play, puppetry, and improvisation – all of which provide a much- needed distraction and new ways to communicate to both the children and their parents.

It will use its funding to set up a Laughter Specialists clubs for children with learning disabilities and multiple, complex needs and their families in Harlow and Saffron Walden. The clubs will also allow parents the space to share their experiences and build a support network.

It’s just one of 373 projects in the East region that have been awarded a total of over £15 million of funding so far this year by the National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Across England, almost £200 million has been shared out among more than 4,500 projects already this year.

The Laughter Specialists was set up in 2007 by Annie Aris who worked in education and then honed her skills as a children’s entertainer. Realising the therapeutic benefits of laughter, she became the first female Clown Doctor in the UK at Great Ormond Street Hospital before joining forces with fellow children’s entertainer, Patrick Jacobs, to launch the charity.

Annie’s charity has since gone on to help raise the spirits of thousands of children and their families and is now looking forward to supporting even more by growing nationally over the next five years.

Annie says: “Families with children with learning disabilities and multiple, complex needs, often lead very isolated and difficult lives. They are usually under so much pressure, are under-resourced, and unable to access very basic family activities. We want to work with these families to enable greater connections, build resilience, and better understand their personal circumstances, so that we can help bring more smiles during what are often extremely difficult times.”

One of the many children who have been helped by The Laughter Specialists is nine-year-old Amber, who lives near Chelmsford and was born with brain damage resulting from Oxygen deprivation. Still born, Amber needed to be resuscitated before spending her first six weeks in hospital.

Annie says: “We first were introduced to Amber when she was four years old, in Addenbrookes hospital, when she was having a hip operation. Mum had just given birth to a second child, Erin, and the family were not in a good place. We walked in to quite a sad and fearful room, and we left about an hour later with a little girl bursting with laughter and a family that had been able to enjoy some moments of respite from the fear and apprehension of the situation. They have said that it was like a magical bubble that they entered, away from the torment and worry of the moment.

“I would like to thank the National Lottery Community Fund and National Lottery players as this grant will go a long way in building connections and bringing even more moments like this to families facing extremely difficult challenges.

Watch these videos featuring Amber and her family:

Helen Bushell, Senior Head of Regional Funding for London, South East and East of England at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “I am incredibly proud to see the amazing impact that money raised by National Lottery players is having in communities across the East of England.

“The pandemic has shone a light on the inspiring volunteers and groups, like The Laughter Specialists, who continue to bring moments of joy to sick children and their families.”

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Thanks to National Lottery players, last year over half a billion pounds (£588.2 million) of life-changing funding was awarded to communities across the UK.

Over eight in ten (83%) grants are for under £10,000 – going to grassroots groups and charities across the UK that are bringing to life amazing projects that matter to their communities.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk