‘A week of giving a world of difference’ is the powerful message driving the Bacta Charitable Trust’s Smile! campaign. Smile! which will go live at Park Avenue is an invitation to the industry to immersive itself in a range of fundraising initiatives with proceeds being shared between Rays of Sunshine and Little Lifts.
Members of the industry, their suppliers and customers are being invited to participate in a week-long national fundraising initiative which has been created by the Bacta Charitable Trust (BCT). The ‘Smile!’ campaign whose core theme is ‘A week of giving a world of difference’ will see hundreds of individuals and organisations connected to the amusements and gaming sectors raising money for the Bacta supported charities Rays of Sunshine and Little Lifts.
Expanding on Smile! former Bacta President Nick Harding who serves as a BCT Trustee said: “The industry has a quite magnificent track-record of raising money for a raft of good causes and Smile! aims to draw on that deep well of energy and generosity. We have set an ambitious target of raising £10,000 in year one with proceeds shared between Rays of Sunshine and Little Lifts. We will be launching at the Park Avenue Open Day on June 4th and Smile! week will run through to June 11th. A digital fundraising pack is in production and will be available on the Bacta website and accessed via Coinslot.”
Looking beyond creating valuable new revenue streams for two of the industry’s favourite charities, Harding believes that Smile! will also provide an opportunity for the industry to engage with end-users, reach out to regional media and connect with elected representatives on both a national and local levels. He noted: “Our vision for Smile! is to see businesses the length and breadth of the country undertaking a raft of creative and participative fundraising initiatives which capture the imagination and are therefore considered media friendly. Putting the industry front and centre stage in such a positive light will reflect the huge amount of positive work undertaken by businesses in their communities.
“We will be testing Smile! in year one, learning from the experience and refining the proposition to move forward in 2026 supporting two important organisations which undertake invaluable work on what are extremely tight budgets.”
The Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity brightens the lives of seriously ill young people and their families by granting wishes and providing ongoing support in hospitals and within the community. Its work creates a positive distraction, reduces isolation, improves self-esteem and creates precious memories and smiles.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the UK, with 55,000 women and 400 men diagnosed each year. One in seven women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives and there are currently 61,000 women living with secondary breast cancer. While it can be managed with treatment, it remains incurable and is life-limiting. Little Lifts is on a mission to provide free, thoughtfully curated Little Lifts gift Boxes to every breast cancer patient in the UK receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment or undergoing surgery.
