Once Upon a Smile
Once Upon a Smile is a UK children's bereavement charity, founded in 2011 and based at Sidley House in Trafford, Greater Manchester. It provides free practical and emotional support to bereaved children and young people (up to 25), funded through donations, events, corporate partnerships, and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersTrafford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Once Upon a Smile does
Once Upon a Smile is a UK-registered children's bereavement charity (Charity No. 1170975) founded in 2011 by Daniel Jillings and Danny Miller, headquartered at Sidley House, a purpose-built dedicated children's bereavement centre in Trafford, Greater Manchester. The charity provides free, practical and emotional support to bereaved children and young people (up to age 18) who have experienced the death of a parent, guardian, grandparent, or sibling, and has extended services to young guardians aged 18-25. Service delivery is human-led and facility-anchored: one-to-one support, residential holidays, Stay & Play sessions, Snuggles & Smiles, family event days, memory days, school-based support, and pre-funeral support are all delivered through trained Bereavement Support Practitioners at Sidley House and via outreach into schools across Greater Manchester.
The underlying technology footprint is minimal — the organisation is explicitly not a technology product company. The Sidley House facility includes ten dedicated, child-designed support rooms (chill-out, baking, arts & crafts, Lego, music, young person support, cinema/games) that constitute the core operational asset. No AI/ML, software platform, app, or proprietary digital product is present; digital infrastructure is limited to a website, online referral form, and JustGiving donation integration.
Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic channels rather than service fees: individual donations (JustGiving, text-to-donate, and Sidley's Smile Club monthly giving), fundraising events (skydives, marathons, bungee jumps, treasure hunts, corporate events), corporate partnerships (Aspire Scientific, One Consulting, Leasing Options), and grants including a National Lottery Award. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with referrals accepted from schools, organisations, and self-referring families via an online referral process. Governance is provided by a six-member Board of Trustees chaired by Paul Cheetham-Karcz, with Daniel Jillings serving as Co-Founder & CEO.
Once Upon a Smile firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Once Upon a Smile
- Legal name
- Once Upon a Smile Ltd.
- Website
- https://onceuponasmile.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Once Upon a Smile is a UK children's bereavement charity, founded in 2011 and based at Sidley House in Trafford, Greater Manchester. It provides free practical and emotional support to bereaved children and young people (up to 25), funded through donations, events, corporate partnerships, and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Once Upon a Smile industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Bereavement Support Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)
Keywords
Where Once Upon a Smile is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Trafford, Greater Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Once Upon a Smile business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Donations: Primary revenue stream through individual donations via JustGiving platform, text-to-donate service, and monthly recurring donations through Sidley's Smile Club.
- Fundraising Events: Revenue generated through organized events including Sky Dive, Great North Run, bungee jumps, treasure hunts, and other challenge events.
- Corporate Partnerships: Corporate fundraising and partnership programs with businesses supporting the charity.
- Grants and Funding: Funding from organizations such as National Lottery Awards for bereaved children and families.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Free support services for bereaved families |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Once Upon a Smile product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Once Upon a Smile is a registered children's bereavement charity that delivers free, in-person emotional and practical support to bereaved children (up to age 18), their families, young guardians (18-25), and schools across Greater Manchester and surrounding regions. Services are provided through a dedicated centre (Sidley House, Trafford) and include one-to-one bereavement support, creative memory programmes, residential holidays, family event days, pre-funeral support, and educational outreach including bereavement support bags for schools.
Product overview
Once Upon a Smile is a children's bereavement charity that provides support services to families and children dealing with grief and loss. The organization offers practical and emotional support for bereaved children and their families, operating primarily as a charitable organization rather than a technology product company. No specific product modules, digital platforms, or software offerings were identified in the source data.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Children's Bereavement Support (One-to-One) One-to-one bereavement support sessions delivered to bereaved children and young people at Sidley House and via other touchpoints, with practitioners providing tailored therapeutic support for grief after the death of a parent, guardian, grandparent, or sibling.
- Stay & Play Group-based Stay & Play sessions designed to engage bereaved children in a safe, playful environment while supporting emotional expression around grief.
- Snuggles & Smiles Snuggles & Smiles sessions supporting younger bereaved children through nurturing, play-based engagement tailored to early-years grief.
- Residential Holidays Residential holiday programmes that provide bereaved children with shared, supportive getaway experiences, building peer connection and memory-making opportunities in a safe environment.
- Schools Out Groups Schools Out Groups offering bereavement support activities for children during school holiday periods, continuing structured support outside term time.
- Family Event Days Family event days bringing together bereaved families for shared, creative memory activities in a safe, fun environment that supports collective grieving and connection.
- Memory Day Memory Day creative remembering programme within the Creating Smiles suite, helping bereaved families create positive memories and tribute activities around loved ones.
- Summer Holiday Support Scheme Summer holiday support scheme providing bereaved families with additional support, activities, or resources during the summer break as part of the Creating Smiles seasonal programme.
- Christmas Appeal Christmas appeal seasonal support programme delivering festive gifts, support, or activities to bereaved families during the Christmas period.
- Pre-Funeral Support Pre-funeral support providing emotional and practical assistance to families before and around funeral arrangements during the immediate bereavement period.
- Support for Parents Support programmes and guidance for parents and carers of bereaved children, helping families navigate grief together and support their children's bereavement.
- Support for Young Guardians (18-25) Dedicated support service for young adults aged 18-25 who have experienced bereavement or become guardians, addressing the transition to independence while grieving and the responsibilities of guardianship.
- Support in School (Educational Support) School-based educational support providing advice, guidance, and structured support to bereaved students within educational settings, helping schools implement effective bereavement support for their pupils.
- Bereavement Support Bags for Schools Bereavement support bags distributed to schools as physical resource packs, equipping educational settings with tools to support bereaved students.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 2,000 people engaged through flagship events
Companies that use Once Upon a Smile
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Once Upon a Smile technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Once Upon a Smile partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Aspire ScientificminorCorporate partner supporting Once Upon a Smile's charitable mission through fundraising and awareness activities.
- One ConsultingminorCorporate partner joining as latest corporate partner for the charity.
- Leasing OptionsminorCorporate supporter that raised funds through Golf Day and Snowdon Walk activities.
- Think!minorPartnered with Think! for the charity rebrand and new website development.
- HuntfunminorTreasure hunt experience provider for the charity's fundraising event celebrating 15 years.
- Taste and SeeminorCatering partner providing support for the treasure hunt party event.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Once Upon a Smile competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Together for Short Lives: UK charity for children with life-limiting conditions and their families, including bereavement support. Different primary focus (palliative care) but operates in the adjacent end-of-life/bereavement space for children.
- Shooting Star Children's Hospices: UK children's hospice providing bereavement support as part of end-of-life care. Adjacent in the children's bereavement ecosystem and serves a comparable grief-support need, though primarily hospice-anchored.
Direct peers
- Jigsaw4u: London-based charity supporting children and young people affected by loss, including bereavement. Comparable emotional support and therapeutic services for children, though with a broader social-inclusion remit.
- The Compassionate Friends: UK organisation supporting bereaved parents and families, including surviving siblings. Closely related bereavement support mission with overlapping family-support scope.
- Hope Again (Cruse Bereavement Support Youth): Youth-focused arm of Cruse offering peer support, online resources, and a helpline for bereaved young people. Directly comparable target audience (bereaved children/young people) with similar online and peer-support delivery.
- Edward's Trust: Midlands-based bereavement charity supporting children, young people, and parents. Operates a similar regional model with dedicated facility, creative programmes, and school support — directly comparable in scale and service mix.
- Winston's Wish: UK's largest children's bereavement charity offering one-to-one support, helpline, and online resources. Most direct peer — serves overlapping age group (children and young people up to 25) with comparable bereavement support services, and shares direct lineage (Head of Bereavement Services at Once Upon a Smile previously worked there).
- Grief Encounter: UK charity supporting bereaved children and young people through counselling, creative programmes, and residential weekends. Comparable mission and service mix (one-to-one, creative, and group programmes) with a similar age range.
- Child Bereavement UK: National charity providing bereavement support for children and families, with training for professionals and schools. Closest direct competitor in the children's bereavement space, with overlapping school-support and family-counselling services.
Broad incumbents
- Cruse Bereavement Support: UK's largest bereavement charity, primarily adult-focused but with a dedicated Childhood Bereavement Service. Covers the same broader sector but at significantly larger scale, making it a broad incumbent rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Once Upon a Smile social profiles
Digital presenceOnce Upon a Smile financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Once Upon a Smile leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Once Upon a Smile funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Once Upon a Smile M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Once Upon a Smile
What does Once Upon a Smile do?
Once Upon a Smile is a registered children's bereavement charity that delivers free, in-person emotional and practical support to bereaved children (up to age 18), their families, young guardians (18-25), and schools across Greater Manchester and surrounding regions. Services are provided through a dedicated centre (Sidley House, Trafford) and include one-to-one bereavement support, creative memory programmes, residential holidays, family event days, pre-funeral support, and educational outreach including bereavement support bags for schools.
Is Once Upon a Smile a public or private company?
Once Upon a Smile is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Once Upon a Smile founded?
Once Upon a Smile was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Once Upon a Smile based?
Once Upon a Smile is headquartered in Trafford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Once Upon a Smile make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are fundraising Events, corporate Partnerships and grants and Funding.
Who are Once Upon a Smile's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Together for Short Lives and Shooting Star Children's Hospices. Direct peers are Jigsaw4u, The Compassionate Friends, Hope Again (Cruse Bereavement Support Youth), Edward's Trust, Winston's Wish, Grief Encounter and Child Bereavement UK. Cruse Bereavement Support is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Once Upon a Smile have an API?
No public API is recorded for Once Upon a Smile.
What industry is Once Upon a Smile in?
Once Upon a Smile's product category is Children's Bereavement Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLADAHAL, Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.