Youngsters at York Hospital were given a surprise treat when these panto characters dropped in to say hello.

Fairy Foxglove, Smurfette and Jonny with Oggy the Ostrich visited the childrens ward ahead of York Rising Stars forthcoming production of Matron Wibble Wobble.

The cast members chatted with the young patients before being shown the wards new GBP300,000 Guardian Angels high-dependency unit.

York Rising Stars will be donating all proceeds from their programme sales and bucket collections to the new unit.

Producer Claire Pulpher, who is also playing the role of Smurfette, said: It is a family-orientated pantomime and we thought Guardian Angels would be the perfect charity to support because it benefits local children.

The 19-year-old is a former Miss York contestant who carried off the Miss Charity prize in 2007 in recognition of her impressive fundraising for the Guardian Angels Appeal.

Claire, of Dunnington, raised more than GBP500 for our campaign by using her talent as a dancer to give demonstrations.

As a youngster, Claire suffered from reflex anoxic seizure, a condition which caused her to faint regularly.

She would spend periods of time recovering on York Hospitals childrens ward and wanted to raise cash for our appeal as thank-you to the staff who cared for her.

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