GLADIATORS-STYLE pugil sticks, bubble football and live music were some of the highlights of a family fun day in honour of two brave children.

The Joe and Connie Calling family fun day and music festival saw a huge turnout of support at Allithwaite Community Centre, for the charity Butterfly Hugs, on Saturday.

The fund was set up following the diagnosis of seven-year-old Connie Elson and her five-year-old brother Joe, from Cark, who are both battling metachromatic leukodystrophy, a life-limiting genetic condition.

The fun day was all about raising money for families affected by life-limiting and terminal illness in South Lakeland and Furness.

Joe joined the gala at Allithwaite and was in high spirits as he helped organisers and had fun on the many attractions. He is having pioneering treatment in Italy as part of a clinical trial.

However, his sister Connie's condition has deteriorated significantly and she is no longer able to walk or talk.

Connie and Joe's mother, Nicola, said the day was a fantastic way to bring people together and collect funds for such a vital cause. 

She said: "It was a brilliant day. You couldn't have planned it to go any better or the great weather we had. 

"We wanted to do something positive out of such a negative. "It was something we never heard of before when Connie was diagnosed. We didn't know anything like that could exist. 

"There didn't seem to be anything around in terms of support with life-limiting and terminal illness so it stemmed from that. 

"It's massively important to raise awareness."

Elite School of Dance, Grange Operatic Society and Dance Atikk were just among the groups to perform on the stage in the community centre's playing fields.

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