POORLY youngsters were given a dose of laughter thanks to a project funded by Children In Need.

Entertainers from Suffolk Artlink's Clown Round project has been running for more than ten years thanks to the generous grants from the BBC fundraiser.

The scheme sees clown doctors being fun and distraction to children in wards across the region - including at Colchester Hospital.

Drs Fidget, Misschief, Curley, Buffle and Daydream did their rounds at the Turner Road hospital and engaged them in storytelling, music, magic and much more.

Co-director Alex Casey urged people to support the fundraiser this Friday.

She said: “Thanks to BBC Children in Need, our Clown Round project has been cheering up children and their families in hospitals and hospices in the East for more than a decade.

“With their help, the project continues to grow, and as the campaign night approaches this year, our clown doctors are supporting and empowering more young patients than ever before.”