Thousands raised for Leo's premature baby charity

Twins Alfie and Noah Dinsdale, four, walking through a pumpkin patch with mother Leanne

A Halloween party has raised thousands to help premature babies and their families.

From pumpkin picking to creepy crafts, hundreds of people enjoyed a range of seasonal and spooky activities at Layfield Primary School in Yarm.

The event raised about £5,000 for Leo's, a Teesside-based charity that supports families of babies born early.

Founder Lottie King said she was "blown away" by the support.

Children dressed up for the event last weekend

The charity was established by Ms King in memory of one of her twin sons, who was just four hours old when he died after being born at 24 weeks' gestation, weighing less than a bag of sugar.

While Leo lost his fight for life, his brother Oska - born four days later - spent 109 days receiving life-saving neonatal care in hospital.

As a result, the family learned first-hand the impact of premature birth, not only on babies, but on their loved ones too.

Leo's was subsequently founded in order to support babies and their extended families by providing additional care and support to complement NHS services.

Youngsters enjoyed crafts at Leo's Halloween party

The award-winning neonatal mental health charity now offers a range of services, from counselling to tailored behavioural support for newborns, swimming programmes and baby massage and yoga classes.

Last Sunday's Halloween party was the latest in a series of fundraising events organised to help the charity support more families.

Hundreds of people took part in seasonal activities

Ms King said about 500 people enjoyed the party, adding: "It was brilliant, we were completely blown away by the amount of support we received.

"The atmosphere was lovely and it was great to see so many of the families we've helped.

"We know how hard it can be for them and we're really keen to give our families some lovely memories that they can hold on to."