A brave four-year-old with cerebral palsy was guest of honour at a charity day in London, where he met two British national treasures.

Aiden Mitchell, who lives in Witham, visited the capital last week to represent Action Medical Research at the annual GFI Charity Day.

Whilst at the event, Aiden bumped into some old friends - TV presenter Davina McCall and Paddington Bear.

Mum Fleur Mitchell said: "This is our third year supporting Action at this event and there’s always lots going which I think he finds very stimulating.

“Each of the charities involved gets to bring along their celebrity supporters and they all seem to make a beeline for Aiden. Everyone’s always so friendly.”

When Aiden was born he suffered from a shortage of oxygen and so his parents had no idea whether he had survived for several hours.

He was rushed to intensive care where staff began to reduce his body temperature in order to protect him from brain damage, a process known as cooling therapy.

This breakthrough therapy is the product of a 20-year programme of research to which Action Medical Research contributed.

Because of this, Dad Keith said the family are keen to support Action Medical Research whenever possible.

He added: "It’s just such a wonderful charity and we’ll forever be grateful for the research that Action helped fund.

“The GFI Charity Day was another fantastic experience for us and we’re just pleased that we can do our bit to help raise funds and awareness for Action.”

Davina, who was introduced to Aiden by her late grandmother Pippy, helped brokers raise cash for the charity on the day as part of the BGC Charity Day project, which ran simultaneously.