Youngsters are let loose on the slopes as part of special charity day

The trio, who live in Colchester, visited Suffolk Leisure Park as part of a special day organised by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.

The siblings’ event was for brothers and sisters of children receiving care at the charity’s hospice in Ipswich, called The Treehouse.

Archie, Mia and Freddie’s sister, ten-year-old Gracie-Leigh, has a number of complex, life-limiting health conditions, mainly involving her heart and lungs.

Supportive - the Tarrant family, including Gracie-Leigh who has a life-limiting condition

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Gracie-Leigh “pretty much” lived in hospital for the first year of her life and has had three heart operations among a number of other treatments.

But her incredibly supportive family have been resilient and dealt with every bump in the road, so a day for the other children to let their hair down was a much-enjoyed distraction.

“The children absolutely loved it as they always do with these sibling days,” said the children’s mum Fay.

“This was the first one when they’d been away from the hospice and they had an amazing time.

Fun - youngsters on the slopes

“I’ve heard so much about it since and I feel it helps them, in terms of being around other children in a similar situation.

“It helps them understand and makes them realise they’re not alone as well as giving them a level of independence because I’m not there.

“Family life can be hard and there’s no getting away from that. From my point of view, as a parent, I just want to keep the other children young and care-free.

“I don’t want them worrying about me and I feel guilty sometimes.

“We have to juggle things and although we do our best, we don’t get to do some of the things other families do. That’s why these sibling days are so important.”

Visits to the hospice provide much-needed and well-earned respite for the 29-year-old mum-of-five, who is engaged to Kurt.

Regardless of the difficulties, Fay, who has another daughter, Lillie-Rose, remains incredibly proud of Gracie-Leigh, and her other supportive children.

“Her personality keeps us going. She’s the heartbeat of our family and at the centre of everything we do,” she added.

“My other children are fantastic, too, and so caring.”