FAMILIES are being urged to step out at an event in the region to raise money for research into arthritis in children .

The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) is holding 16 three-mile walks across the country as part of its £3m national fundraising drive, called the Noddy Appeal.

One of the walks will take place in Exhibition Park, Newcastle, on Tuesday, June 7, and the charity hopes up to 500 youngsters and their families will take part.

"Noddy is loved by all age groups, so we'd like to see that reflected in the walks, with grandparents walking with their children," said arc's North-East area appeals manager, Marion Hall.

"Enid Blyton, creator of Noddy, personally granted arc the rights to use the character for fundraising purposes, and the popularity of Noddy is going to give a fantastic boost to our appeal."

Arc, the country's fourth largest medical research charity, spends more than £3m on research into arthritis and related conditions that affect children.

It is funding paediatric rheumatologist Dr Helen Foster at Newcastle's Freeman and Royal Victoria hospitals, to research improvements in the care and treatment of children with arthritis.

Ms Hall said: "People think only older people can get arthritis, but in fact teenagers, children and even babies can develop a painful and potentially very serious childhood forms of the disease, which affects not just their joints but the whole of their body, and can have very serious consequences in terms of their growth and development.

"Research has led to new treatments which can vastly improve children's quality of life, but we still don't have a cure, and so much more needs to be done."

For more information about the walk, call Ms Hall on (01207) 509976 or visit the website www.noddyappeal.org