A NATIONAL charity has brought some Christmas cheer to a family that has lost three children in tragic circumstances.

Daniel and Anne-Marie Readshaw were both 13 when they died in almost identical circumstances two years apart.

Anne-Marie died in Spennymoor Leisure Centre swimming pool, County Durham, in 2001. Her brother, Daniel, died during a swimming session at St John's RC School in Bishop Auckland, last December.

Both are likely to have suffered from a rare heart defect.

Earlier this year, their sister, Catherine, died after a three-year battle with leukaemia.

Parents Iain and Marie, who live in Ferryhill, are unable to bring themselves to go Christmas shopping, preferring to buy gifts over the Internet.

When the Pass The Parcel Appeal, a charity run in conjunction with the Salvation Army, heard the family's story, it stepped in to buy presents for the couple's two children, Nicole and Rachel.

Father Christmas delivered the gifts to the youngsters at their home this week.

Television agony aunt Denise Robertson, from Boldon, South Tyneside, who supports the charity, was also at the Readshaws' home for the delivery.

She said: "An extra gift for Christmas cannot bring back loved ones. But if it brings a smile to a child facing a tough Christmas, it has got to be worth it."