JOY was written all over the faces of hundreds of special children treated to a personal performance of Snow White at the Marlowe Theatre at Canterbury.

Every member of the 1,000 strong audience was there by personal invite, as a beneficiary of panto star Dave Lee's Happy Holidays charity.

Dave, who plays Herman the Henchman in the record-breaking show, founded the charity in 1994 with the aim of providing holidays for disabled, sick and underprivileged children of Kent and their immediate families.

For the past eight years, as well as arranging holidays to EuroDisney and a special trip to Lapland in 2002 to celebrate hitting the £1 million mark, the charity has bought all the tickets to a one-off showing of the pantomime. As the crowds queued on the Marlowe forecourt, they were entertained by clowns put on by the charity.

During the interval, free ice cream was provided by Solley's Farms of Ripple, which donated 1,000 portions, and after the performance the stars mingled with the audience for autographs and photos.

It was a magical experience for children who, in many cases, overcome pain and difficulty in their everyday lives.