Sick children at Airedale Hospital are being given a new treatment to help them get better - laughter.

The Steeton hospital has drafted in clowns to cheer up the young patients on the children's ward many of whom have faced major operations.

The clowns - Mr Cheap and Mr Cheerful - bring laughter and get the children to join in the singing as they play their musical instruments on the ward.

Four-and-a-half-year-old Usmaan Ditta, of Keighley, said he was absolutely thrilled by the clowns' visit after spending two weeks in hospital recovering from a broken leg.

The musical clown doctors, from the organisation IntoHealth, visit the hospital twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm as a new therapy being offered to the children.

The idea behind the project, which has been funded by the Children's Fund Local Network, is to bring music and laughter to the ward to entertain the children and help their healing process.

But funding is running out and the group is desperate for a new funding source to keep the children amused.

"The sick children sit up or even get out of bed and they're laughing sing-ing and dancing," said Richard Maw-son, from Cowling, a spokesman for the group. "They look forward to our visit and parents tell us how much their children are helped by a bit of laughter."

Elaine Snowden, play specialist on the ward, said laughter really was the best medicine.

"The clowns have been a real success.

"They bring their musical instruments and the children join in with them. The clowns are really in tune with the children and they come at a perfect time, after teatime and before bed time, which is usually a quiet time for the children, and so they are a very welcome treat for both the children and their parents."

And the children really have taken the clowns to their hearts.

Elaine said: "They provide a distraction from the children's treatment, normalise the hospital environment for them and provide a wonderful atmosphere on the ward. The children are forever asking is it clown day today?"

Helen Knapman, Children's Services Manager, said: "The value of providing such a structured entertainment for children as part of their stay in hospital is tremendous. We hope the funding will continue."