Addenbrooke's plastic surgeon has work featured on Blue Peter

A LEADING plastic surgeon, whose important work is being featured on the children s television programme Blue Peter, made a surprise visit to a Saffron Walden school. Consultant plastic surgeon Per Hall, Addenbrooke s lead clinician for cleft lip a

A LEADING plastic surgeon, whose important work is being featured on the children's television programme Blue Peter, made a surprise visit to a Saffron Walden school.

Consultant plastic surgeon Per Hall, Addenbrooke's lead clinician for cleft lip and palate services, was impressed by the surgical gowns made by children at Dame Bradbury's School.

As part of the Blue Peter appeal for Operation Smile - a worldwide charity which repairs childhood facial deformities, including cleft lips and cleft palates - the children had made gowns from t-shirts and decorated them with cheerful designs.

Mr Hall is due to travel to Guwahati in Assam, India, with Operation Smile to carry out almost 500 operations on children with deformities. During his trip he will be accompanied by Blue Peter presenters and a film crew.

The surgeon explained to the children that many patients did not have clean or comfortable clothes, so the gowns helped them not only to keep clean, but also cheered them up if they were worried.

Each gown saves the charity �3, and 50 gowns equalled the cost of one operation. Dame Bradbury's pupils have so far made more than 100 gowns and more are being made, all helping Blue Peter to reach its target of 20,000 gowns.