Clowns bring smiles to patients

The Cornish clowns were joined by others from Turkey and Slovenia

Five teenagers from Cornwall have trained to become medical clowns.

The group spent a week in Israel, learning the techniques before practising their skills on a children's ward in a Tel Aviv hospital.

The group, along with young people from Turkey and Slovenia, were trained by the Israeli Smile Factory programme.

The project was founded after research which showed that laughter helped children recover from disease and deal with illness better.

It truly was a life-changing experience Glen Moussalli

Clowns have already been used in UK hospitals to make hospital wards a friendlier place.

Last year, the University of Haifa introduced Israel's first degree program in medical clowning.

Matt Benney, Zak Yeates, Josh Treviathan, Jack Hart and David Glover, from the Liskeard and Looe Youth Project, have just returned from their visit.

Most of the cost of the trip was funded by the European Union's Youth In Action programme, with 30% coming from the participants.

One of the trainee clowns, Zak Yeates, 16, told BBC News: "We were trained to go into hospitals and make sick people laugh and smile.

"We had to make sure first that they accepted us and you are not scaring them, and then we had a really good time.

"Most people said their kids felt really good."

Group leader Glen Moussalli said: "It truly was a life-changing experience.

"I brought five young men back to the UK, richer, stronger, more confident and looking forward to give more to others in the future."