A TELEVISION star has helped a children’s hospice record a special film about a family from north Hampshire who lost their two-year-old daughter to a rare condition.

Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville narrates the story of the Leggett family for the film released by Naomi House and Jacksplace hospices, to coincide with the start of Children’s Hospice Week, which ends on Sunday.

Lisa and Dominic Leggett’s daughter Lacey died on Valentine’s Day 2014 and the film chronicles their journey from diagnosis to present day. Lacey had an extremely rare condition called mitochondrial TK2 cell depletion, which presented itself when she was six-months-old.

Her first birthday, Christmas and New Year were all spent in hospital and over time she lost the ability to move, talk and eat.

It took more than a year for medical professionals to settle on a diagnosis, which is perhaps unsurprising considering only 45 cases of mitochondrial TK2 cell depletion have been confirmed across the world.

Following Lacey’s diagnosis, the family, from Andover, were introduced to Naomi House’s paediatric palliative care consultant and finally found the help they needed.

The hospice, in Sutton Scotney, offered the family respite and emergency care and enabled Lisa and Dominic to make the most of the precious time they had left with their daughter.

Naomi House provided end of life and bereavement care when Lacey finally lost her fight with the illness, and the hospice continues to support the family to this day.

Keith Wilson, marketing manager at Naomi House & Jacksplace, said: “Lisa and Dominic’s courage has enabled us to really show people what Naomi House is all about, and to give people an insight into why our service makes such an enormous difference to families with life-limited and life-threatened children.

“We are indebted to them for sharing Lacey’s moving story and giving many thousands of people a better understanding of our transformational work. We must also thank Hugh Bonneville for the wonderful support he has shown our hospices and the assistance he offered in creating this very special film.”

Children’s Hospice Week is organised by Together for Short Lives and is the UK’s only awareness raising and fundraising week for children with life-limiting conditions and the services that support them.

Naomi House & Jacksplace care for more than 360 life-limited and life-threatened children, young people and their families every year.

The charity’s support stretches across the seven counties of Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.