A LITTLE girl from Winford was sent on a magical break to Lapland by TV star Noel Edmonds to recognise her bravery.

Olivia Hext had always been promised a trip to see Father Christmas at his home near the North Pole.

Her mum Sarah and dad Dave wanted to take her there, partly because much of their time is devoted to Olivia's five-year-old twin brothers, Harvey and Spencer, who have Down's Syndrome.

Those dreams fell apart last year when Harvey was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that attacks the stomach, leaving the family with the challenge of raising £300,000 to save his life. But after hearing of the Hexts' story Mr Edmonds stepped in to help through his TV show, Noel's Christmas Presents 2011 – which will be shown on Sky 1 tomorrow.

He organised a helicopter ride for Olivia and arranged for her to meet an astronaut at the National Space Centre in Leicester.

And last month Olivia finally got her wish when she and her family were whisked away to Lapland to meet Santa and his little helpers – former X Factor singing duo Jedward. She also went on reindeer and husky rides and saw the northern lights.

Mrs Hext, 42, said: "Olivia's godmother, Jess Monks, nominated her for the programme, and tried to keep it secret from us. But it was too difficult, as we had to check if it was ok with Harvey's consultants.

"One day in October we were told to go to her house, which is just a few doors up from us, for her first surprise. The night before I said to Dave, 'I don't mind what it is, as long as it is not a helicopter ride' as I'm scared of flying and don't like heights. Then Noel arrived in a helicopter and said I had to fly with her. But it was brilliant in the end."

Straight afterwards Mr Edmonds invited Olivia to the space centre, where she met astronaut Piers Sellers and got to try on a helmet he wore in space. But the biggest surprise of all arrived when Mr Edmonds went to the Hexts' home to tell Olivia she was going to Lapland. The family flew out to Finland and after a night in Helsinki they flew north to the snowy resort of Saariselka.

Mrs Hext said: "It was just fantastic and she was so excited. It was a long way north and was very cold, about -5C, but the TV team gave us all the clothes we needed. The first thing Olivia did was go on a skidoo, and the following night she went to see Father Christmas, and Jedward were wrapped up in wrapping paper. They're complete livewires and they were great with her. Their manager joked with me, 'I'd swap my twins for yours, any time'."

The family were then invited to Sky's London studios, where the show was filmed in front of an audience of 600 people. Mrs Hext said: "Olivia was bursting with excitement, and Noel was just lovely. He was really great with her and the boys, and they all made us feel really welcome.

"Olivia has been through a lot and sometimes gets put to the side a little bit with Harvey and Spencer, as Harvey needs so much attention, so it is lovely to see everyone focus on her. She is a great girl and we are just very proud of her."

Noel's Christmas Presents 2011 will be shown on Sky 1 tomorrow at 6.30pm. For more on Harvey, or to donate, visit www.bmycharity.com/HarveyHextAppeal.