A family fun day on Saturday marked a hospice's decade of caring.

The event, at Cockton Hill Recreation ground, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, ran at the same time as a craft fair at the Butterwick Hospice building, in Woodhouse Lane.

Later in the day, 2,000 balloons were launched from a "cake" sculpture, each representing a patient supported by the hospice. They were released by volunteers who have worked there since it opened its doors in 1995.

The release, by Russell Hunter, Katie Gill and Liz Thompson, was an emotional event for watching hospice supporters, including relatives of former patients.

Fundraiser Sylvia Stoneham said: "It was an amazing moment. It was very moving as the balloons went up. We were all thinking of the people they represented."

The balloon sculpture was sponsored by Hydram Engineering, of Chilton, whose founder, Harry Young, received care at the hospice.