MILLIONAIRES clubbing together for a priceless charitable gesture have handed over the keys to a giant gingerbread playhouse for terminally-ill children.

National Lottery winners worth a collective £90m pledged their support across a 24-hour period to manually convert a simple wood cabin into a magical festive hut to be based at Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice.

Mark and Julie Weir, from Darlington, were among the wealthy winners who joined the cause after the pair won a £2.7m jackpot in May 2008.

The festive treat for youngsters and their families dealing with life-limiting illnesses saw lottery winners use more than 100 litres of paint, 60 paintbrushes, 30 rollers, six sacks of fake snow and 25 metres of fairy lights to create the winter wonderland.

Zoe’s Place, which has a hospice in Middlesbrough, also received £195,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to pay for three nurses across a three-year period with cash generated by lottery players.

Flo Berquist, head of care at Zoe’s Place, said: “We are absolutely over-joyed that lottery winners have chosen to come to us and spend their time creating something so wonderful.

“We could never have dreamed of owning something like this. It is absolutely fantastic and will bring hours of joy to so many children, including the siblings of our poorly children.

“The recent National Lottery funding is an essential income channel for the hospice.

“It has been essential to fund specialist nursing staff concentrating on enhancing the experience and day to day care for all of our babies.”

Ms Berquist added: “And we are now extremely grateful for this additional support from the winners which will make a real difference to the families who come to us.”

The group of millionaires were given one day to transform the cabin before Christmas in a bid to provide babies a children a “home away from home” as part of palliative, respite and end-of-life care provided at Zoe’s Place.

Mr and Mrs Weir also played their part in filling the gingerbread-style playhouse for all of its young visitors to enjoy.

Fellow lottery winner, Emma Dunkley, said: “Zoe’s Place has a magical feel about it and the staff are incredible.

“We are all so pleased to be able to provide such a colourful gingerbread playhouse which will hopefully bring lots of joy to the young people here, their siblings and their families.”

For more information on Zoe’s Place or to donate or volunteer at the Middlesbrough hospice, visit zoes-place.org.uk or call 01642-457985.

Alternatively, email info@zoes-place.org.uk