A charity circus in aid of Camp Simcha attracted around 900 people and raised £10,000 for the charity which supports children with life threatening diseases.

The circus show, exclusively for the Jewish community, was run in conjunction with Zippos circus, which toured Manchester. It saw an all-male cast perform trapeze, juggling and other traditional acts, while kosher popcorn, candy floss and a Camp Simcha warm-up show was organised by 25 locally recruited volunteers.

The London-based charity began a small operation in Manchester two years ago and now supports 13 local families with emotional support, hospital transportation and family days out to help children, siblings and parents cope with illnesses like cancer. The operation costs £30,000 annually which is raised through local donors who covered the cost of the circus, the charity's first large-scale northern event.

Camp Simcha chief executive Neville Goldschneider said he was delighted the Manchester community responded so favourably. "We hope it will increase awareness of what we do so that, hopefully, no child that might be suffering from a life threatening condition needs to be suffering without us."