A brave teenage girl is leading this year's Christmas appeal for a Dorset-based charity.

Annabelle Hover, 14, has been revealed as the face of Julia's House Children's Hospice's Christmas appeal in an emotional short film by the charity.

In this film, Annabelle talks about the moment she found out that she and her six-year-old brother Robbie both had Juvenile Batten disease, a devastating condition which has taken her sight and causes seizures and dementia.

Annabelle is only expected to live to their late teens or early twenties because of this disease. There are only 42 children in the UK known to have this type of Juvenile Batten Disease and two of them are Anabelle and Robbie.

Annabelle said: "When dad told us that Robbie had it that was when I realised that it would take over the whole family. It was an upsetting time."

The Hover family is now bravely fronting the Julia’s House Christmas fundraising appeal and asking the public to help raise money for the life-changing care and support that the charity provides to families like theirs.

“Each Christmas becomes more precious than the last because we don’t know how many more we have left together,” said dad, Andy.

Mum Lisa added: “I can’t believe what has happened to our family – the impact on all of us. We're on an emotional rollercoaster trying to protect Robbie. We do not want him to see the fear we have and Annabelle is a daily reminder of what's to come.

"Having Julia's House care for Robbie too is a comfort because when Annabelle has gone, he will have that level of understanding and support at a really difficult time. We all will.”

Annabelle attends a youth club at Julia’s House where she can be like any other teenager, meeting friends and listening to music by her favourite band The Vamps. The care team also visits Annabelle and Robbie at home to give their parents some precious respite time and help them make the most of every moment they have together.

The care and support given to the Hover family and others like them, is only possible thanks to the generosity of the public. Julia’s House relies on fundraising, donations and gifts in wills for the majority of the money needed to run its vital service.

You can view Annabelle’s film and donate at www.juliashouse.org/get-involved/campaigns/christmas-appeal-19