YOUNGSTERS from the Feltham Bees club were all smiles on Saturday as they sent out their thanks to the Chronicle readers and Brentford supporters who have saved their annual tour.

The 31 disabled youngsters were facing heartbreak last November when the £8,000 funding for their eagerl yanticipated trip fell through.

But thanks to generous donations by hundreds of big-hearted Chronicle readers their dream tour is back on track and the kids will be heading up north on May 24.

Feltham Bees organiser Nicola Fox said: "We were devastated when our usual funding fell through but since then we've put all our energy into raising the money we needed. I can't quite believe we've managed it.

"So many people got in touch after reading about our problem in the Chronicle - we owe you all a massive thank you."

During their week-long holiday the Brentfordaffiliated team, whose numbers have disabilities including cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, cystic fibrosis and Aspergers, will play other disabled teams and enjoy stadium tours.

The children and their carers will stay at a caravan site outside Preston and visit premiership clubs, including Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool.

In order to raise the cash the team have put on dozens of events ranging from car boot sales, discos, and fun days to a sponsored diet.

Ms Fox, of Waterloo Close, Feltham said: "We couldn't face telling the kids the tour was off and now we don't have to. It's just such a relief - the kids have talked about nothing else for months and it's going to be wonderful."

Last weekend club members headed down to Griffin Park for Brentford's final home game of the season and picked up the final £1,200 donation from Ralph Clifton - landlord of The Griffin pub in Braemer Road.

He handed a cheque, raised from donations by fans, over to the Feltham Bees alongside Brentford manager Andy Scott.

Mr Clifton revealed he got involved in the fundraising after reading about the campaign in the Chronicle.

"I saw the article and wanted to help. We're a very proactive pub in the area for charity work. We're going to try to keep the association going by sponsoring the team on their tour," he explained.

After picking up the cheque and finally completing their fundraising campaign the jubilant team joined the rest of the fans for the match against Hereford United.

"It was a really magical day for the kids, meeting Andy Scott and all the other fans," said Ms Fox. "They're over the moon and so are we."