Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern joined youngsters last Friday to celebrate the success of a year-long campaign to promote good communication skills.

Miles Scott, St George's Healthcare chief executive and the mayor of Wandsworth Councillor Jane Cooper also attended the event, held in Wandsworth Museum, West Hill.

A film about the campaign was shown to visitors, whilst children's choirs from Garratt Park School and West Hill Primary School performed songs.

The Hello campaign, ran by St George's Healthcare speech and language therapy team, was launched to increase understanding of how important it is for young people to develop good communication skills.

Over the last year the team have been spreading the word about its importance, with 1,300 children in the borough using the speech and language therapy service.

Local MP Justine Greening showed her support by hosting a communication day in Parliament last year.

Language therapy teams in Wandsworth are on hand to provide support for children and families in hospitals, schools and people's homes.

A study found more than 50 per cent of children in deprived areas start school with delayed language skills, whilst more than one million children have some form of speech need in the UK.