ACTRESS Jenny Agutter has visited Suffolk to support a charity fund-raising event organised by the family of twins who both suffer from cystic fibrosis.

ACTRESS Jenny Agutter has visited Suffolk to support a charity fund-raising event organised by the family of twins who both suffer from cystic fibrosis.

Ms Agutter, who carries the gene which causes cystic fibrosis but is unaffected by the disease, was at Woodbridge School and revealed how close the subject was to her heart.

The event raised money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, and was organised by the family of Kate and Rebecca Ashton, from Woodbridge.

Ms Agutter, whose her 24-year-old niece Rachel suffers from the condition, said: "We want to get rid of the disease and today is about raising money.

"A single faulty gene causes the disease and it is something that is very, very close to my heart, raising money for the CF Trust.

"I'm a carrier of the CF gene, one in 25 people are. If two partners have the faulty gene there is a one in four chance of their children having cystic fibrosis.

"We live day to day believing there is a future, people with this do not know there is a future. It makes them very bold, my niece Rachel has been travelling round Australia. With CF you never know what your future holds.''

Kate and Rebecca's parents, Paul and Karen, were delighted Ms Agutter – whose film credits include The Railway Children, Logan's Run and An American Werewolf in London – could give her time to talk and take questions in the event.

Nearly 60 people attended the fundraising event on Sunday afternoon and Mr Ashton said: "It's brilliant she could come, the more people who know about the disease the better.''