Music mogul Simon Cowell gave children and youngsters a memorable day when he came to a hospice for a surprise visit.

30 children and young adults at Richard House Children’s Hospice in Beckton greeted the creator of X-Factor with screams as one the biggest names in showbusiness stepped through its doors.

Simon, who is in the UK promoting a new roulette-themed TV show, was greeted with cheers and screams from delighted youngsters as well as a few shocked mums and dads.

The star spent several hours at the hospice, during which time he answered questions from the families and signed autographs while also filming interviews for ITV’s flagship breakfast show Daybreak and the hospice’s own Harry’s Million campaign.

This saw Richard House young adult Harry Singh - who inspired the Harry’s Million campaign to raise �1m for the hospice over the next three years - grill Simon on his best and worst TV moments.

Simon said: “Lots of people don’t do what they say they are going to do but when it comes to Harry, whatever money you can give him, you know it is going to get spent properly.

“He says he’s going to raise �1 million. I think he’s going to do it and we need people’s help.”

Simon’s visit was organised to coincide with Children’s Hospice Week and his patronage with Children’s Hospice UK, the national voice for children’s hospices across the country.

And Gowhar Sheikh, whose son Murad, 12, uses Richard House, said his appearance was a huge boost for all the families at the hospice.

She said: “The whole day was wonderful. We didn’t know who was being brought in beforehand and it was such a surprise.

“He was a lovely person, very genuine and very different to how he comes across on TV.”