Sleep, perchance to wander for Jess

Many youngsters may have troublesome dreams which cause them to have nightmares or be afraid of the dark.

But for four-year-old Shropshire girl Jessica Tinsley nights are very different as she acts out her dreams and is often walking or running around for a large part of the evening.

The youngster suffers from a rare condition called Eidetic Imagery, which has seen her named as Britain's youngest sleepwalker.

Her dad, Gobowen man Chris Tinsley and his family were featured on Channel 4's Cutting Edge documentary "Jess - Britain's Youngest Sleepwalker" last night.

The family, who now live in Aldershot where Mr Tinsley serves in the Armed Forces, were followed by the documentary-makers for 18 months as they sought help for their daughter's extreme sleepwalking.

Mum Tanya Tinsley said today she hoped the documentary would let people in similar circumstances know there was help available.

She said: "It is very rare to have it to Jess's extreme. The doctors we spoke to said they had never seen anything like it.

"It all started when she was about 11 months old. She acts out her dreams or whatever she was doing that day.

"It obviously disturbs her sleep and our sleep but we are slowly getting better.

"Doctors first thought it was some kind of fitting problem.

"Then they looked at the possibility that it was a sort of epilepsy but it became clear it was something else.

"Many children get it to a minor extreme but Jess has been badly affected and it has been a problem for us.

"We have been told she will grow out of it but it has been going on for a while now and it has been a difficult time for us."

Mrs Tinsley said the Cutting Edge team met the family when they sought help at St Thomas's Hospital in London.

She said: "They were going to do a piece about several children but in the end they focused on Jess.

"The cameras followed us around and there were cameras in the house to show what happens."

She added: "I thought the documentary was good. It showed the problem and showed that help is out there."

Mrs Tinsley said the couple's other child, two-year-old Ryan, was not affected by the condition.

By Iain St John