Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has given his backing to a Pembrokeshire school attendance initiative.

The initiative, which features a cartoon ant called Antony, is helping boost pupil attendance at Pembroke Dock Community School.

The cartoon figure, which was chosen to represent the ant-like qualities of teamwork and hard work, as well as a community approach to achieving goals, was adopted last term - since when school attendance has risen by 1.5 per cent.

After hearing about the project, Mr. Blair and his wife Cherie sent the school a personal card wishing the initiative well.

"Antony the Ant has really inspired the children and it seems he has also inspired the former prime minister and his wife," said Clr. Huw George, cabinet member for education.

"The boost in attendance is a massive achievement, which also reflects the hard work and motivation of the staff," he said.

Antony the Ant was created at the start of last term following the setting up of working party by headteacher Michele Thomas to look at ways of improving school attendance.

With the help of pupil support officer Caroline Bullock and specialist primary school youth worker Damian Golden, the working party came up with the idea of Antony the Attendance Ant.

"I wrote to Cherie Blair about the initiative as I know she does an enormous amount of charitable work for children from disadvantaged backgrounds," said Caroline Bullock.

"Unexpectedly, I then received a card from both Tony and Cherie Blair wishing us the best with our project," she said.

"It was a real surprise and gave us all an enormous boost at the start of the project."

The initiative has been such a success that it is now hoped to extend it to other schools in the Pembroke and Milford Haven areas.