Pembrokeshire celebrity Connie Fisher is amongst a host of Welsh celebrities who have created designs to be part of the Dragon Appeal - Ty Hafan, The Children's Hospice in Wales' latest fund-raising campaign.
Aiming to be Wales' largest craft project created to date, the campaign is appealing to individuals and groups to raise money for Ty Hafan by crafting individual textile squares to form part of an enormous Welsh Dragon blanket.
The design will be made from an impressive total of 108,000 individual fabric or knitted squares, which will be made into blanket-sized pieces of 48 squares. These will then form 'jigsaw' pieces to create the enormous patchwork masterpiece of the Welsh Dragon. Ty Hafan is a quarter of the way towards reaching 108,000 squares and is calling for help to complete the blanket.
Once completed, the epic Dragon will measure a staggering 100 metres in length and 80 metres in height. It will be unveiled to the people of Wales at the nation's iconic Millennium Stadium as soon as it is complete. Singing sensation Connie Fisher of The Sound of Music is keen for other people to back the campaign.
She said: "The people of Wales supported me throughout my journey on the BBC's reality programme, 'I'd Do Anything' and the backing undoubtedly played a great part in helping me to achieve success and fulfil my dream of becoming Maria. This is one of the key reasons why I wanted to get involved with the Dragon Appeal and give back through Ty Hafan to the many people in Wales it supports each year."
Ty Hafan offers care and support to the children of Wales who suffer from life limiting conditions. Life- limiting conditions are those which mean that the child or young person is not expected to reach adulthood and include Cystic Fibrosis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Battens Disease and severe Cerebral Palsey.
Press and public relations manager for Ty Hafan, Liz Rundle, said: "We're delighted that Pembrokeshire's Connie Fisher has become involved in the Dragon Appeal. We're hoping her involvement will encourage other people to join in and help us raise the vital funding needed to support our annual running costs. Each year we need over £2.5 million to be able to provide care and support for over 170 children with life-limiting illnesses and their families from across Wales. These funds also help a further 110 families, whose children have sadly died, but who still receive bereavement support from the hospice."
Squares can be created using any craft technique and people are asked to donate a minimum of £1 per square. While individuals are welcome to design one or more squares, fund-raisers are also being encouraged to work with family members and to form groups to create their own blanket made from pieces of 48 squares, to fill the remaining threequarters of the Dragon.
To be part of the appeal, simply apply online on the Ty Hafan website http://www.tyhafan.org">www.tyhafan.org or call 029 2067 2060 to order an application pack.