Falklands War hero Simon Weston OBE paid a visit to Withybush General Hospital on Tuesday to meet with patients at the Chemotherapy Day Unit and also to launch 'Adam's Festival of Hope'. The festival, which will help raise funds to provide more spacious and improved facilities at the hospital, will be held at Carew Airfield on Saturday, July 16, as part of the 'Bucketful of Hope Appeal' which was instigated by the late Adam Evans-Thomas. Pembrokeshire born Adam was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia at the age of 24 and sadly died in February 2004, before a bone marrow match could be found. As well as aiming to raise £250,000 to extend the facilities at Withybush, the appeal is committed to raising the profile of the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, which has matched 400 donors for transplants in the last 12 years. Whilst visiting the hospital, Simon Weston and his colleagues from the Welsh Blood Service took the opportunity to highlight the work of the local day unit at Withybush and the role of the Bone Marrow Registry, which is based in Cardiff. "Without the help of blood donors I wouldn't be here today myself, so it's important that we get more and more people to commit to giving blood so that the Cancer Care Day Unit here in Withybush Hospital and the Bone Marrow Registry in Cardiff can continue to make such a difference," explained Simon. Since Adam's death, his family have dedicated themselves to making the 'Bucketful of Hope Appeal' a success, as a lasting memorial to Adam. His mother Chris said at the launch of the festival on Tuesday: "We are delighted that Simon Weston has come along here today to help launch what promises to be the largest charity event Pembrokeshire has ever hosted." With celebrity names expected on the day of the event, which will culminate in a 'Party in the Park' radio roadshow staged by Real Radio, plenty of of big name sponsors have already given their backing to the festival, including the likes of Texaco, Barclays Bank, Coca Cola and MacDonald's. During the launch, Simon Weston urged everyone to go along to the festival to make the day a very special one. "I'm very privileged to be involved with the launch of the festival," he said. "Now it's up to all of us to make a difference to people's lives by being proactive and showing our support to help make this festival a great success. Adam's mother, Chris, hopes that the festival will help raise in excess of £50,000 on the day, so that the new unit at Withybush can be completed as a soon as possible. "The four young people diagnosed with Adam 10 years ago are all living normal, healthy lives thanks to a bone marrow transplant," she explained. "Only five per cent of the population give blood and less are bone marrow donors. Someone out there was a match for Adam. I hope by increasing the awareness to the next generation of blood donors on this festival day, no other parents will have to go through our loss." Chris has been working closely with staff at Withybush, particularly consultant haematologist, Dr. Harry Grubb, and cancer services manager, Bob Bowen, who commented: "We have been delighted with the public response to our plans for a new day unit and I would like to thank everyone who has already raised money. "The present unit has been very successful in ensuring patients can be treated in their local area, but we desperately need more space. "We have identified a suitable area in the hospital and the appeal aims to provide funds for refurbishment and equipment," he added. For more information regarding the event, or if any companies would like to help with fund-raising or sponsorship, contact Trudi Evans at the Welsh Blood Service on 01443 622088.