Two local charities have received a New Year boost thanks to the generosity of visitors to Wales's best-lit Christmas house and its festively-adorned neighbouring properties.

Kind-hearted people who travelled from all over Pembrokeshire and West Wales to see the colourful illuminations at Kilgetty's St. Mary's Place and Carmarthen Road have helped raise the magnificent sum of £9,000.

Peter and Audrey Thomas, of Donreka, 1 St. Mary's Place, whose home was voted the best dressed house in the country following a viewers vote on HTV News, and their neighbours tripped the light fantastic with their sparkling winter wonderland display to help raise funds for QUACKS, which provides equipment for the Kilgetty and Saundersfoot doctors surgeries, and the Trust Fund for 11-year-old Aimee Williams, of Narberth, who is very ill with kidney failure.

When the collecting box was emptied for the final time on the eve of Twelfth Night, a kind donation of £124 from Mr. Ellis Mason, of Narberth, rounded the final total up to £9,000, which was then divided between the two charities, and officially presented to Aimee and representatives from QUACKS on Saturday night.

Indeed, there was more good news for young Aimee, Peter and Audrey's great-niece, for just hours after attending the social evening at Kilgetty's RAOB Club, she was informed a kidney match had been found and she was rushed to hospital in Bristol where she underwent a transplant operation on Sunday evening.

"As far as we have heard, everything has been a success so far," Audrey told the Observer on Monday.

"We were so pleased Aimee was able to join us on Saturday and we hope she continues to make good progress."

Delighted with the amount raised, all the residents would like to thank everyone who made donations and helped them raise almost double the amount collected last year.

"It has been absolutely brilliant", said Audrey.

Coverage of the extravaganza on national television also brought Peter into contact with one of his former RAF colleagues, Alun Jones, with whom he had lost contact after serving with him in the late 1950s.

Although Alun, who now lives in Colwyn Bay, was unable to remember Peter's first name, it was Peter's address, the same house where he used to live with his mum, that caught Alun's eye.

Peter was 'over the moon' to receive a letter from Alun and is now hoping to arrange a reunion with him later in the spring.

Peter is seen here with his St. Mary's Place neighbour, Vince Lewis, handing over a cheque for £4,500 to Aimee and her mum, Alison, while doctors David Hurle and Huw Davies are seen accepting the cheque on behalf of QUACKS, with fund-raiser, Eileen Lloyd.