To read the BBC Wales report on this event, click here!

At the Noah’s Ark Appeal, 2010 is a year to celebrate.  It is the 10th Anniversary of the charity launching its public appeal back in 2000. It is also the fifth Anniversary of Phase One of the Children’s Hospital for Wales being opened to patients – in time for St David’s Day 2005. 

When Charlotte Church attended the launch back in 2000, she was already a staunch supporter of the Noah’s Ark Appeal’s aim to give Wales it’s first Children’s Hospital for Wales.  Since that time, Charlotte has tirelessly continued to support the charity.  

Lyn Jones, Chair of the Noah’s Ark Appeal, commented ‘Charlotte has been alongside us since the beginning of the Appeal; you could say that we’ve grown up together.  Apart from the appearances and much acclaimed performances at our various gala balls, Charlotte has helped us launch campaigns and done so much behind the scenes that the public have never seen, from playing with children and meeting parents to having endless photos taken with some of our corporate champions.’ 

The Noah’s Ark Appeal has been asked to raise a further £7m for vital projects in phase two of the Children’s Hospital for Wales due to open in approximately three and a half years time. 

Charlotte recently visited the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at UHW in a private visit to meet with staff and patients’ families before publicly giving her backing to the latest campaign of the Children’s Hospital for Wales charity. The Noah’s Ark Appeal is to fund the equipment needed for a new Critical Care Unit in phase two of the Children’s Hospital for Wales at a cost of £1.2m. The new unit will treat children needing high dependency and intensive care.  

To celebrate this special anniversary year and to raise funds towards the £7m target, the Noah’s Ark Appeal will hold a series of events in 2010.  One major event in the calendar will be a Pro Celebrity Polo match which will be held actually in the walls of Cardiff Castle itself. This will be first time an event of this nature will be held in the heart of the Castle.  

Further details of this event and others will be available through the Noah’s Ark Appeal website as they are released. www.noahs-ark-appeal.org 

At the Celebratory St David’s Lunch, Charlotte and guests will be entertained by children from Ysgol Pwll Coch and WNO Baritone Eric Roberts before enjoying a sumptuous four course meal. Charlotte who is the guest speaker during the lunch will thank supporters for their help in securing phase one of the Children’s Hospital for Wales and urge them to continue to work with the Noah’s Ark Appeal to achieve the £7m needed for phase two.  

Charlotte has spoken of her recent visit to the Children’s Hospital for Wales. She said ‘lots of mums and dads brought their babies and young children to say hello; all said what a wonderful place the Children’s Hospital for Wales is and how great the staff are and how supportive. Our lives stop when our children became ill. There are some families who have been at the Children’s Hospital for Wales since their children were born, staying for months and even years I don’t know how they cope.  I am just glad that Wales has this specialist facility for the children." .’