Olympic and Paralympic athletes at London 2012 will be presented with pennants lovingly made be a team of quilters from Anglesey.
The pennants were designed and sewn by members of the group which meets at Beaumaris Leisure Centre.
The Quilts4Olympics project on Anglesey was masterminded by their tutor, Alison Chapman, who runs the weekly classes for Coleg Harlech WEA.
According to Alison, she saw an article in Patchwork Magazine to say that the tradition of giving pennants at sporting occasions was going to be extended to the Olympics.
Each hand-made pennant will be brought together and used to decorate the Olympic venues, providing a colourful backdrop to the myriad sporting events on show.
After the Games, the aim is to give one to each of the 14,000 athletes taking part, regardless of whether they win anything, as a memento of their time at the biggest show on earth.
Alison explained: “We want all the athletes to have a pennant to take back home as a reminder of their time at the Olympics and the Paralympics.
“We have sent about two dozen down pennants from Anglesey.
“We’ve all tried to do them with a Welsh theme, so there are a lot of daffodils, bridges and hands. We had a fantastic one with a dragon on it breathing fire.
“It’s really fired people’s imaginations. I’ve been really surprised at the level of thought people have put in and how creative they have managed to be in such a small space.”
Among those who made an Olympic pennant was Sybil Wells, from Llanddona, who’s been attending the quilting classes for 10 years.
According Sybil, she’s proud that the pennants from Anglesey will be given to the athletes at London 2102.
She said: “The Olympics is the biggest event on the whole planet, I’m really looking forward to it.”
Fellow quilter Anne Harding Davies, from Newbrough, was equally excited.
She said: “The pennant I made had a black background with a gold cross. On that I superimposed a Welsh Dragon and then in the top quarters I put a leek and a daffodil.”
Trefor Fȏn Owen, the Principal of Coleg Harlech WEA, said: “This is a beautiful idea and I am sure the Olympians and Paralympians will be delighted.
“Traditionally in sport, competitors exchange pennants as a sign of friendship and it’s great that the athletes will each receive such a special personal gift to remember their time at London 2012.”
