Welsh stars narrate fairy tales

Matthew Rhys swapped his acting lines for reading a fairy tale

Welsh celebrities have swapped acting parts for fairy tales for a CD produced by a group of teenagers to help raise funds for the Noah's Ark Appeal.

Actors Matthew Rhys, Brian Hibbard and presenter Sarra Elgan are among some of the stars who are reading the stories.

Pupils at Blackwood Comprehensive School came up with the idea as part of a business project.

It is hoped that the CD will be available to buy from major child care shops across Wales.

A quarter of the profits made from the CD will go to the fundraising efforts for the Children's Hospital for Wales.

Called Tiny Tales with Big Names, the double CD features stories narrated by the stars in Welsh and English and is aimed at children aged between four and five.

We came up with the idea and then to jazz it we thought we would try and get some celebrities to star on it Zowie Purves, pupil

Matthew Rhys, who played Benjamin opposite Kathleen Turner in the stage version of The Graduate, and Brian Hibbard who has had numerous acting parts and was in the band the Flying Pickets, recorded stories for the CD.

TV presenter Sarra Elgan, Pobol Y Cwm actor Llinor ap Gwynedd and Boyd Clack, who starred in the BBC Wales comedy Satellite City, are also included.

The 15 students behind the project, aged 14 - 15, plan to market the CD and will donate 25% of the profits to the charity.

Zowie Purves, 14, managing director of Infusion, the firm set up by the students to market the CD, said: "We came up with the idea and then to jazz it we thought we would try and get some celebrities to star on it.

Brian Hibbard narrated Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk

"We had to do lots of chasing around to get hold of them. We were in touch with lots of agents but in the end we were lucky enough to get hold of the five celebrities through contacts in the school.

"We got them to come to one of the teacher's houses to record the stories and they came into school as well. And they did it for us for free too."

Several traditional fairy tales including Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast are included.

"We are in talks with Mothercare at the moment and we hope that they will sell the CD in their stores across Wales," added Zowie.

Headteacher Mike Pickard said: "I am very very proud of them. They are doing it as part of the Young Enterprise project which they all do in their spare time and they work so hard on it."