Crickhowell dementia campaigner and children’s author Suzan Ruben-Alderton was moved to use her latest book to highlight a rare neurological disease after chance meeting with a young girl.

Suzan and her husband Mike are the founders of the Living with Dementia Society Crickhowell and were out fundraising when the father of a girl approached them.

Suzan said: “He was a young man. He told us that there was dementia in the family. We asked him ‘who’ and he pointed to the little girl in the wheelchair he was pushing. He explained that she had Batten Disease and how it starts with seizures and progresses to cause severe disabilities and dementia in children. It was really, emotional to see someone so young who had been affected in this way.”

So, Suzan decided to give the net profits from her latest children’s book, The Fairy who lived in a Pop Can, to the Batten Disease Association, which supports children with batten disease and their families and to Young Lives vs Cancer that supports children and young adults with cancer.

The book was illustrated by Cardiff Metropolitan University art students Polly Allburn and Naomi Bennet. It tells the story of a girl called Betty who finds an unusual pop can when litter picking and discovers a fairy inside it. Throughout the story, Betty learns about the importance of protecting the environment.

Suzan explained: “I wanted to tell a positive story about nature but now the book has two positive outcomes; promoting awareness of biodiversity among children and fundraising for sick children and their families.

“Like most families these days, I’ve lost family members to cancer and quite recently I lost my dear friend, Nora to the disease. I have also lost family members to dementia. I want to think everyone who buys a copy of this book and reads it to their children or grandchildren will smile, knowing that they are helping their children and others who need our help.”

Yellow Sixpence Publishing is printing The Fairy who lived in a Pop Can and it is hoped it will be reproduced in Welsh in future.

Llangattock Media Company, As You See It Media, have sponsored the publicity of it so that all net profits can go to charity.

The book will be stocked by the following independent bookshops, all of whom have waived their normal commissions to give it shelf space free of charge.

The Fairy who lived in A Pop Can is available from the following:

• Book-ish. Crickhowell. 01873 811256. Email: [email protected]

• Caban. Cardiff. 0292 034 2223, Email: [email protected]

• Cover To Cover. Swansea. 01792 366363 Email: [email protected]

• Goldstone Books. 01267 237236 Email: [email protected]

• The Hours Tea Room and Café. 07726 375274. Email: [email protected]

• Books Plus Cardiff. 0292 075 2800. Email: [email protected]

The book is being launched at Book-ish bookshop in Crickhowell at 7pm on Friday, May 19.