MODEL maker Anton Evans from Christchurch is the king of the castle for the children's convalescent home where he was a patient 40 years ago.

Anton, 49, who suffers from a growth-limiting genetic condition, has built a giant model castle to help raise money for the Children's Trust at Tadworth in Surrey.

As a child Anton was diagnosed with Morquio's Syndrome, which causes painful bone deformity, and underwent corrective surgery on his legs at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in 1964.

Over the following decade, Anton also attended Great Ormond Street's countryside convalescent unit at Tadworth Court for further operations followed by long periods of rehabilitation an intensive physiotherapy programme to learn to walk again after months of being encased in a full body plaster cast.

He recalled: "It was like being a turtle but Tadworth was a beautiful place. There were trees and the wards were like chalets. It was much better than looking at skyscrapers in London."

Tadworth Court became the Children's Trust charity in 1984, and provides care, education and therapy for children with a variety of disabilities and health conditions.

But it needs to raise around £5 million a year to meet the running costs and Anton, who visited Tadworth last year to meet the fund-raising team came up with the idea of using his eye-catching model castles to help drum up funds.

A fan of fantasy and fairy tales and inspired by visits to Disneyland, castles and chateaux around Europe, Anton has been making his models for the past 11 years using wood, papier-mâché, and card.

"Making the castles is like a therapy, I love doing them," said Anton who runs his own design and sign-writing business after studying at Twynham School and Bournemouth College of Art.

The castle he made for Tadworth is one of his largest creations and took hundreds of hours over several months to complete.

Mounted on a wheeled base, the model will be going on tour shortly for display in big stores and shopping centres around the country to capture the public imagination - and donations for the Children's Trust.

Trust community fund-raising manager Sarah-Juliet Harbord said: "We were thrilled to receive the model, which provides a wonderful attraction for the children and helps create awareness at fundraising events. We would like to thank Anton for his support."