SuperDragons artist Laura Hickman's Willow Dragon was a huge achievement for the 32-year-old, as it came as a part of a remarkable struggle against a rare brain condition.

Born in Newport, Laura had to leave her job as a visual merchandiser in 2008 after discovering she was suffering from Chiari Malformation.

The rare condition, causes the brain to put pressure on the spinal chord, which can cause her severe headaches and muscle seizures, and its symptoms can often be confused with MS.

After leaving work she took up painting in her free time and discovered she was pretty good at it, so in 2010 she registered herself as a self-employed artist and now sells her work world-wide.

Her inspiration for Willow's design came from Belle Vue Park in Newport where Laura's mum used to work, and whilst looking through their photographs she noticed the similarities of Belle Vue Park and the oriental gardens depicted in the famous 'Willow Pattern plates' that depict a love story from around the year 1790.

"The dragon incorporates the pavilion, bandstand and out buildings of Belle Vue in style with the traditional willow pattern plates. She hand-painted the design onto the dragon using acrylic paints creating a shiny effect," Laura, who now lives in Tonrefail, said.

"It was really exciting to be involved with the SuperDragon project and I feel like it was a really great achievement for me."

Her dragon could also have had a hand in Team GB's Olympic cycling medal haul as the entire track cycling squad, including Sir Chris Hoy, Laura Trott and Joanna Rowsell signed the dragon while training at the Velodrome before the games.