Former pupil at St John's on-the-hill, Tutshill, near Chepstow Dante Valaydon-Pillay sang his heart out for Children in Need at a special halftime performance at Rodney Parade sports stadium on March 23.

He sang the Welsh National Anthem during the much anticipated Dragons vs Vodacom Bulls Rugby Championships to a crowd of over 5000 fans.

Under the bright lights at halftime, Dante, who lives near Abergavenny, was taken to the center of the pitch. The sports commentator introduced Dante saying, “Tonight we have a special performance from Dante Valaydon-Pillay, the winner of the Sir Terry Wogan Young Fundraiser of the Year 2022. Dante will be singing the National Anthem as he continues his fundraising for Children in Need. So please give him your support and keep an eye out on your channels for more on how you can help his fundraising.”

Unfazed and behaving in his down-to-earth way, Dante clutched the microphone in his hand and confidently introduced himself saying, “Welcome everyone to my Children in Need performance of the Welsh National Anthem. I hope you enjoy it. Please donate to my justgiving page dante321go. Thanks, Diolch.”

Composing himself for a moment he sang beautifully to a spellbound and uncharacteristically hushed crowd, many standing up as a sign of respect during the anthem. When he had finished the 5000 strong rugby fans burst into applause and whoops of delight.

After his performance, Dante said, “That was the best 2 minutes of my life!”. He continued, “I didn't think there would be so many people, but they were kind and clapped after I sang”.

Ben Mottram the Head of Communications at Dragons RFC said, “That boy can sing!” 

After the match, he went upstairs to the Dragons Hospitality Lounge, where he met the team and had various photos taken with several players. He was honoured to receive signed shirts from both the Dragons and the Bulls. Dante continued, “I want to thank everyone at the Dragons for allowing me to perform and arranging for me to have signed shirts”. He intends to sell them by online auction to raise more money for his beloved Children in Need fund.