Gelligaer

He said demand was huge, and parents and children have flocked to his grotto in Gelligaer, Caerphilly county, since it opened in November.

The animals were found on Gelligaer Common, which spans the counties of Caerphilly and Merthyr Tydfil.

Mr Rowlands is a member of the Gelligaer Young Farmers Club and has a background in food production, but he admitted that learning to make Caerphilly cheese came with its challenges.

In a ceremony at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on Thursday night, he said: "I've always been passionate about our local environment and as I was driving with my family over the Merthyr and Gelligaer common, I saw the disgusting amount of waste illicitly dumped there and decided I'd do something about it."

Gelligaer council clerk Ceri Mortimer was behind the idea to paint the box, on Penallta Road in Ystrad Mynach.