Renowned micro sculptor Willard Wigan MBE has revealed his latest artwork as he joins forces with Guide Dogs this October to support our annual Guide Dogs Appeal. The incredible sculpture shows a miniature guide dog puppy about the size of a full stop sitting in the eye of a needle.

It took Willard 16-18 hours a day over a two-month period to create, using gaps between his own heartbeat. Willard produced the puppy sculpture using a broken piece of porcelain dinner plate mounted in the eye of the needle, chipping away at it with a minute piece of diamond and painted using an eyelash. The whiskers are made from the fibres that can be seen floating in the rays of sunlight.

Willard’s own personal journey with autism inspired him to show that it's sometimes the small things that matter. The tiny sculpture has been named Daniel after a Guide Dogs fundraiser he met in a coffee shop.

Willard said: “I was so motivated and moved by what Daniel was saying about helping and supporting visually impaired people, how this resonated with my own story of feeling unseen and my work needing optical help to be able to make it and view it, I knew that I just had to partner with them and create a tiny micro sculpture as a homage to all their hard work and shine a light onto this amazing charity.”

“It's sometimes the small things that matter the most and can leave the biggest impact on our lives. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean you can't feel it, or be inspired by it.”

Willard Wigan MBE

The work of art is available to buy for one lucky collector with 100% of proceeds going to the charity as part of the Guide Dogs Appeal. You can find out more here. A real-life puppy Daniel (pictured above) has also been named in honour of Willard’s amazing sculpture and will one day go on to change the life of someone living with sight loss.

As part of Guide Dogs Appeal which kicks off this month, the charity is also urging supporters to help ‘bake’ a difference for people living with sight loss.

Pam White, National Community Fundraising Campaigns Manager said: “Since last year's Guide Dogs Appeal, around 100,000 more people in the UK have been told they will lose their sight. So, if you love to bake or simply eat cake, you could be the secret fundraising ingredient we need to help change lives. Big or small, every cake you bake makes a difference - together we can help children and adults with a vision impairment live the life they choose.”

Find out more about our fundraising ideas for the Guide Dogs Appeal