IT is a search for love unlikely to find its way into the personal columns, but it represents a last hope for a lonely female. "Shy Welsh beauty, serene disposition, lots of charisma but not too intelligent, former Miss Wales seeks male companion from Ireland. Must have own transport, wool, four legs and big horns. Apply Ceridwen, Tre'r Ddo'l Wales."
The Ceridwen in question is a sheep.
She is, in fact, officially the Prettiest Sheep in Wales, having beaten off considerable competition from her peers to take the title in 1994. Ceridwen, it seems, is the Meg Ryan of sheep, the Sandra Bullock of the valleys.
The comparisons are apt, for Ceridwen is the former mascot of the Welsh International Film Festival, which takes place in November and this year focuses on cinema in Ireland. With this in mind, the organisers have set out to match Ceridwen with a strapping Irish ram to help her pass the long evenings and to further cement ties between the two lands.
"Ceridwen is a fine Poll Dorset," said Mr Rowland Davies, who owns the farm on which the Welsh beauty currently resides. "She's won many prizes in shows across Wales and is in great demand."
Those who feel they know a suitable respondent should contact the film festival's organisers at 0044 1970 617995 as soon as possible.
For once, sheepishness will probably not be an obstacle to success with the opposite sex.