THE appearance of hand-crafted ducks in cafes, parks and shops has sent the region's residents quackers for the past year.

Each duck had a message attached to it inviting the finder to take it home with them. But it’s all water off a duck’s back for Ruth Jowett, who is behind the ducky invasion.

The 54-year-old from Great Burdon, near Darlington, has finally gone public to mark the first anniversary of the campaign behind it all.

The serial duck dropper has crocheted more than 200 of the cuddly creatures in the last 12 months in a bid to raise awareness for blood, bone marrow and organ donation and to encourage others to consider saving lives by registering as donors.

‘Little yellow Duck Day’ takes place on Wednesday (April 15) and Ruth will be putting her crotchet hooks into non-stop action to mark the occasion.

She is encouraging others to add to the estimated 10,000 lovingly hand-crafted ducks that have been left as gifts for strangers around the world to date.

The cause is one that is close to her heart, as she knows only too well the impact that blood and organ donors can have on others.

Her younger sister, Elisabeth, received a kidney transplant in 1982 having lived all her life with congenital kidney failure.

Although Elisabeth died in 2011, Ruth saw first-hand the difference a transplant can make and has been a supporter of organ donation since her teens.

The Little Yellow Duck Project was launched last April by Emma Harris, 41, from Pewsey in Wiltshire. She was born with the progressive lung disease cystic fibrosis and has seen numerous friends die after waiting in vain on the transplant waiting list.

The death of her best friend, Clare Cruickshank, at the age of just 26, spurred her to combine her love of crafting with Clare’s humorous obsession with little yellow ducks.

“Although Clare died due to the shortage of UK organ donors, she had requested that she herself be a donor after her death," said Emma.

"As a result, two other young adults can now see after receiving the gift of her corneas."

“Each duck is created and given as a gift to make someone smile…and to hopefully remind us all that we can all pass on an even greater gift by donating blood or by registering to donate bone marrow, organs or tissues in the future.”

When the Little Yellow Duck Project launched in April 2014, Ruth responded to the appeal for crafty volunteers to help make and distribute the ducks.

Since then she has released them around Darlington, Stockton on Tees and Milton Keynes.

“The ducks each have a tag attached to them that asks their new owner to register them on the world map on the website,” she said.

“Having seen my sister’s life transformed by a kidney transplant, I really wanted to get involved with this project to raise awareness of donation. It’s a fun way of getting a serious message across and saving lives whilst doing something I enjoy.”