The origins of a plaque which appeared from nowhere at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children 18 months ago have been revealed.

Attached to the wall outside the hospital, it appeared to suggest that the Lollypop-Be-Bop sculpture which stands near the hospital’s main entrance, made by Andrew Smith and installed in 2001, was in fact made from Quidditch posts.

- Why Warcraft can bomb in the US and still be a blockbuster

- Jude Law turned down Superman over the outfit

- New Ghostbusters meet old Ghostbusters in amazing selfie



But no ordinary Quidditch posts - supposedly the Quidditch posts from the 1998 World Cup in Malawi, won by the Senegal team and then blessed by team captain Adou Sosseh, a niche trivia fact from the Harry Potter universe.

Now it’s emerged where the mysterious plaque, dedicated to the ‘children of Bristol’ and stuck to the beneath the sculpture in November 2014, came from.

Cormac Seachoy was behind the stunt, making the plaque thanks to crowd-funding site Kickstarter.

He was a student at Bristol University, but sadly died from cancer last year, aged just 27.

His brother Declan told the Bristol Post: “Throughout his life he was extremely passionate about helping worthy causes, whether that be through donating or fundraising, working for non-profit organisations, or even taking direct action to give children on their way into hospital something to smile about.”

His friend and accomplice in the prank James Carberry told Radio 1’s Newsbeat: “He always used to say how the sculpture looked like the Quidditch posts.

“He wanted the children at the hospital to think they were a gift from wizards.

The night they put up the plaque was not without event, however.

“We met outside the hospital and he came with this beautiful bronze plaque and a tube of industrial strength adhesive,” added Carberry.

“He sent me to a pub around to ask for scissors, pretending we were opening a pop-up shop around the corner.

“I’ll never forget the look on the barman’s face as I asked him for the scissors, but he reluctantly agreed and we were able to put the plaque up.

“It would really put a smile on his face to think that people are now talking about the plaque and that the hospital’s decided to keep it.

“He didn’t really want much attention from the plaque. He just wanted to do something that would make people smile on their way in and out of the hospital.”

Since his death, his friends and family have continued to raise money for charities he supported in his name.

Earlier this year, they made £10,000, some of which was donated to a school in Malawi.

A spokesperson from the hospital, which had no idea the plaque was even in place, said: “The appearance of this plaque was a magical and mysterious event that we did not know anything about - but we are sure that our patients and their families will appreciate it.

“We do plan to keep this but ask that any other magical beings that wish to erect plaques on our site do speak to us first so that the muggles amongst us can say thank you and look after and maintain these gifts.”

Image credits: Twitter/Rex Features/JustGiving