The sketch was penned by the late Beatle for his son, Sean

The hospital has been given permission to use a sketch, penned by the late Beatle, as a logo for the appeal.

Celebrities including footballer Wayne Rooney and cricketer Andrew Flintoff are behind the campaign which aims to raise money for the hospital.

Lennon, who was shot dead in New York in 1980, would have been 65 on Sunday.

The picture of a child's smiling face and a bird, drawn by Lennon for his son Sean, will be used on T-shirts for the appeal.

Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, fully supports the campaign.

Rooney hopes the appeal will raise a substantial amount of money

She said: "It seems entirely appropriate that one of the images he created out of love for our son Sean should be used to help the hospital care for children worldwide."

The celebrities will be signing their T-shirts and sending them back to the hospital to be auctioned to raise money for the charity.

Lancashire and England's Ashes hero, Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff said: "I'm urging as many stars as possible to show their support for Europe's largest children's hospital and remember John Lennon with this great idea."

Rooney, the England and Manchester United player, said: "I hope this raises a substantial amount of money so that the staff can continue to provide the world-class care the hospital is rightly renowned for."

The photographs will be displayed at the Imagine Appeal's inaugural event in Liverpool next spring.