Popular singer and Plaid Cymru President Dafydd Iwan will join Dr Myfanwy Davies, Plaid’s Llanelli Westminster candidate and Helen Mary Jones AM together with and parents, volunteers and young people with a range of disabilities to close Breakthro’ s 25th birthday celebration with a special concert at Stebonheath Club on Saturday. Dafydd Iwan has been a disability campaigner for many years and is a founder member of Antur Waunfawr a successful community enterprise based outside Caernarfon which is part-run by people with disabilities.
The group’s birthday celebrations began on 25th of July when Dafydd Iwan visited the Coleshill Centre to cut an enormous 40 inch birthday cake. He and Myfanwy served the cake to volunteers and Breakthro’ members and Dafydd closed the visit by singing especially composed songs to the young people. Last weekend a group of Breakthro volunteers led by Jessica Sheehan completed a sponsored climb to the summit of Snowdon to celebrate the group’s birthday. Before beginning their climb, they were met for breakfast by Myfanwy and Hywel Williams MP, who represents the Arfon constituency in which Snowdon stands.
Tickets for Saturday’s concert are selling fast with some sold to people from Neath and one man travelling by bus from Swansea to Burry Port solely to make sure he had a ticket in advance. Dafydd Iwan will be waiving his usual fee and it is hoped that the group will make over £1,000 to support its activities.
Dafydd Iwan said:
“I am fully supportive of the work of Breakthro’. It is enormously important that young people with disabilities get to meet and socialise with each other as well as learning skills in mainstream schools and colleges. The young people have developed exceptionally strong friendships and they have learnt to depend on each other and to support each other. Developing that kind of trust takes years but it is crucial if people with a range of disabilities are to have a full social life. I was delighted that Myfanwy asked me to become involved with the group and am looking forward to Saturday very much.
Myfanwy said:
“We are very grateful to Dafydd for coming down once again to support Breakthro’. The impromptu concert he gave the young people last month was an extraordinary event with some young people who are usually quite withdrawn coming out of themselves and singing and dancing to the music. Next Saturday’s concert promises to be even better and tickets are going fast. I’m pleased that Helen Mary will be able to be there too. Like me she is very proud of Breakthro’ Llanelli because of the work it does but also because of the unstinting support the group has from people and groups across Llanelli”.
Christine Darkin, who has been Breakthro’s organiser for over 10 years said:
“Just a few months ago we were facing a drastic cut in our budget and we were considering how we could continue to keep the club going for our members who are now adults and who have grown up with the Club. Now thanks to an intervention by social services, we are looking forward to going into our 26th year and the support we’ve had from people across Llanelli has been amazing. I’m really looking forward to Dafydd’s concert !”
Notes to Editor
The concert will take place at Stebonheath Football Club in Llanelli at 7pm on Saturday 15th August. Tickets will be available at the venue and are priced at £10 or can be ordered on 07940122776
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