Daring to Dream, a charity that supports the emotional health of patients in Wales, is staging an inclusive festival-at-home experience for those with chronic illness.

Lleswyl: The Daring to Dream Festival will be live streamed on November 26 and comes after a successful first year for the new charity.

The charity’s aim is to support and promote the emotional health and well-being of adult patients in Wales through tangible means, by providing music and arts programmes, personal care services and patient day room transformations on hospital wards.

In Wales, many people living with chronic illness, disability, loneliness and isolation have experienced a further disconnect from social interaction due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

Daring to Dream encourages people to reach out and invite family, friends, or neighbours to join them for the virtual festival, so that they can share a fun evening alongside one another.

With Welsh music icons Calan, the Root Doctors, Afro Cluster, Dr & the Medics, Ify Iwobi and her Live Band, The Gentle Good, Philanthropy Jazz and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama jazz musicians already confirmed acts, the night is set to showcase musical diversity and appeal to all.

The charity has also commissioned Lleswyl merchandise and organised festival food to be delivered to viewers, along with filming festival make-up tutorials so that viewers can have the full festival experience at home.

The charity also hopes to inspire donations over the course of the night, so that they can continue their vital work.

Barbara Chidgey, founder of Daring to Dream, has active systemic lupus that has led to damaged key internal organs, including her heart, kidneys and lungs, and causes her chronic pain, fatigue, and brain fog.

While undergoing treatment, Barbara has experienced multiple extended stays in hospital and seen first-hand the need for the charity.

Barbara said: “Daring to Dream is all about supporting the emotional health of those with chronic illness, because it is essential to focus on living positively with chronic conditions.

“Living with significant health conditions has a considerable bearing on an individual’s emotional and psychological well-being.

!Daring to Dream adds value to the fantastic medical support and care that patients receive, by focusing on ways of supporting emotional wellbeing to complement the clinical care.

“Lleswyl, our very first Daring to Dream Festival, will be a great way for everyone to get involved and experience the joy of reconnecting with others, with music as the catalyst.

“As we come out of lockdown and return to live gigs and festivals, it is important to remember that there is no ‘new normal’ for those in Wales living with chronic illness or disability. This is about bringing the full festival experience to them in new ways.”

Lleswyl: The Daring to Dream Festival will take place online on the evening of Friday, November 26. You can sign up at lleswyl.eventbrite.co.uk to host your own festival experience.

Daring to Dream is looking for a headline sponsor for Lleswyl and encourages interested businesses to get in touch: daringtodream@learningpathways.info.

To find out more or support Daring to Dream, visit https://daringtodream.wales/.