After a pilot project, Daring to Dream has been providing fortnightly live music (our ‘Space to Sing’) for patients in Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend for most of 2025. We have a great team of musicians, undergraduates at Bridgend College, who we contract to lead these joyous sessions. Our ‘Space to Sing’ is for patients and their visitors on two ward areas: The Care for the Elderly patients, Wards 5 & 6, and The Dementia patients on Ward 15 Our ‘Spaces to Sing’ are really special...

Come and enjoy a great night out at 2026 Daring to Dream Ball & Auction and help us fund even more ‘Spaces to Sing’ in hospitals. Music brings joy, evokes memories, sparks conversations, and when dealing with stays in hospital it brings smiles and sometimes tears to patients and their families. We want to bring even more joy through music and that is what we shall be fundraising for in our 2026 Ball & Auction. Date: Friday 12 June 2026 at Hilton Cardiff Dress code: Formal and colourful...

We are the Emotional Health Charity and we are Daring to Dream Diolch yn fawr iawn In our bank account today has arrived the first year’s allocation from The Postcode Community Trust. On behalf of everyone at team Daring to Dream – a massive thank you for this. We were touched too by your feedback about our application and your wish that ‘this funding will have a big impact on your organisation and community’. We will do our utmost to ensure that this funding makes a huge difference. May we...

Sophie Howe, The First Future Generations Commissioner, in Wales and the World. Sophie was the world’s first Future Generations Commissioner. She was tasked with advocating for the interests of generations to come and holding public institutions accountable for delivering long-term change. Her support endorses Daring to Dream’s contribution to the Well-Being Goals in Wales. Sophie Howe is an advisor to governments, institutions and corporates on embedding wellbeing economics and future...

We were deeply saddened to hear last week of the passing of Lesley Meek, one of Daring to Dream’s very first committed supporters. A lovely lady, who loved her life, and lived it to the full, in spite of so much adversity arising from her congenital heart condition. We were privileged to have Lesley's support for our charity. She understood very well indeed, from firsthand experience of her own many hospital visits and stays, the importance of ‘spaces to talk’ for patients, their families and...

Yesterday, I spent a lot of the day in the Care for the Elderly Ward 5 Dayroom, as we ‘dressed’ the room, ensuring we created a ‘homely’, non-clinical and inviting space for patients and their families. Elderly patients can decondition within 24 hours In our short video clip below, Catherine Theron (Head of Nursing at Princess of Wales Hospital), describes the need for the Care for the Elderly (COTE) patients, who come into hospital with a multitude of conditions. The ward teams are aiming to...

We are The Emotional Health Charity - and we are Daring to Dream We had invited Sarah Murphy MS, Welsh Government Minister for Mental Health & Wellbeing to join us at our highly successful ‘Making Space to talk about Emotional Health and Living well with Illness’ last week, but her diary was already over committed. Instead, she kindly offered to support us with a video, which offer we accepted with alacrity, of course! Welsh Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy for 2025- 2035...

On 5 October, the streets of Cardiff were alive with energy, determination, and community spirit as over 27,000 runners took part in the Cardiff Half Marathon. Among the 27,000 were 10 remarkable individuals running not just for themselves, but for thousands of people across Wales who live every day with the emotional challenges arising from living with long-term illness. Beth, Ryan, Joe, Holly, Asia (Callum), Glyn, Scott, Steph amd Sarah They all took part in the Cardiff Half for Daring to...

Early in July, I was fortunate to be included in the line-up of speakers for TEDx Bute Street event which was sponsored by Rhianon Passmore MS. Thank you so much to the selection panel of Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, Matthew Hyde and Chris J. Birch. A fantastic opportunity for me to talk about Daring to Dream on such an important platform and spread the word about #emotionalhealth and its importance for all of us living with #chronicillness.    Our mission at Daring to Dream is:...

Daring to Dream was delighted to welcome a visit from David Holdsworth, CEO of the Charity Commission, which took place at University Hospital of Wales this week. Jessica Williams, Policy and Wales Stakeholder Manager for the Charity Commission, joined him on the visit. Daring to Dream trustees (Barbara Chidgey, John Chown and Nav Masani) were supported by Kindre Morgan and Sarah Finch (specialist nurses from the Adult Congenital Heart Disease team). It was lovely to meet both David and Jess,...

Thank you for your support of Daring to Dream's Space to Sing for the Care for the Elderly and Dementia Patients at Princess of Wales Hospital Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. Seren and Ffion will be back in a couple of weeks, following a short summer break, with their fortnightly sessions for the patients there. They not only bring music, they bring joy, smiles, evoke memories and help patients connect with each other and their families. It is a joy to be part of. Do please watch...

November 2024, the founding trustees of Daring to Dream, Barbara Chidgey, John Chown, #NavMasani took a courageous and strategic decision to focus our efforts on just two major things throughout 2025: Continued quality delivery of our established charitable activities and Making significant progress in implementing our primary strategic goal: 'Building a resilient and sustainable organisation' The most challenging step: Daring to Dream is taking the most challenging step in any organisation's...

Such a boost to get a lovely email from 2025 Mental Health & Wellbeing Wales Awards to tell us that Daring to Dream are finalists! Inspirational Charitable Organisation "We are delighted to inform you that Daring to Dream have been shortlisted as a finalist for the Mental Health & Wellbeing Wales Awards 2025 in the category of Inspirational Charitable Organisation." Daring to Dream is the emotional (not mental) health charity Not many charities talk about #emotionalhealth and its...

Daring to Dream wishes to give a heartfelt thankyou to Jenny Hibbert and her Bridgend Camera Club colleagues. As the Care for the Elderly patients finally move into their new ‘home’ in Wards 5 & 6 at Princess of Wales Hospital, the Camera Club team have replenished our stock of local photos. They are wonderful! Amazing photos of local sites including the iconic Coney Island Fun Fair, open for its very last season. Jenny herself took the photo below of the bridge at Bryngarw. Wall...

Yesterday I got an unexpected but very welcome email from Rachel Bran, Senior Sister at the Leri Cancer Unit in Bronglais Hospital. Rachel was keen to provide another update on the use and value of the Bluebell Room in the unit; the room Daring to Dream had collaborated with Hywel Dda University Health Board to help bring about in the refurbed outpatients unit. “We are enjoying the Bluebell Room so much, it is going to be used for Cancer Counselling service 2 days a week as well as being used...

Friday 13 June at Hilton Cardiff was a wonderful evening, as we wished Engaging, happy, full of warmth and kindness, strengthening ‘old’ relationships, starting new ones, raising awareness, and raising funds. Importantly celebrating Amy Penn’s life and legacy with her family. Daring to Dream taking another huge step forward. Hosted by the fabulous Jason Harrold Host and Compere, with the amazing Choirs For Good Cardiff, we all enjoyed an excellent meal, good company and our auction, which...

This Friday at Hilton Cardiff we hold our annual Daring to Dream Ball & Auction. We are really excited about our forthcoming evening. It is a great chance to get together with so many who support our work and believe in the importance of emotional health as an enabler to living well with illness. For our fundraising we are putting young adults in Wales living with illness in the spotlight. Highlighting their need to talk about their own emotional responses to illness, celebrating the many...

Our second briefing event took place in Senedd Cymru, on 26 March, sponsored by Julie Morgan MS and supported by Sarah Murphy MS, Welsh Government Minister for Mental Health & Wellbeing. Jason Harrold was our MC. Julie Morgan opened the event, with Barbara Chidgey speaking next positioning the emotional health agenda as a critical element to prevent mental illness. Other contributors were Dr Jen Daffin on behalf of Hapus, Public Health Wales and Platfform Wellbeing. Nav Masani, our...

The 2025 Daring to Dream Ball & Auction is supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of young adults in Wales living with illness. The funds raised will support initiatives that help create spaces to talk, such as singing and writing workshops, supercars experience events, and our gift packages. Date: Friday 13 June 2025 at Hilton Cardiff Dress code: Formal and colourful Arrival, drinks reception: 19:00 Guests seated for 3 -course meal: 19:30 Event Details: The Ball will take place...

We are hugely grateful The National Lottery Community Fund supported our application for “Lleswyl 2025 and Beyond”. Their support is to ensure that Lleswyl is definitely not #foronenightonly but actually helps promote and encourage the development of small community based groups, ones that build friendships and support, and bring people living with illness together over a shared interest. One such community group who featured in #Lleswyl2025 are the Cwmbran Deaf Choir. As a charity, Daring to...

1.2 million adults live in Wales with at least one longstanding illness. 618,000 women in Wales live with at least one longstanding illness The 618,000 are all ages, live across all parts of Wales Irrespective of age, many endure extreme pain – night and day Irrespective of age, they endure ongoing treatments and new health challenges They lose friends, careers, hobbies, social life, mobility They start each day with determination and courage, to live their best, achieve their hopes and dreams...

Lleswyl 2025 is this Friday! Please spread the word amidst your family and friends! Huge thanks for your support!   Dear Friends - We’re excited to announce that Lleswyl 2025 is just around the corner! Please join Us for an Unforgettable Evening! Date: Friday, 21st February 2025Time: 7 PMLocation: YouTube Channel - Lleswyl 2025 Watch HereCost: Free! Fun! For Everyone! What is Lleswyl? The term "Lleswyl" translates to "Wellbeing Festival" in Welsh. This event is dedicated to supporting the...

Daring to Dream, the charity whose mission is to support the emotional health and wellbeing of adults in Wales living with physical illness, held its first formal briefing event - ‘Making space to talk about emotional health’. Opened by Sarah Murphy MS, Welsh Government Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, the briefing was attended by patients, medical and health board staff, and representatives from many health charities. During the event, the charity’s founder and chair Barbara Chidgey...

I was so pleased and touched that Daring to Dream was a finalist in the #WelshCharityAwards in 'The Most Influential Small Organisation' category. For our work, progress and impact to be recognised as a finalist in this category is #absolutelyfabulous - our trustees and guests certainly enjoyed celebrating as finalists at the Awards Dinner on Monday 25th November at the National Museum of Wales. We so enjoyed hearing about 27 individuals and organisations that are making such a difference in...

The trustees of Daring to Dream, thank Ajuda and The Mental Health & Wellbeing Show and Awards for the selection of Daring to Dream as a finalist in the 2024 Awards. We are delighted to have been selected as a finalist in the 'Inspirational Charitable Organisation' category. Thank you so much to everyone for this recognition, which is much appreciated. The winners of each category will be announced at the Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference and Awards 2024 take place at the Mercure...

On behalf of the trustees of Daring to Dream, may I say a huge heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us, sponsored the event, donated raffle or auction lots and generously bought tickets or bid for auction lots. It was a truly lovely evening – a room full of kind, compassionate, warm and friendly people from different walks of life; many themselves who joined us on Friday night are experiencing the daily reality of living with illness or a member of their family doing so together with the...

The Beechwood Park Community Group once again hosted their annual Music In The Park event on Sunday 7 July 2024. It was held in partnership with Newport City Radio and powered by Levelling Up and the National Lottery Community Fund Awards for All. A spokesperson for Music In The Park, said: "Starting at 2 pm, we enjoyed the soulful tunes of Robyn Benge. Followed by the dynamic sound of Retrospect  at 2:40. Ernie Emmanuel took to the stage about 3:40. We then rounded off the afternoon singing...

Fascinating article in The Guardian – in support of social health. Kasley Killam, MPH (a social health expert and author) states “Research has proven that social health – wellbeing that comes from connection – is as essential as food and water, but it is vastly underappreciated” “The problem with traditional health advice is that it overlooks one of the most important ingredients: human connection.” What is social health? Social health is the aspect of overall health and wellbeing that comes...

We are so pleased that Cobalt HR selected our live music project in the #CarefortheElderlyWards at #PrincessofWalesHospital Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board for their #generousdonation of £300. That donation is the cost of a full afternoon of live music, led by two professional musicians, across each of the three wards, for the patients. An afternoon of joy and smiles! Thank you so much Cobalt HR for your support. Daring to Dream obtained a £1,850 grant from Tŷ Cerdd - Music Centre...

Headlined by Afro Cluster, Lleswyl 2024 remains accessible to everyone, for free, on our YouTube channel of the same name. Lleswyl 2024 is: "A wonderful watch!" "I was really moved and impressed." “The balance of combining music and conversations worked so well and powerfully." "Lleswyl was a superb production." "It was entertaining, informative, educational, and polished." Everyone involved in the production of Lleswyl 2024 - Ratio Studios, all the hugely talented musicians, our hosts, and...