Bryn and Bryn voice support for new addiction charity

It’s a double whammy for the Welsh Council on Alcohol and other Drugs. Not just one Bryn but two! And not any old Bryn either. We’re talking international opera singer Bryn Terfel and popular Welsh popstar and actor Bryn Fôn – both as it happens from the same neck of the woods, near Caernarfon. Both Bryns have agreed to become Patrons of the Council’s latest charitable initiative The Living Room Cardiff/Yr Ystafell Fyw Caerdydd, which offers help for people suffering from the illness of addiction. These include difficulties relating to alcohol, drugs (prescribed or illicit), or any other dependency, such as eating disorders, love and sex addiction, gambling and self-harm.

Bryn Terfel said, “It’s an honour to be associated with this new charitable project which will provide help and guidance to some of the most vulnerable and dependent people in our society. I very much hope that the initiative will be a huge success, so that it can be rolled out to more towns in Wales to help people cope with and ultimately conquer their addictions.”

Bryn Fôn added, “Addiction to drugs of any kind is a dreadful affliction and I am pleased to become a Patron of The Living Room Cardiff/Yr Ystafell Fyw Caerdydd. I know how committed Wynford Ellis Owen is in his role as chief executive of the Welsh Council on Alcohol and other Drugs, so I am confident that this initiative will be immensely worthwhile.”

Bryn Terfel and Bryn Fôn join Baroness Ilora Finlay as high profile Patrons for the charity. As well as being a member of the UK Drugs Policy Commission, Baroness Finlay is Professor of palliative medicine at Cardiff University School of Medicine and a Consultant at Velindre Hospital, Cardiff. She leads on implementing the Welsh Assembly Government’s Palliative Care Strategy and was instrumental in bringing in the Smoking Ban in Wales. Recognising the harmful effects of smoking on health and well-being, as well as the damage caused by other addictions to both individuals and society, Baroness Finlay is a powerful advocate for The Living Room Cardiff/Yr Ystafell Fyw Caerdydd. A further world-famous Welsh celebrity Patron is due to be announced in the new year.

Wynford Ellis Owen, chief executive of the Welsh Council on Alcohol and other Drugs commented, “I’m thrilled that both Bryn Terfel and Bryn Fôn are to join Baroness Finlay as Patrons for The Living Room Cardiff/Yr Ystafell Fyw Caerdydd. Their support will be crucial to our success and I’d like to thank them for their willingness to come on board in the early stages of this important initiative.

“The Living Room Cardiff/Yr Ystafell Fyw Caerdydd will operate as a day-care rehabilitation centre, with free bilingual services for people experiencing difficulties with addictions of all kinds. Changing old thought processes and old behaviour patterns will be key to its ethos, with the focus being on building on self-esteem and self-worth.

“As well as adults, the centre will cater for 13-17 year olds. It will also offer a unique crèche facility, which will enable marginalized parents of young children to benefit from the service available. The Cardiff area has a level of teenage pregnancy higher than the national average and substance abuse is often a contributing factor to the occurrence of unintended pregnancies. I hope that this significant initiative will go some considerable way towards helping people break the cycle of addiction and get their lives back on track.”

As a well-known and respected actor, Ellis Owen’s own addiction to alcohol shook the foundations of Welsh society, especially for those who associated him as the eponymous hero Syr Wynff ap Concord y Bos in the ground-breaking children’s TV programme, Teliffant, of the 1970s. Ellis Owen has since qualified as an addictions councillor and will publish his first ever English language book on March 1st next year. Called No Room To Live – a journey from addiction to recovery, the book is an adaptation of Ellis Owen’s Welsh language autobiography, Raslas Bach a Mawr, modelled in self-help format for people battling alcoholism. It will retail at £10, with all proceeds being donated by Ellis Owen to The Living Room Cardiff/Yr Ystafell Fyw Caerdydd.

ENDS

For further information please contact Rhodri Ellis Owen or Lleucu Cooke at Cambrensis Communications on 029 2025 7075, rhodri@cambrensis.uk.com or go to www.welshcouncil.org.uk.

Notes to Editors
*The Living Room Cardiff/Yr Ystafell Fyw Caerdydd, is based on the ‘Living Room’ concept operational at 8 - 10 The Glebe, Chills Way, Stevenage SG2 0DJ. A registered charity: No. 1080634, more information can be accessed at www.thelivingroom.me.uk. Janis Feely (its Director and Founder) will advise, act as consultant to the Cardiff venture, and be responsible for all staff training.

From March 1st 2010, the publication No Room to Live will be available to purchase directly from the Council, via their website, www.welshcouncil.org.uk.