LYT Newsletter January 2025
Dear Team LYT,
One million pounds.
One. MILLION. pounds.
That’s what you’ve helped us to raise in the last 10 years. We crossed the 1 million mark in early November of last year, and quite frankly, we’re still astounded by it. Every single pound - every one - came from you. We’ve never had a grant of any kind, nor any kind of business or commercial support. Month after month, year after year you have shown up with your support. Some of you for years and years, some of you brand new to us. What an incredible, moving moment it’s been for us to reflect on all you’ve helped us to achieve. Whether you’re in your first week or 7th year of support to us - we hope you’re proud to be a part of this small but very mighty army. This is where real impact happens, and you’ve literally helped to support and save thousands and thousands of lives. We are in awe.
OVER £50,000 IN DONATIONS GIVEN IN SECOND HALF OF 2024
With a new year comes the end of the July to December support of Laughter Africa, and thanks to all of you, we were thrilled to be able to support their amazing work with an incredible donation of £30,000! James and team at LA were overwhelmed at the news, stating they had "never had such a generous donation of this magnitude before”. We’re so pleased to be able to give them a badly needed boost, and can’t wait to hear how they continue to grow in 2025. We’ll be sure to report back to all of you with their update further down the line.
Additionally, we were yet again fortunate enough to have the budget to give two further Community Development Donations (CDDs) - £16,800 to our friends at Advantage Africa and £5000 in a match campaign to our partners in the West Bank at Alrowwad Theatre.
Advantage Africa continue to do unprecedented, crucial work with refugees with albinism, including skin cancer prevention, nutrition and advocacy work, importing vital, high SPF sunscreen, life saving skin cancer treatment and more. We understand that grants continue to become more and more difficult to obtain, and will continue to support our partners where and when possible.
Alrowwad was the recent victim of gross vandalisation and assault by Israeli military, with damage to entryways, children’s artwork spray painted and more. We give them this CDD to help with the repairs and in a show of support.
MEET OUR NEW PARTNER - MUSIC FOR MEMORIES, UK
With the first half of 2025, we turn back to the UK and focus on an incredibly special project very close to Martyn’s heart.
Based in the Forest of Dean, Music for Memories work closely with those diagnosed with dementia to provide special music headsets with personalised SD cards of individual playlists curated by family and friends. They believe that the journey of living well with dementia begins at diagnosis and is one which could lead to the individuals and their carers being isolated, lonely and overwhelmed. They want to bring joy to those who are living with memory loss by providing memories through music. It is vastly documented that music has the ability to calm anxiety, boost memories and enjoyment to those listening to songs of their past.
With requests now coming in for their services from as far as Scotland to Devon, Music for Memories are in their growth year, working on developing their services outside of the Forest of Dean. They are exactly the type of work Let Yourself aims to support, small, grassroots, and working to expand in a self-funded way. We know firsthand how dementia and Alzheimer’s can be an excruciatingly difficult journey to navigate with your loved ones, and some of Martyn’s favourite last moments with his father were spent singing lifelong cherished songs together. The memories had faded, but the lyrics had remained to the end, and gave his family some final special time together.
Consequently, we’re so pleased to be partnering with Music for Memories through the end of June, and we hope you’ll help us support them in continuing to grow and grow. You can read more about them here, on our website.
IN OTHER NEWS..
We are delighted to have welcomed two new Board Members to Let Yourself Trust in the last year! Andrew Davies and Gill Hewitt are wonderful additions to our team, and we are deeply appreciative of the wisdom, experience and guidance they add to an already vast pool of counsel and leadership we have been fortunate enough to have in Roger, Ruth and Clare over the last 10 years. You can read more about our Board members, both newly embraced and long treasured, here. Welcome aboard, Andrew and Gill!
And finally, we are so proud to share our latest Artist Ambassador, Patrick Jones’ new project with you. Martyn and crew brought Patrick to the West Bank in the Summer of 2023, along with a team of volunteers, to experience life on the ground firsthand and to meet our partners at Alrowwad. As a result of his time there, 18 months later Patrick has released an entire album of poetry based on his experience, including a small contribution from Martyn on the soundtrack. You can listen and buy ‘A Constellation of Sorrows’ here on his band camp page - https://patrickjones3.bandcamp.com/album/a-constellation-of-sorrows. Please support his incredible work!
We are surrounded by the inspiration of others. By you, hardworking men and women willing to support us month after month. And by our partners, devoting their lives to creating and sustaining incredible, often life saving projects in all corners of the atlas. What a gift to be motivated from all sides. We say it often and will continue to do so - thank you. We can’t wait to dive into this year with you.
In admiration and gratitude,
Justine & the LYT Team