A POPULAR Dolgellau festival has raised thousands of pounds for charity as a thank you to all their patrons.

Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau celebrates its 25th birthday in July this year and over the last two and a half decades this renowned festival has received “great support” from Dolgellau and Gwynedd residents, according to organisers.

To commemorate their landmark anniversary, the festival committee proudly announced last week that they have done something “very special” for the local community.

A Beer Festival was held recently where the line-up for this year’s festival was made public.

On the Friday prior to this an Auction of Promises was held with numerous items donated by residents and businesses up for auction.

“Because of our auction, we are really pleased to announce that we have raised enough money to purchase another defibrillator for Dolgellau,” said Branwen Dafydd, chair of the organising committee.

“There has been a campaign locally to raise money for defibrillators for the town through the Calonnau Cymru charity which we wanted to help.

“We’re absolutely overjoyed that we can actually purchase our own defibrillator for £1,200 because of our charity evening, this will be placed somewhere in Dolgellau.”

Calonnau Cymru, the charity helping to place defibrillators, was not the only organisation to receive a significant sum.

“On top of this we can confirm that we will be donating £1,200 towards the Air Ambulance,” Branwen added.

“We’re pleased to say Barclays Bank will matchfund £1,000 meaning that £2,200 will go towards this important charity.

“We’re so glad that we are able to give something back to the community that has supported Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau over 25 years, and we sincerely hope that our efforts will save lives.”

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