A CONCERT to celebrate the 30th anniversary of RABI’s Merionethshire committee has raised £5,352 for farming people in financial need.

The concert featured renowned Welsh tenors Rhys Meirion and Aled Wyn Davies, as well as Alejandro Jones from Patagonia and pupils from Ysgol Bro Idris, Dolgellau, conducted by Carwyn Evans.

Aled Rhys Jones took on compering duties for the night, with Eirian Owen accompanying the acts on piano.

During the interval, Mair Rees, chair of RABI’s Merionethshire committee, gave a vote of thanks and introduced the speakers: guest president Edmund Bailey, a former NFU Cymru president; and current Lord-Lieutenant of Gwynedd and RABI chairman Malcolm Thomas MBE.

RABI supports farming people of all ages in financial difficulty. The charity gives out around £2 million each year in Wales and England and much of the funding comes from public donations and events organised by volunteers, businesses, community groups and fundraising staff.

RABI’s Merionethshire committee was formed in 1988 to raise funds and awareness of the charity’s work in the old county.

RABI regional manager for Wales, Linda Jones said: “I’d like to congratulate our volunteers in Merionethshire for hosting such a prestigious event. This celebratory concert was a very special evening and our volunteers worked extremely hard to ensure its success.

“On behalf of the charity, I’d like to thank them for their dedication and commitment to RABI over the last 30 years. During that time, we’ve given out more than £287,000 in the county to help farming people in hardship.”

Ms Rees added: “This was a very memorable occasion for us and illustrated all that is good about rural businesses working together for the benefit of others who are facing difficult situations.

“We couldn’t have staged this concert without the wonderful support of so many local businesses and community organisations.”

Match funding from Barclays, plus a successful raffle on the evening, helped boost the final total raised to more than £5,300.

Organisers would particularly like to thank the following for their support: the FUW in Merionethshire; G H James Cyf, Trawsfynydd; Lloyd’s Animal Feeds; the NFU in Dolgellau; R J Williams Isuzu/Honda Garage, Talsarnau; Annwen Hughes, chair of Gwynedd County Council; and Edmund Bailey for his generous donation.