TREAT Trust Wales would like to congratulate our patron Kev Johns on his Honorary Fellowship of Swansea Metropolitan University.

ONE of the most famous fellas in Swansea has been made an Honorary Fellow of Swansea Metropolitan University.

Radio presenter, charity champion, Swans club chaplain, MBE and panto-stalwart Kev Johns picked up his fellowship at a graduation ceremony in Swansea’s Grand Theatre today.

Fellowships are the highest honour a university can bestow on members of the community.

Kev said: “This is one of the greatest honours I’ve ever had.

“I have stood on the stage of this beautiful theatre on many occasions but have never been prouder.

“I have shared this stage with many talented individuals but have never been more delight to share it with these fantastic young people.”

Read the full article on the South Wales Evening Post website.

A CHARITY brought in one of its big guns to add some star power at a top-level meeting with a Welsh Government minister that could be worth £1.5 million.

Treat Trust Wales is behind ambitious plans to develop a multi-million pound, state-of-the-art rehabilitation and wellbeing centre in the grounds of Morriston Hospital.

Representatives were invited to a meeting with Health Minister Mark Drakeford and sent a four-strong delegation to Cardiff Bay.

The Treat contingent comprised its president Paul Potts, founder Melanie Davies, her husband and Treat chairman Mike Davies and Morriston Hospital spinal surgeon Iona Collins, who is also backing the charity. "Mr Drakeford has not been health minister for long so the purpose of the meeting was to bring him up to speed with what Treat is," said Melanie.

"We had a meeting with his predecessor Lesley Griffiths last November, and in fact she briefed Mr Drakeford about us.

"It was a very positive meeting, very constructive and very useful in many ways.

"Potentially we could qualify for a Welsh Government grant of up to £1.5 million.

"The crux of it is our business plan. We did have one drawn up about 10 years ago but it needs to be updated in terms of the figures and demographics and so on."

Melanie, who is from Port Talbot but now lives with Mike near Pontardawe, broke her back in a motorbike accident as a 15-year-old schoolgirl more than 30 years ago.

She has also twice fought breast cancer. It was while recuperating from her first bout that Melanie came up with the idea of Treat Trust Wales.

Apart from Paul Potts, its backers include Michael Sheen and his father Meyrick, Rob Brydon, Kev Johns and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.

Treat will hold its annual general meeting in the burns and plastics seminar room in Morriston Hospital tonight, starting at 6pm.

"We will be discussing the business plan," said Melanie. "The Welsh Government has said it will provide advice and guidance as to how we go about updating it.

"But we need to find someone who is willing to give up some time and look at the business case to help us make the necessary changes."

The AGM for TREAT Trust Wales will be held on Monday, 10th June 2013 at 6pm in the Burns and Plastics Seminar Room at Morriston Hospital.

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COMEDIAN Rob Brydon's charity show at Swansea Grand Theatre has raised more than £17,000.

The Baglan funnyman is patron of Treat Trust Wales, which aims to develop a multi-million pound rehabilitation and wellbeing centre at Morriston Hospital.

THE founder of Swansea charity Treat Trust Wales has hailed their charity concert with Rob Brydon a huge success.

Treat founder Melanie Davies said Rob Brydon, who is a patron of the charity, was fantastic at a special show held at the Grand Theatre.

TREAT Trust Wales founder Melanie Davies, with patron Baronness Tanni Grey-Thompson.

See the article on thisissouthwales for more photos.

Called An Evening With Rob Brydon, it aimed to raise funds for the charity, which plans to develop a multi-million pound rehabilitation and wellbeing centre in the grounds of Morriston Hospital.

Mrs Davies said: "He was absolutely on fire. It was a wonderful atmosphere."

FANS of comedy star Rob Brydon will get the chance to meet their hero when he hosts a swanky buffet in Swansea.

The Gavin and Stacey star will happily chat, pose for pictures and sign autographs at a one-night only event next week.

COMEDY star Rob Brydon will put a Swansea charity in the spotlight when he stages a special performance in the city's Grand Theatre next month.

The Baglan funnyman is patron of Treat Trust Wales, which aims to develop a multi-million-pound therapy centre in the grounds of Morriston Hospital.

Tickets go on sale this week for the one-night-only An Evening with Rob Brydon on Monday, April 22, including a limited number of VIP packages that are sure to be in hot demand.

Rob explained that the idea came from a conversation he had with Treat founder Melanie Davies a few years ago while he was in Swansea during a book tour.

"We decided to put an evening on, with the proceeds going to Treat," he said.

"It has taken a time to find a date, but it's in the diary now and I am looking forward to it.

"Treat is such a good cause. That's why I became a patron, because I wanted to support it."

The evening promises to feature comedy musings, readings from Rob's best-selling autobiography Small Man In A Book and the odd musical interlude.

"It will be a friendly, funny evening but people shouldn't come to it expecting a stand-up show," he said.

"It will be more intimate than that — by which I mean I'll be naked!"

Treat is spearheaded by Melanie Davies, who broke her back in a Port Talbot motorbike accident more than 30 years ago, and her retired surgeon husband Mike.

Later in life Melanie had breast cancer and it was while recovering that she came up with the idea for Treat, which aims to offer rehabilitation for people from all walks of life.

Its president is Port Talbot singing star Paul Potts, while joining Rob on the patrons' list are Michael Sheen, Kev Jones and Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, to name but a few.

Melanie, who now lives with Mike near Pontardawe, said: "We are absolutely thrilled Rob is doing this for us.

"It's fantastic that we have high-profile patrons who will do this sort of thing for us.

"With this show, Rob is really putting Treat Trust Wales in the spotlight."

Article from http://m.thisissouthwales.co.uk/story.html?aid=18399695&category=news

A TRUE romance that could have been dreamt up by a Hollywood scriptwriter may now be heading for the silver screen.

Melanie Davies, founder of Swansea- based charity Treat Trust Wales, broke her back more than 30 years ago while she was a teenager growing up in Port Talbot.

The surgeon who had to give her the devastating news that she would never walk again was Mike Davies — who Melanie would go on to marry later in life.

It was just one chapter in a remarkable story that saw Melanie Bowen, as she was before marriage, survive a serious car crash and not just one but two encounters with breast cancer.

Her first bout with cancer inspired Melanie, now aged 48, to form Treat, which aspires to build an £18 million rehabilitation centre in the grounds of Morriston Hospital.

Treat has Paul Potts as president, with patrons including former president Michael Sheen, Rob Brydon, Kev Johns, paralympics legend Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson and former rugby star Gwyn Jones.

Now another name has been added to the list of patrons — Bennett Arron, an award-winning writer, actor and stand-up comedian described as the only Jewish/Welsh comedian on the comedy circuit. He has supported Ricky Gervais on some of his tour dates, has been on numerous TV and radio shows and appeared in the film Dead Long Enough alongside Michael Sheen.

Bennett now has his sights set on making a film of Melanie's life after reading her best-selling autobiography, Never Say Die. "I knew Melanie in school," he recalled. "She had to leave Glan Afan after her accident and I saw her briefly a couple of times but we didn't really stay in contact.

"I met up with Mel recently when I was in Port Talbot for a mutual friend's funeral, the first time I'd seen her in 30 years.

"She gave me a copy of her book. I took it home and started reading it that night, finishing it three or four days later.

"I sent her a text saying I'd been looking for something to direct for years, and this was something I wanted to write and direct."

Bennett is now working on a proposal for the movie and then will start searching for a producer. "It would be lovely to shoot something in Wales," he said. "As a story it has everything — it has humour, it has tragedy, it has a love story. I think it would be a fantastic film."

Melanie, who lives with Mike near Pontardawe, said she was thrilled Bennett was on board as patron.

"When he told me he wanted to make a film of my life story I was stunned but elated," she said. "It was a dream of mine to see it turned into a film but I never really thought anyone would do it.

"If it happens it will really spread the Treat message."