If you are looking to renew or change your car insurance, sign up to Monkey.co.uk and when you purchase an insurance policy they will donate £10 to TREAT Trust Wales on your behalf.

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."

Due to her outstanding commitment and dedication to Treat Trust Wales, Mel has been nominated in the charity champion category for the Evening Post's Pride Awards.

Read full article here: http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Charity-champ-Mel-Davies-nominated-Evening-Post/story-17790702-detail/story.html

TREAT Trust Wales are pleased to announce the addition of another patron to support our cause – Bennett Arron.

Bennett Arron is an award-winning writer, actor and stand-up comedian and is the only Jewish/Welsh comedian on the Comedy Circuit. He recently supported Ricky Gervais on some of his tour dates.

He has written for many comedy programmes, including Hit The Road Jack and the BAFTA winning V Graham Norton. He also wrote over 20 episodes and a feature film of Genie in The House, the highest-rated children's sitcom on Nickelodeon and episodes of the BAFTA winning Slammer for the BBC.

Bennett directed and presented the documentary How To Steal an Identity for Channel 4; which was "Pick of the Day" in The Guardian and The Telegraph, described as “Fascinating and Disturbing” by the TV Times. Bennett was short-listed for a BAFTA. As a result of this, Bennett has become a much sought-after speaker on the subject of Identity Theft and has spoken at events throughout the UK as well as Italy, Poland and Australia. (Click herefor more information on this and Testimonials). 

Bennett is a past winner of both the TAPS Comedy Writer of the Year Award and the BBC Wales New Writer's Award. However,
his proudest moment was coming third in an International Disco Dancing Championship in Tenerife.

We are delighted to announce that Paul Potts has accepted the invitation to become President of TREAT Trust Wales.

The Britain’s Got Talent winner is already a Patron of Treat Trust Wales but is now its figurehead following the decision of Hollywood star Michael Sheen to stand down.

Michael's decision to stand down was because he didn’t feel he was able to give the role the time and commitment it deserved.

He was TREAT’s President for six years but he is extremely busy with work and other commitments, and of course now lives in Los Angeles.

Paul Potts became a TREAT patron in 2009, immediately contributing to the charity almost £50,000, his fee for performing at a concert for the Swiss Open tennis championship.

He is a fantastic ambassador for TREAT, getting involved in a very hands-on way.

When he became Patron he said he didn’t just want to be a name on a letterhead, and he really has committed to it.