The evening of Saturday, October 26 saw a fundraising evening at a packed Muse in Brecon for Medical Aid for Palestinians.

The evening started at 6:45pm with Middle-Eastern style food and snacks, prepared and served by a group of dedicated volunteers.

The evening was divided into two halves; for the first half the audience was held in rapt attention by two published, highly respected poets, Tredegar-born Patrick Jones and Cardiff poet of Iraqi heritage Abeer Ameer. They each read a selection of poems written by themselves and by Palestinian poets.

The second half addressed the evening’s main theme, “The reality of being Palestinians” which gave those present the opportunity to hear an inspiring and thought-provoking message from two speakers both of Palestinian descent, Dr Sabrin Hasbun, a lecturer in Creative Writing at Cardiff Met University and Amjad Salhab, a pharmacist who lives near Cardiff and is a graduate of both An-Najah University in Nablus and Cardiff University.

The event was organised by a group of Palestinian Solidarity campaigners who hold a vigil in Brecon every other Saturday. The event raised a staggering total of £1,038.11p plus $40 Australian dollars for Medical Aid for Palestinians.

A spokesperson from the event said: “We had a wonderful evening at The Muse in Brecon last night. Those of us who have been actively in Palestinian solidarity were encouraged and inspired to keep going, and we felt that everyone that came along must surely have had their hearts and minds opened to ‘the reality of being Palestinians’.

“A huge thank you to all who helped make the event happen.

“Many times over during the past year it has felt like the world has lost its senses not to mention its humanity, but last night it was a wonderful thing to be amongst good people who truly care, and to have our spirits raised by the inspirational words spoken by our poets and guest speakers. A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you!

“I am delighted to announce that beyond our wildest imaginings we raised agrand total of £1038.11p.

“Well done to everyone!”