One of Wales’s brightest singing stars helped to generate a lot of love and more than £3,000 for a cash-strapped hospice.
There was a sell-out audience at Theatr Twm o’r Nant, in Denbigh, at the Valentine’s Day event in aid of the St Kentigern Hospice, in St Asaph.
The Pendine Park care organisation and Denbigh Chocolate Shop joined forces with Denbigh Film Club to put on the romantic Hollywood film, Moonstruck, starring Cher and Nicholas Cage.
Before the screening, there was a special performance by the award-winning mezzo soprano Sioned Terry, who’s been dubbed “the next Katherine Jenkins“.
Sioned, who gave up her teaching job at Howell’s School, in Denbigh, to become a professional singer, entertained the film lovers with a repertoire of romantic songs.
A native of Bethel, near Caernarfon, the mother-of-one now lives in Towyn, near Abergele, with her police officer husband, Paul.
On their way in the audience were treated to champagne and chocolates while canapes were provided by the Con Amici Italian Bar and Kitchen.
Barclays Bank are matching the proceeds pound for pound through their community fund.
Every single penny raised will go to the hospice which needs £1.6 million a year – or £4,500 a day – to sustain its vital end of life care to adult patients across North Wales, East Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire.
Lindsey Thomas, a member of the hospice’s fund-raising team, said: “I’m absolutely delighted, to have a full house which is absolutely amazing.
“It’s been a fantastic night and Sioned’s voice is just superb, it brings tears to your eyes and makes the hairs on the back of your neck rise.
“The people who came have really enjoyed themselves and and on top of that they’re raising money we couldn’t ask for anything more. It was the perfect night.”
It was a poignant evening for the owners of Denbigh Chocolate Shop, Mark Young and his wife, Mary, whose own mother died of cancer.
Mark said: “It’s the first time I’ve heard Sioned sing live, and I’m speechless, she’s absolutely fantastic.
“There’s a real lot of love here tonight, it just shows how affectionate feel towards St Kentigern Hospice and it was great that we were able to tie it in with St Valentine’s Day.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft whose wife Gill came up with the idea for the evening.
He said: “It’s been an absolutely stunning evening. We’ve had a fantastic turnout and, never mind Moonstruck, Sioned Terry is just stardust.”
Sioned also had a personal reason to support the “wonderful work” of the hospice, Her mother suffered from breast cancer, though thankfully she is now fully recovered.
Sioned said: “It’s really nice to be able to give something back and the audience here tonight were absolutely brilliant. It makes my job so much easier when you’ve go such a lovely audience.”
