‘Like it or not, people listen to musicians and we can help them rather than relying on others to do it’

IT WAS 2013 when Martyn Joseph’s life changed forever.

The musician and activist had been been invited to the Middle East to play a music festival. As part of his nine-day trip, appearing at the Bethlehem Live festival, he was given a tour around various parts of the West Bank to see the reality of the situation for Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

Witnessing the difficulties and the hardships the people endure on a daily basis – living under the spectre and fear of land grabs, houses being demolished and Israeli army raids – had a profound effect.

There he discovered the Alrowwad Children’s Arts Theatre at the Aida refugee camp behind the wall in Bethlehem founded by Abdelfattah Abusrour.

“I was sat talking to Abdel, who was with his four-year-old daughter, and I said, ‘I don’t know how you do this,’” said Martyn.

“If I had to live here, the worst part of my Welsh temperament might come out and after six months I would be angry and I’m not sure what my response would be having my buttons pushed like this all the time.

“Abdel looked at me and said, ‘If all I do is get angry or sad, I give my daughter no hope for the future and I don’t have the luxury of despair.’

“This line clicked with me and I thought two things. One, that was great title for a song and I did write a song called Luxury of Despair, and the other was I thought, ‘God, I would love to help this guy.’

“I’ve never met a more kind, welcoming, open-spirited people in my life. They’re beautiful people. They just want peace and the chance to live something approaching a normal life.”

He was so deeply moved by the work that Abdelfattah Abusrour was doing, he came home and founded his charitable organisation the Let Yourself Trust – a non-profit organisation which provides funding for a wide variety of projects around the globe.

Between its inception in 2014 and its first project raising £10,000 for the Alrowwad Children’s Theatre, the Let Yourself Trust has helped an orphanage in Guatemala, a homeless shelter in Swansea, an albinism project in Uganda, a First Nations tribe in Canada, Festival Spirit – a project which allows severely disable people to go to music festivals, a youth suicide foundation in the US and a day-care centre for children living in the slums of Mumbai.

This year will the see the trust working with its ninth project – the Mobile School – an initiative that educates displaced young refugees around Europe.

“Let Yourself aims to make a small difference out of great love and commitment,” said the 57-year-old. “The