Speech: The Great Daffodil Appeal for Marie Curie

24th February 2026

A very proud day to be at The Senedd - The Welsh Parliament

It was my honour today to present the following speech at The Senedd - I have spoken from the heart regarding the importance of supporting mental health in Wales.

A video of the speech itself is at the bottom of this page.

This was a bilingual speech in Welsh and English; for the Welsh sections, I have added the English version in italics.

Thank You/Diolch

I would like to thank Marie Curie for the invitation to talk to you today about my story.

Diolch enfawr am y gwahoddiad, mae’n braint mawr i fod yma.

Thank you very much for the invitation; it is a great privilege to be here.

Whilst I am comfortable speaking Welsh, I have previously said that I would have to think through making a Senedd presentation, which I have always considered to be the gold standard.

Fate has clearly brought me here to speak to you all today, and I am deeply honoured.

In June 2024, my brother Chris Davies suddenly passed away. Whilst my family were incredibly supportive, as indeed were the company I worked with at the time.

Dros y blynyddoedd, rwyf wedi dioddef yn helaeth gyda phryder a iselder. Er fy mod wedi cael 'chydig' o gynghori dros y blynyddoedd, yn bennaf oherwydd colli fy nhad yn 1988 a fy mam yn 2004, oedd y cefnogaeth ond fel plastrau ar broblem fwy.

Over the years, I have suffered extensively with anxiety and depression. Although I have had 'a bit' of counseling over the years, mainly due to the loss of my father in 1988 and my mother in 2004, the support was only like plasters on a bigger problem. Without counselling support available via the NHS, for years, I have been on the medication train which dulled the pain but never healed it.

You can't expect your family and friends either, however close, to step in to help find the solution to the grief, as they are on their own grief journey and are not trained to counsel.

After my brother died, the pain was amplified, any resistance I had built.. evaporated.

Besides losing Chris, it was a season of loss. Two uncles had also passed away, as well as my brother-in-law and my beloved staffie dog Poosh.

Ar ol trip i ffwrdd efo’n wraig a ffrind, My wife and I went for a weekend away with our friend Viki over in Cheddar. Cyrhaeddais bwynt lle teimlais y byddwn yn gorfod tynnu llinell yn y tywod, nid oedd yn deg i fy ngwraig Donna nac i fy mhlentyn Ry, ffrindiau a theulu. Oedd rhaid delio gyda hwn yn gyflym.

My wife and I went for a weekend away with our friend Viki over in Cheddar. I got to a point where I felt I would have to draw a line in the sand; it wasn't fair to my wife Donna, my son Ry, friends, and family. I had to deal with this quickly. On seeing the doctor, I was told my medication would be upped and advised that counselling would take a good while to organise on the NHS. In turn, I searched online for options from the surgery car park. Private counselling is readily available but cost-prohibitive. Marie Curie's website said they supported with counselling.

Galwais i’r rhif ac oeddwn nhw’n ofnadwy o caredig ar y galwad, a wnaeth yr elusen trefnu chwech sesiwn 1 awr efo Sophie.

I called the number, and they were terribly kind on the call, and the charity arranged six 1-hour sessions with Sophie.

These sessions started in December 2024 and got me through that Christmas. Sophie was incredible and set me on the road to rebuilding myself in 2025, and I absolutely am rebuilt, despite some further significant challenges last year, including redundancy.

Sophie’s advice and guidance was pragmatic, direct, powerful and realistic. Taking the impossible weight of grief and translating that into action, to move forward.

No man is a mountain, they say, but I was encouraged to walk with my thoughts which took me to the top of Pen Y Fan and around the Gower coast. Sophie encouraged a ‘reset’, to step back, accept that I am just one person, to say ‘no’ and to appreciate that I can’t be perfect for everyone, but it’s alright to be OK just for myself.

I strive to be a man for all seasons, but in seasons of storms, it’s reasonable to take shelter and take stock.

Wnaeth help Sophie ganaf i i symyd ymlaen heb meddygyniaeth ac hefyd helpu fi hyfforddu fel Chyfarwyddwr Ymwybyddiaeth.

Sophie helped me move on without medication and also helped me train as a Mindfulness Coach.

Ym mis Medi llynedd , roeddwn yn balch iawn i ymuno a Marie Curie i codi arian.

In September last year, I was very proud to join Marie Curie to raise money.

I participated in the Beat the Gower Trails – an incredible day where I am proud to have walked 12 miles and hope to beat that this year and achieve 21 miles. The walk and the sheer objective to do the walk, gave me focus and a purpose to strive for.

It's reminded me that as a boy, I used to walk miles alone around the Llandovery valley, always deep in my thoughts and I know now, that I truly missed that.

A reminder that it’s important to step away from a screen, take in fresh air, and let your mind wander as you walk.

It’s the opportunity to exercise not only your legs but also your mind.

My Beat The Gower fundraising brought me press attention, and I have been very open in sharing my story with the press. We cannot underestimate the mental health crisis in Wales, with many people dealing with complex grief following the death of those close to them.

Whilst I believe were making progress, it’s not enough and not fast enough.

The conversation needs to be louder, and bereavement support from charities like Marie Curie certainly helped me to feel more confident in doing that.

I was fortunate that Marie Curie came to my aid with professional assistance. This is why fundraising for campaigns like the Great Daffodil Appeal makes all the difference.

And in Wales, every life should matter, and we need to take care of each other better, whether we’re dealing with a terminal illness ourselves or mourning a loved one.

Thank you to Marie Curie for making a difference and helping me stand up again, and indeed, in front of you all today.

Diolch enfawr am eich cefnogaeth ac am gwrando.

A huge thank you for your support and for listening.

I hope you will join me on my crusade to help and make a difference when it comes to mental health awareness and supporting Marie Curie UK with their incredible work.

You can find out more about my story and to support my fundraising by clicking on the following link. DIOLCH/THANK YOU!

https://www.justgiving.com/page/tyrone-davies-2...