We are thrilled to be one of the charities being supported by the Hiraeth.Live project. 

Set up by a community of Welsh businesses, the Hiraeth.Live project has raised more than £4,000 and sparked much conversation as to what the wonderful Welsh word, Hiraeth means.  

Not an easy word to translate but is often associated with a yearning, belonging, a homesickness for Wales, visiting a place your ancestors once lived – and so a question is posed, ‘What does Hiraeth mean to you?

With several notable Welsh people sharing what Hiraeth means to them, including Swansea born singer, Bonnie Tyler, we wanted to share what Hiraeth means to us. 

Hiraeth.Live CEO, Stephen Davies said

“We wanted to celebrate the Welsh feeling of  “Hiraeth” and in doing so also to recognise that in reality this feeling of “home” or “homecoming “can pose challenging issues for many people.  The Hiraeth campaign is an opportunity for us to highlight and recognise the essential work that Llamau do in Wales for women and younger people in particular and to raise funds and make a contribution towards helping to solve some of the challenges and problems they face.”

What does Hiraeth mean to Llamau?

To Llamau, Hiraeth is the joy you see in a young person’s eyes when they first hold the keys to their own home. It is the smile on a woman’s face when she recognises how far she has come on her journey. It’s the sound of her children playing happily because they know they are safe.

Hiraeth is conjured when hearing the heartfelt words of a Support Worker welcoming someone into safety. It is in the caring arm that offer reassurance when times are dark. The word Hiraeth means many things to many people, but to Llamau it is the feelings, the sounds and the nature of the Welsh people. The people who make Wales the country it is.

Now it's your turn to share what Hiraeth means to you. 

Hiraeth.Live are calling on the public to send in quotes, poems, photos, films, paintings or anything else that they feels conjures up this wonderful Welsh word - Hiraeth. Join the conversation at #HiraethLive on Twitter!