Specialist radio station m4d Radio is celebrating St David’s Day on Tuesday, March 1 2022 with an hour-long playlist of Welsh music, introduced by actor Michael Sheen. Best known for starring in Frost/Nixon, The Queen and Good Omens, Michael was born in Newport and recently moved back to Port Talbot. This is Michael’s first time on m4d Radio, which is a specialist streaming platform designed for people living with dementia and their carers.
The St David’s Day playlist will be broadcast at 8am, 11am and 2pm featuring classics old and new, with some traditional Welsh music and some popular anthems. The hour-long line up includes pop stars Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Bonnie Tyler alongside Aled Jones, Treorchy Male Voice Choir, Bryn Terfel and the Dublin Male Voice Choir.
m4d Radio can be found online at https://m4dradio.com/. It was launched by Music for Dementia in June 2020 to bring music directly into people’s homes during the pandemic, when many musical care services had stopped. M4dRadio.com has five era-specific music channels which stream free and uninterrupted music 24/7. Music has the ability to bring people together in the present moment and can help reduce the symptoms of dementia, such as agitation, apathy and anxiety.
Music for Dementia Campaign Director Grace Meadows comments: “We are thrilled to have Michael Sheen grace our airwaves on St David’s Day, and we hope our listeners enjoy this special St David’s Day playlist. M4d Radio is an invaluable service to people living with dementia and their carers. Music really is a remarkable tool that can ease the symptoms of dementia. It can uplift the spirits, calm someone if they are agitated, and help unlock past memories to connect in the here and now.”
Michael Sheen is not the only celebrity to have supported m4dRadio. Actors Vicky McClure, Shobna Gulati and Phyllis Logan have curated their own specialist playlists in the past, as have TV presenters Dan Walker, Len Goodman and Arlene Phillips.
m4d Radio won the Dementia Care Award at the Merkel 3rd Sector Care Awards in Dec 2020, where the judges praised it for delivering reach and impact at a national level. It also won the Outstanding Arts and Creativity in Dementia Care Award at the National Dementia Care Awards 2020.
