MARTYN Joseph, one of the UK’s best-loved singer songwriters, is about to launch his own charitable trust to benefit global charities and grass roots “people” projects in the UK and beyond.

Let Yourself Trust will get underway with three celebratory gigs including the Ashton Memorial, Lancaster, on Sunday June 29. A new album will mark the launch.

During his 30-year career with sales of over a quarter of a million albums, the “Welsh Springsteen” has become as well known for his worldwide humanitarian work as for his powerful performances.

A gifted guitar player with a juggernaut voice, his performances are always compelling, whether it’s an arts centre in his native Cardiff or a 5,000 strong crowd at the Royal Albert Hall.

With five Top 50 chart singles to his name from Dolphins Make Me Cry to Working Mother and Let’s Talk About It in the Morning, his powerful and prolific material has been described as “As honest as music can get” by Classic Rock magazine and he continues to garner fans everywhere. He won the Best Male Artist title in the BBC Welsh Music Awards whilst his wistful There’s Always Maybe from penultimate album Under Lemonade Skies won the global Independent Music Awards Best Folk Song category.

He has campaigned for countless causes, focusing on trade justice, third world debt cancellation and human rights. His high impact songs range from a first person narrative from the perspective of a Kosovo refugee (The Good in Me is Dead) to Five Sisters, recounting the fate of siblings killed in an Israeli attack on Gaza.

Martyn received an Amnesty International accolade for his work with the Brazilian Landless Workers’ Movement MST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Terra) back in 2002 and released The Great American Novel EP in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq with all proceeds benefitting War Child.

Since then he has worked alongside or taken on the patronage of several international agencies and organisations, from Advantage Africa to Guatemala’s children’s village.

Tickets for the Lancaster event are £40 (£75 for two) and will include a drinks reception and a free copy of the new Kiss the World Beautiful CD. 01524 414043. www.martynjoseph.net/letyourself-2/