A MUSIC festival in memory of an Usk woman who died of diabetes will aim to raise £10,000 for charity.

Friends of Lisa Howells, 38, have organised Lisa Fest, a three day festival from July 18 to 20 which will see musical acts descend on Usk.

Ms Howells who would have celebrated her 39th birthday on July 20, died of a diabetic-related illness on May 15, at Nevill Hall Hospital, in Abergavenny.

Patricia Hunt, 59, landlady of Inn Between and organiser of the festival, said: “I knew Lisa from when we were children.

“She was a lovely, bubbly person, who was lovely inside and out.

“She was a local girl from Gwernesney who was well-known and loved in the community.

“She loved music and singing karaoke that is why we decided to put on a musical weekend.”

Ms Howell who worked at the Spar in Usk for the last 15 years, was a mother-of-two and had type one diabetes, an insulin-dependent diabetes which requires sufferers to receive insulin injections for life.

Ms Hunt said: “I think Lisa was diagnosed in her mid 20s.

“She went into a diabetic coma and her heart stopped, she was resuscitated and her heart stopped again and she was resuscitated and put on life support.

“She was on life support for 12 days but they just couldn’t get her out of the coma.”

She added: “You accept diabetes as something treatable, you don’t really think of it as a killer. Lots of people since Lisa passed away have said they know someone with diabetes - it’s a lot more common than you think.

“It seems to me at least that Diabetes is one of the least supported charities around.”

The festival will take place in the Inn Between pub on Bridge Street in Usk and will include bands, quizzes, a raffle and a barbecue.

A group of fundraisers collected more than £390 at the Usk Festival, which will go towards the £10,000 they hope to raise for Diabetes UK before August.

Rhiannon Jones, friend of Ms Howells, said: “I think the main point of this weekend is giving Lisa the send-off she deserves whilst raising some money for a very worthy cause.

“Lisa was a very kind and loving person and was much loved in the community.

“Business owners and residents in Usk have been incredibly generous - everyone we have spoken to has offered help, raffle prizes, donations and their time to make this an event to remember. We are very lucky to live in a town with a great sense of community spirit, everyone has really got behind this event and it’s a great reminder of the great nature of the people around us.”

In the UK, around 2.9 million people are affected by diabetes with 850,000 people thought to be undiagnosed according to NHS Choices. For more information about the fundraiser visit justgiving.com/LisaFest/