Director's Blog - February 2025 | Blog y Cyfarwyddwr - Mis Chwefror 2025
20/02/2025
“WAHWN provides a fantastic supportive and informed service to arts and health practitioners across Wales. You are vital in providing support and training for artists and organisations and lobbying and advocating for arts and health at a policy level. Keep up the fantastic work!” certainly helps to put a Spring in our step!
Dear Members,
I begin this month's blog with a heartfelt thank you to everyone who completed our Survey. Your feedback is vital to us, and hearing that “WAHWN provides a fantastic supportive and informed service to arts and health practitioners across Wales. You are vital in providing support and training for artists and organisations and lobbying and advocating for arts and health at a policy level. Keep up the fantastic work!” certainly helps to put a Spring in our step!
February has been a busy month out and about for the team with the Cross-Party Group on Arts and Health, a trip to North Wales checking out Weave venues, and attending the Nature Service Wales launch which aimed at building a collective movement for growing opportunities. Sign up to their newsletter here to find out how you can get involved.
We are delighted to welcome three exceptional new Trustees who will each bring new energy and wider perspectives to our Board:
Dr Catherine Jenkins - GP and Academic Fellow at Swansea University
Joseph Conran - artist and environment sector strategist
“I'm delighted to be given the opportunity to support the great work that WAHWN is doing throughout Wales. I believe strongly in the combined power of creativity and nature to build individual and societal wellbeing. In this role, I hope to offer my time and energy to help Wales's amazing arts and health practitioners to develop a community of practice on this theme."
Becky Harford – community leader, director, artist, and “advocate for fairness, sustainability, and creative leadership activist, campaigner.” Becky is co-founder of Benthyg Cymru.
"I’m excited to support WAHWN as it moves into its next phase—championing creative leadership, amplifying artists’ voices, and shaping a healthier, more inclusive future through the arts."
We are immensely proud to announce our Cynnig Cymraeg/Welsh Offer approval from the Welsh Language Commissioner.
“Over the past few months WAHWN have worked with us in the Welsh Language Commissioner's Hybu team. They have succeeded in putting together a strong development plan and have set concrete targets to maintain and improve their Welsh language services over the next few years. As a result, they have received the Commissioner's official recognition and have therefore received the Cynnig Cymraeg. Congratulations!”
We would encourage any organisational members to develop and submit their Welsh language provision plans for official recognition. The Hybu team are incredibly supportive. Their Welsh in the Third Sector Network meeting in Cardiff on 19th March is an opportunity to network with other organisations who are on their Welsh language service journey.
As our How Ya Doing? artist wellbeing programme draws to a close, we are delighted that Tracy Breathnach, Programme Manager, has been shortlisted for the CHWA ‘Practising Well Awards’. The award focuses on practice that is leading the way in championing and embedding practitioner care into commissioning, project design and management. The winners will be announced at an online ceremony on 23rd April. Good luck Tracy, we will be rooting for you!
With our rapidly growing membership base (now at a whopping 1016), we are delighted to welcome lots of new faces to our network meetings. With over 70 sign-ups, this month’s meeting featured Dr William Beharrell, Fathom Trust and Joseph Conran, Natural Resources Wales, who shared a range of case studies and tools for measuring nature connectedness. Learning about the barriers of using existing tools to validate outcomes, particularly with vulnerable participants, Joseph is proposing a community of practice to explore these challenges. Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
Our March network meeting will coincide with National Social Prescribing Day on 19th March. We look forward to hearing from guests Professor Carolyn Wallace, Director of the Wales School for Social Prescribing Research; Kathryn Lambert, Arts Lead at Hywel Dda UHB and hearing about the new Wellbeing Studio project – a creative prescribing partnership between Fran Wen, Bangor University, Bodnant GP surgery and Gwynedd Arts Development team. The National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) have published a National Social Prescribing Toolkit to help organisations promote their work. The growing body of evidence for arts on prescription consistently shows a positive link between better health and wellbeing and taking part in the arts. A recent report by Frontier Economics prepared for DCMS provides a new approach to ‘monetising’ the economic, social and cultural benefits of culture and heritage, and highlights savings to the NHS of around £6,113 per project participant over a 5-month period.
If you missed the ‘Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill-Health through Green Social Prescribing’ webinar you can access the resources and watch it here . Other key resources out this month include the evaluation of the Creative Health Quality Framework which has been described as “Such an important and meaningful piece of work for the sector and beyond”.
Our April network meeting on 9th April will focus on arts within cancer care, when Sally Thelwell from Velindre NHS Trust and Thania Acaron, The Body Hotel will share a range of initiatives. Applications are now open for the next MA Arts Practice (Arts Health & Wellbeing) course, of which Thania is Course Leader.
A £4.4m annual top-up has been announced for Wales' arts and culture sector after warnings it was in crisis. The funding in the Welsh government's 2025-26 draft budget is on top of extra money announced earlier this year and helps restore 2023-24 levels of funding. While the Arts Council of Wales' Chief Executive Dafydd Rhys has welcomed the news as a "positive signal", he has also pointed out that "one budget isn't going to resolve things overnight". You can find the full story and more response from the Arts Council here.
As many of us await the outcome of the Welsh Government budget decisions in March, we hope that our press release calling for long-term investment in arts organisations and ring-fenced prevention funding has been considered. The recent Senedd report "A Decade of Cuts" reveals a landscape of chronic underfunding, jeopardising the arts and opportunities for future generations. WAHWN will continue to take every opportunity to advocate for our sector’s work to help lever political traction and effect policy change.
Onwards and upwards!
Angela
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Annwyl Aelodau,
Hoffwn ddechrau blog y mis hwn gyda diolch twymgalon i bawb a gwblhaodd ein Arolwg. Mae eich adborth yn hanfodol i ni, ac mae clywed bod “WAHWN yn darparu gwasanaeth cefnogol a gwybodus gwych i ymarferwyr celfyddydau ac iechyd ledled Cymru. Rydych chi’n hanfodol wrth ddarparu cefnogaeth a hyfforddiant i artistiaid a sefydliadau a lobïo ac eiriol dros y celfyddydau ac iechyd ar lefel polisi. Daliwch ati gyda’r gwaith rhagorol!” yn sicr yn helpu i gadw’r ysbryd yn uchel!
Bu mis Chwefror yn fis prysur i’r tîm ar hyd a lled y wlad gyda’r Grŵp Trawsbleidiol ar y Celfyddydau ac Iechyd, taith i’r gogledd i edrych ar leoliadau ar gyfer Gwehyddu, a mynd i lansiad Gwasanaeth Natur Cymru â’r nod o greu mudiad cyfunol ar gyfer cyfleoedd twf. Cofrestrwch i dderbyn eu cylchlythyr yma i weld sut y gallwch gymryd rhan.
Rydyn ni wrth ein bodd i gael croesawu tri Ymddiriedolwr newydd eithriadol a fydd yn dod ag egni newydd a safbwyntiau ehangach i’r Bwrdd:
Dr Catherine Jenkins – Meddyg Teulu a Chymrawd Academaidd ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe.
Joseph Conran - artist a strategydd sector yr amgylchedd.
“Dwi wrth fy modd i gael y cyfle i gefnogi gwaith gwych WAHWN ar hyd a lled Cymru. Dwi’n credu’n gryf yng ngrym cyfunol creadigrwydd a natur i feithrin llesiant unigolion a chymdeithas. Yn y rôl hon, fy ngobaith yw cynnig fy amser a fy egni i helpu ymarferwyr celfyddydau ac iechyd rhyfeddol Cymru i ddatblygu cymuned o ymarfer ar y thema hon."
Becky Harford – arweinydd cymunedol, cyfarwyddwr, artist, ac “eiriolwr dros degwch, cynaladwyedd, ac actifydd arweinyddiaeth creadigol, ymgyrchydd.” Becky yw cyd-sylfaenydd Benthyg Cymru.
"Mae’n gyffrous cael cefnogi WAHWN wrth iddo symud i’r cyfnod nesaf – hyrwyddo arweinyddiaeth creadigol, amlygu lleisiau artistiaid a ffurfio dyfydol mwy iach a mwy cynhwysol drwy’r celfyddydau."
Rydyn ni’n hynod o falch i gyhoeddi bod ein Cynnig Cymraeg wedi derbyn cymeradwyaeth Comisiynydd y Gymraeg.
“Dros y misoedd diwethaf mae WAHWN wedi gweithio gyda ni yn nhîm Hybu Comisiynydd y Gymraeg. Maen nhw wedi llwyddo i lunio cynllun datblygu cryf ac wedi gosod targedau concrit i gynnal a gwella eu gwasanaethau Cymraeg dros y blynyddoedd nesaf. O ganlyniad, maen nhw wedi derbyn cydnabyddiaeth swyddogol y Comisiynydd a thrwy hynny wedi derbyn y Cynnig Cymraeg. Llongyfarchiadau!”
Byddem ni’n annog unrhyw aelodau sefydliadol i ddatblygu a chyflwyno eu cynlluniau am darpariaeth Cymraeg i dderbyn cydnabyddiaeth swyddogol. Mae tîm Hybu’n anhygoel o gefnogol. Mae cyfarfod Rhwydwaith y Gymraeg yn y Trydydd Sector yng Nghaerdydd ar 19 Mawrth yn gyfle i rwydweithio gyda sefydliadau eraill sydd ar daith eu gwasanaeth Cymraeg.
Wrth i raglen llesiant artistiaid Sut Mae'n Mynd? dynnu tua’i therfyn, rydyn ni’n hynod o falch fod Tracy Breathnach, Rheolwr y Rhaglen, wedi’i gosod ar y rhestr fer ar gyfer 'Gwobrau Ymarfer yn Dda' CHWA. Mae’r wobr yn canolbwyntio ar ymarfer sy’n arwain y ffordd drwy hyrwyddo a gwreiddio gofal i ymarferwyr mewn comisynu, cynllunio a rheoli prosiectau. Caiff yr enillwyr eu cyhoeddi mewn seremoni ar-lein ar 23 Ebrill. Pob hwyl Tracy, rydyn ni i gyd yn gobeithio’r gorau!
Gyda nifer yr aelodau’n dal i dyfu’n gyflym (bellach wedi cyrraedd y nifer rhyfeddol o 1016), rydyn ni wrth ein bodd i gael croesawu llu o wynebau newydd i’r cyfarfodydd rhwydwaith. Gyda thros 70 yn cofrestru, yng nghyfarfod y mis hwn roedd Dr William Beharrell, Ymddiriedolaeth Fathom a Joseph Conran, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru yn rhannu amrywiol astudiaethau achos ac offer ar gyfer mesur cysylltedd natur. Gan ddysgu am y rhwystrau drwy ddefnyddio offer sy’n bodoli i ddilysu deilliannau, yn enwedig gyda chyfranogwyr bregus, mae Joseph yn cynnig sefydlu cymuned ymarfer i edrych ar yr heriau hyn. Cysylltwch os hoffech ragor o wybodaeth.
Bydd cyfarfod rhwydwaith mis Mawrth yn cyd-fynd â Diwrnod Cenedlaethol Presgripsiynu Cymdeithasol ar 19 Mawrth. Edrychwn ymlaen at glywed gan y gwesteion yr Athro Carolyn Wallace, Cyfarwyddwr Ysgol Ymchwil Presgripsiynu Cymdeithasol Cymru; Kathryn Lambert, Arweinydd y Celfyddydau gyda BIP Hywel Dda, a chlywed am brosiect newydd y Stiwdio Llesiant – partneriaeth presgripsiynu creadigol newydd rhwng Fran Wen, Prifysgol Bangor, Meddygfa Bodnant a thîm datblygu celfyddydau Gwynedd. Mae’r Academi Genedlaethol ar gyfer Presgripsiynu Cymdeithasol (NASP) wedi cyhoeddi Pecyn Cymorth Presgripsiynu Cymdeithasol i helpu sefydliadau i hyrwyddo eu gwaith. Mae’r corff cynyddol o dystiolaeth dros gyflwyno’r celfyddydau ar bresgripsiwn yn dangos yn gyson bod cysylltiad cadarnhaol rhwng gwell iechyd a llesiant a chymryd rhan yn y celfyddydau. Mae adroddiad diweddar gan Frontier Economics a baratowyd ar gyfer y DCMS yn awgrymu agwedd newydd at ‘foneteiddio’ buddion economaidd, cymdeithasol a diwylliannol diwylliant a threftadaeth, gan amlygu o ddeutu £6,113 o arbedion y pen i’r GIG am bob cyfranogwr prosiect dros gyfnod o bum mis.
Os ydych chi wedi colli’r gweminar ‘Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill-Health through Green Social Prescribing’ gallwch gyrchu’r adnoddau a’i wylio yma . Ymhlith yr adnoddau allweddol eraill y mis hwn mae gwerthusiad o’r Fframwaith Ansawdd Iechyd Creadigol sydd wedi’i ddisgrifio fel “Darn mor bwysig ac ystyrlon o waith ar gyfer y sector a thu hwnt”.
Bydd cyfarfod rhwydwaith mis Ebrill ar 9 Ebrill yn canolbwyntio ar y celfyddydau mewn gofal canser, gyda Sally Thelwell o Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Felindre a Thania Acaron, The Body Hotel yn rhannu amrywiol fentrau. Mae ceisiadau bellach ar agor ar gyfer y cwrs MA Ymarfer Celfyddydau (Celfyddydau, Iechyd, Llesiant) nesaf, a Thania yw Arweinydd y Cwrs.
Mae cyllid blynyddol ychwanegol o £4.4m wedi’i gyhoeddi ar gyfer sector y celfyddydau a diwylliant yng Nghymru yn sgil rhybuddion ei fod mewn argyfwng. Mae’r cyllid sy’n rhan o gyllideb ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer 2025-26 ar ben yr arian ychwanegol a gyhoeddwyd yn gynharach eleni ac yn helpu i adfer lefelau cyllido 2023-24. Er bod Prif Weithredwr Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru Dafydd Rhys wedi croesawu’r newyddion fel “arwydd cadarnhaol”, mae hefyd yn nodi “nad yw un gyllideb yn mynd i ddatrys pethau dros nos”. Gallwch weld y stori’n llawn a rhagor o ymateb gan Gyngor y Celfyddydau yma.
Wrth i lawer ohonom aros am ganlyniad penderfyniadau cyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru ym mis Mawrth rydyn ni’n gobeithio bod ein datganiad i'r wasg sy’n galw am fuddsoddiad tymor hir mewn sefydliadau celfyddydol a chyllid atal neilltuedig wedi cael ei ystyried. Mae adroddiad diweddar y Senedd "Degawd o Doriadau" yn datgelu tirwedd o dangyllido dybryd, sy’n peryglu’r celfyddydau a chyfleoedd ar gyfer cenedlaethau’r dyfodol. Bydd WAHWN yn parhau i fanteisio ar bob cyfle i eiriol dros waith ein sector i helpu i ddylanwadu’n wleidyddol ac arwain at newid yn y polisi.
Ymlaen!
Angela
