Director's Blog - October 2025 | Blog y Cyfarwyddwr - Mis Hydref 2025
28/10/2025 | Author: Angela Rogers
October has been a month of connection, sharing, influencing and calls to action.
Dear Members,
October has been a month of connection, sharing, influencing and calls to action.
It was great to join 400 cross sector delegates at the Public Health Wales conference last week, where Sarah Murphy, the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing called on healthcare professionals to become "champions of prevention”. A powerful opening performance ‘Explosion of Colour’ by Duke Al in collaboration with artist Dom Tsoi reinforcing the importance of cross-sector collaboration in tackling health inequalities.
Also this month I had the opportunity to contribute to the ‘Culture as Catalyst: The Role of the Arts in Shaping Wales Future’ at the Plaid Cymru Conference – a fringe event organised by Creu Cymru - focusing on the role of the arts in shaping political thinking and practice and policy - what artists need to thrive. The panel also reiterated the need for a Cabinet Secretary for Arts and Culture in the next Senedd – one of the five priorities in our WAHWN Manifesto. In the same week, The Big Issue published a 10-page feature on health inequalities, sharing examples of projects driven by the eight Marmot principles reinforcing the messages Sir Michael Marmot shared in a recorded interview for our Weave conference.
WAHWN has also circulated two key surveys this month which we hope you’ve had an opportunity to respond to. The first was our UK and Ireland arts and health ‘State of the Sector’ Survey, the results of which will help us understand and advocate for your priorities; and the second, the Wellbeing of Future Generations call for evidence for their Culture Bill Green Paper.
Our October network meeting focused on sharing creative practice and featured the Dance to Health film created by We Are Torchy, and 2 of our WAI international Go and See bursary recipients, Lyndsey Four-Acre Reynolds and Siri Widgel shared their reflections on their creative ageing research and practice visits. We hope you can join us for our November network meeting when Chloe Corbyn, Knowledge Exchange Lead at Welsh Government will help demystify how the Welsh Parliament works, and share ways we, as a sector, can feed in. Emily Underwood-Lee from USW will share potential research themes that emerged from our Weave research-focused breakout session.
It is sad to hear that 64M Artists have taken the difficult decision to cease their public programme due to the tough funding landscape. You can read more about their decision here. However, along with Public Health Wales ‘Hapus’ and National Youth Arts Wales, WAHWN have been delighted to contribute creative prompts for the final January Challenge 2026. Sign up here for free to receive your pack. It’s full of creative ideas across 31 days.
Do check out our WAHWN opportunities section this month too which includes a call out for material from I-CAN international creative ageing network members for the Baring Foundation’s update of the “Creative Ageing: The Directory” (deadline 1st December 2025); email baring.foundation@ing.com including a description of your organisation and your creative ageing work.
Next month I look forward to joining health and social care leaders, politicians and other professionals for the Welsh NHS Confederation Conference to learn about key issues and developments in health and care in Wales. The following week I will join leaders, decision-makers, changemakers, communities, businesses, academics, artists and activists from across Wales for the Wellbeing Economy Festival of Ideas – an event aimed at rethinking our economy, its purpose, and its possibilities. WAHWN looks forward to hosting a stand and facilitating an Open Space Discussion. We hope you will drop by!
Onwards and upwards!
Angela
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Annwyl Aelodau
Bu Hydref yn fis o gysylltu, rhannu, dylanwadu a galwadau i weithredu.
Roedd yn wych cael ymuno â 400 o gynrychiolwyr o bob rhan o’r sector yng nghynhadledd Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru’r wythnos ddiwethaf, lle galwodd Sarah Murphy, y Gweinidog Iechyd Meddwl a Llesiant ar weithwyr gofal iechyd proffesiynol i ddod yn "hyrwyddwyr atal”. Cafwyd perfformiad agoriadol pwerus ‘Explosion of Colour’ gan Duke Al mewn cydweithrediad â’r artist Dom Tsoi oedd yn atgyfnerthu pwysigrwydd cydweithio traws-sector wrth fynd i’r afael ag anghydraddoldebau iechyd.
Hefyd y mis hwn cefais gyfle i gyfrannu i ‘Diwylliant yn Gatalydd: Rôl y Celfyddydau wrth Siapio Dyfodol Cymru’ yng Nghynhadledd Plaid Cymru - digwyddiad ymylol a drefnwyd gan Creu Cymru - yn canolbwyntio ar rôl y celfyddydau wrth lunio meddwl gwleidyddol ac ymarfer a pholisi - yr hyn sydd ei angen ar artistiaid i ffynnu. Bu’r panel hefyd yn pwysleisio’r angen am Ysgrifennydd Cabinet dros y Celfyddydau a Diwylliant yn y Senedd nesaf - un o bum blaenoriaeth Maniffesto WAHWN. Yn yr un wythnos, cyhoeddodd The Big Issue erthygl ddeg tudalen ar anghydraddoldebau iechyd, gan rannu enghreifftiau o brosiectau a ysgogwyd gan yr wyth egwyddor Marmot ac atgyfnerthu’r negeseuon a rannwyd gan Syr Michael Marmot mewn cyfweliad diweddar a recordiwyd ar gyfer cynhadledd Gwehyddu.
Mae WAHWN hefyd wedi cylchredeg dau arolwg allweddol y mis hwn ac rydyn ni’n gobeithio eich bod wedi cael cyfle i ymateb iddyn nhw. Y cyntaf oedd Arolwg ‘Cyflwr y Sector’ yn y DU ac Iwerddon. Bydd canlyniadau’r arlowg hwn yn ein helpu i ddeall ac eiriol dros eich blaenoriaethau; a’r ail oedd galwad am dystiolaeth gan Lesiant Cenedlaethau’r Dyfodol ar gyfer eu Papur Gwyrdd ar y Bil Diwylliant.
Roedd cyfarfod rhwydwaith mis Hydref yn canolbwyntio ar rannu ymarfer creadigol ac roedd yn cynnwys ffilm Dance to Health a grëwyd gan We Are Torchy, a bu dau o ddeiliaid diweddar ein bwrsariaeth Mynd i Weld Celfyddydau Rhyngwladol Cymru, Lyndsey Four-Acre Reynolds a Siri Widgel yn rhannu eu myfyrdodau ar eu hymweliadau ymchwil ac ymarfer heneiddio creadigol. Gobeithio y gallwch ymuno â ni yng nghyfarfod rhwydwaith mis Tachwedd pan fydd Chloe Corbyn, Arweinydd Cyfnewid Gwybodaeth Llywodraeth Cymru’n helpu i egluro sut mae Senedd Cymru’n gweithio, ac yn rhannu ffyrdd y gallwn ni, fel sector, gyfrannu. Bydd Emily Underwood-Lee o Brifysgol De Cymru’n rhannu themâu ymchwil posibl a gododd yn sgil y sesiwn drafod yn Gwehyddu oedd yn canolbwyntio ar ymchwil.
Trist yw clywed bod 64M Artist wedi gwneud y penderfyniad anodd i ddod â’u rhaglen gyhoeddus i ben oherwydd y dirwedd cyllido anodd. Gallwch ddarllen mwy am y penderfyniad yma. Fodd bynnag, ynghyd â ‘Hapus’ Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru a Celfyddydau Cenedlaethol Ieuenctid Cymru, mae WAHWN yn falch iawn i fod wedi cyfrannu ysgogiadau creadigol ar gyfer yr Her Mis Ionawr olaf yn 2026. Cofrestrwch yma am ddim i dderbyn eich pecyn. Mae’n llawn syniadau creadigol dros 31 diwrnod.
Cymerwch olwg ar adran cyfleoedd WAHWN y mis hwn hefyd sy’n cynnwys galwad am ddeunydd gan aelodau o rwydwaith heneiddio creadigol rhyngwladol I-CAN ar gyfer diweddariad sefydliad Baring o “Creative Ageing: The Directory” (dyddiad cau 1 Rhagfyr 2025); ebostiwch baring.foundation@ing.com gyda disgrifiad o’ch sefydliad a’ch gwaith ar heneiddio creadigol.
Y mis nesaf dwi’n edrych ymlaen at ymuno ag arweinwyr iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, gwleidyddion a gweithwyr proffesiynol eraill ar gyfer Cynhadledd Conffederasiwn GIG Cymru i glywed am faterion a datblygiadau allweddol mewn iechyd a gofal yng Nghymru. Yr wythnos ganlynol byddaf i’n ymuno ag arweinwyr, penderfynwyr, gwneuthurwyr newid, cymunedau, busnesau, academyddion, artistiaid ac actifyddion o bob rhan o Gymru ar gyfer Gŵyl Syniadau yr Economi Lesiant - digwyddiad â’r bwriad o ailfeddwl ein heconomi, ei diben a’i phosibiliadau. Mae WAHWN yn edrych ymlaen at gynnal stondin a hwyluso Trafodaeth Man Agored. Gobeithio y gwnewch chi alw heibio!
Ymlaen!
Angela
