Director's Blog - January 2026
29/01/2026 | Author: Angela Rogers
Happy new year everyone! I hope you’ve had some time to rest and relax over the festive period.
Happy new year everyone! I hope you’ve had some time to rest and relax over the festive period.
2026 will be a pivotal year for arts, health and wellbeing in Wales. Elections are on the horizon, policy conversations are shifting, and the sector is navigating some profound challenges. At the same time, there is real momentum, creativity and leadership emerging across our network. Here’s a round-up of what’s shaping my thinking this month.
Sector News
Arts Delivering £588m in health benefits for Wales
Really big news this month is the launch of an important piece of research Assessing the Economic Impact of the Arts on Health and Healthcare Services in Wales.
Commissioned by Arts Council of Wales, the report highlights the economic value of engaging in the arts in Wales. Led by health economists at Bangor University, this offers the first Wales-wide study that assesses the impact of the arts on health, wellbeing and demand on NHS and social care services revealing an estimated £588m a year in health and productivity benefits across Wales. It also finds that ACW’s investment in its multi-year funded organisations (including WAHWN) delivers £11.08 in health, wellbeing and productivity benefits for every £1 invested. The report, by the Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME), builds on the 2024 work undertaken by Frontier Economics and UCL in this area by applying Frontier’s robust models to Welsh population and arts participation data.
ACW’s Chief Executive Dafydd Rhys said:
"The arts are delivering real, tangible health benefits for people and communities and now we have the independent, robust evidence to prove it."
The report was launched at the National Waterfront Museum at a Dance to Health class with Strictly’s Amy Dowden and Dance to Health facilitator Emma Jenkins.
Bevan Commission: Health Matters Question Time
I’m delighted to have scooped one of the limited places at the Bevan Commission’s Health Matters Question Time cross-party panel on Thursday 12th February, chaired by Will Hayward. This is part of a national opportunity for people in Wales to share their priorities with party health & care spokespeople ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. In a statement this week from Baroness Ilora Finlay, Chair of the Bevan Commission, reminds us that:
“This is a pivotal moment for Wales – a chance to shift from short term fixes to long-term solutions that genuinely improve people’s lives”.
Wellbeing of Future Generations Culture Forum
The forthcoming Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act Culture Bill is entering its engagement phase through February and March. This is a crucial window for the arts and health community to influence how culture is positioned as a driver of wellbeing and prevention. You can sign up for the first Culture Forum of 2026 taking place on 25th February - an opportunity to bring the culture sector and those interested in fulfilling cultural well-being in Wales together.
State of the Sector – UK & Ireland Survey
Initial findings from our State of the Sector survey paints a stark picture - a bleak and fragile political and funding landscape is threatening our sector’s sustainability across the UK and Ireland. It’s concerning to see responses about growing hostilities, far-right movements and racism affecting communities and participants.
We are working with our partners to digest the findings and implications and will share a deeper analysis of the survey and how we can respond in the coming months.
Baring Foundation – OBE’s and Men Missing Out
We continue to value our partnership with the Baring Foundation, and wholeheartedly congratulate David Cutler, Director and David Sampson, Deputy Director who were recognised in this year’s Honours List for services to charity and services to LGBT+ equality in the UK and overseas.
In case you’ve missed it, the Baring Foundation’s newest resource - Missing Out: Creative Ageing and Men - explores why comparatively few older men are engaged in creative opportunities in later life. The report highlights 10 projects across the UK, including Re-Live in Wales, but is also a call to action for more targeted interventions aimed at men.
You may also like to join our Creative Ageing network meeting on 5th February, to connect with creative ageing practitioners from across Wales.
WAHWN News
Stepping In – Programme Manager appointed
We’re delighted to announce that Rebecca Hardy-Griffith has been appointed as our freelance Programme Manager for Stepping In, our workforce diversity programme funded by Arts Council Wales. We look forward to working with her to recruit and support a new cohort of under-represented practitioners across North Wales through training, experiential learning, peer support and wrap around care. More news to follow. Rebecca says:
“I am pleased to be working in this sector again, witnessing the tangible impact these projects have on people’s lives, reinforcing the value of arts and culture as a vital contributor to health and wellbeing. I am particularly motivated to collaborate once again with all the partners, and to work collectively to develop the sector for artists / creative practitioners who are Welsh-speaking and those with protected characteristics.”
Cynefin – AHRC CoLab Policy Network
WAHWN is thrilled to announce that we are a partner in a major new initiative supported by AHRC Creative Communities Co Lab Policy Network Awards 2026. Working in partnership with our Public Health Wales, Arts Council of Wales and The Future Generations Office colleagues, we will focus our research and development on “How could placing the arts and culture as a frontline public service in Wales effect a step-change for public health and the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act in Wales?”.
Through this work, we will create opportunities to unlock the full potential of arts & culture for health & wellbeing in Wales with and through the health & care sector, creating actionable policy recommendations that enable the full potential of our sector’s work to be realised in Wales. More to follow.
WAHWN Guest Blog – WCVA
Following a recent meeting to explore opportunities for collaboration with Johanna Davies, Head of Health and Social Care at WCVA, I was delighted to write a guest blog for the WCVA this month. There is huge potential for shared learning and partnership between WAHWN members and WCVA, and we look forward to working together to find ways to embed creativity in health and care systems.
WAHWN CPD for Conwy Based Practitioners
WAHWN has been commissioned by Conwy CBC to support Conwy‑based freelance practitioners through a pilot programme of professional development sessions funded by Conwy County Borough Council. The programme will focus on building knowledge and understanding of healthcare environments, practical methods and approaches, and the policy context for arts, health and wellbeing in Wales.
Increasing access to training and consultancy opportunities is a key priority for WAHWN, and we welcome discussions with local authorities and organisations interested in developing and delivering future sessions.
Inspirational Reading for 2026
- “2000 Years of Prevention is Better Than Cure” – Public Healthy
- “Art Could Save Your Life! Five creative ways to make 2026 happier, healthier and more hopeful” – The Guardian
- Start the Week: The arts and health - BBC Sounds
- Chinese Autism Society case-study
- Sparky Samba case-study
- The Body Hotel Self-Care Suite case-study
All of these resources reinforce what many of us know - that creativity unlocks connection, sustains wellbeing, and builds the conditions for a healthier Wales.
I hope that you can join us for our February network meeting on 19th February, where we will be joined by Dr Kathrin Thomas, DEEP END CYMRU - a Wales wide network of GP practices and practitioners working in areas of high deprivation committed to tackling health inequalities – and Gwella - to discuss the ‘Heads Up’ project with men affected by redundancy at the Port Talbot Tata Steelworks, in partnership with Adferiad.
Despite the pressures facing the sector, this month has reminded me of the extraordinary creativity, commitment and innovation across Wales. With elections ahead, new research published, and national conversations growing louder around culture, prevention and wellbeing, 2026 offers a real opportunity to influence change.
Onwards and upwards!
