Director's Blog - March 2026
24/03/2026 | Author: Angela Rogers
March has been full of networking, advocacy, training and collaboration for team WAHWN.
Dear members
I hope you’ve managed to catch some much-needed sunshine in the past week. What a tonic!
March has been full of networking, advocacy, training and collaboration for team WAHWN. It’s been energising to be out and about at events including the Deep End Cymru Health Equity Study Day, the Bevan Commission’s Art of the Possible, the Baring Foundation’s Creatively Minded & Ethnically Diverse Revisited and the National Social Prescribing Showcase. Conversations at these events continue to highlight just how vital arts and health are as part of Wales’ wider prevention agenda, and just how vulnerable many of our grassroots organisations delivering the work are.
“…for many people, these small organisations are not an optional extra. They are the only place they can go”.
(Eleri Jones, Eleni)
With Senedd elections looming, it’s vital that we advocate for our work and to help with this, WAHWN will share an email template next week which you can use to contact your election candidates. We are just waiting on publication of all the political parties’ election candidate lists.
An introduction to arts, health & wellbeing CPD
Commissioned by Conwy CBC, WAHWN delivered a 5-week evening course introducing Conwy based practitioners to arts, health and wellbeing. With topics ranging from the creative health quality principles, creative habits of mind, facilitation skills and top tips when applying for opportunities, we’ve received very positive feedback from trainees.
"I have found all of the sessions incredibly informative with clear, useful info presented by people who genuinely have a passion and thorough knowledge" (trainee)
"Thank you for an incredibly informative course. The presenters were all very interesting and delivered info in a diverse accessible manner that held" (trainee)
Do get in touch if you would like to discuss bespoke training for your local authority or organisation.
Stepping In
It’s been energising to see such a rich and diverse range of applications for Stepping In this year. We look forward to announcing our new cohort in the coming weeks. In the meantime, our call‑out for a Welsh‑language evaluator is now live. I’m delighted that we have secured additional support from the Baring Foundation which will allow us to expand the number of practitioners and delivery partners - Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias and Theatr Clwyd.
As part of our continued collaboration with the Baring Foundation, our Programme Officer, Becca, represented WAHWN at the launch of their Creatively Minded & Ethnically Diverse Revisited in London last week. The event provided a timely reflection on our joint commitments to supporting a more diverse and representative sector.
Prevention, Equity and Lived Experience
The past couple of weeks have given me a lot to think about. Attending three very different events, with each event returning to the same themes - prevention, equity, and the power of lived experience.
At the Social Prescribing Showcase, the launch of the Core Competences and Values Framework felt like a significant step forward. I was encouraged by how strongly the framework emphasised person‑centred practice, community connection and cultural awareness.
Listening to Professor Kelechi Nnoaham at the Bevan Commission The Art of the Possible - challenged us with his question - “not whether prevention works, but why we’ve failed to build a system that embodies this truth”. It was both a provocation and an invitation. It reminded me that while arts and health is often seen as sitting on the periphery, our work is actually central to the preventative vision. We know creativity builds connection, confidence and resilience — the very conditions a preventative system relies on.
The Deep End Cymru Health Equity Study Day brought over 100 GPs and GP trainees together committed to embedding equity in their everyday practice was heartening. Highlights for me were Professor Sir Michael Marmot on the new Marmot Places in Wales (the focus of our March network meeting) and Made by Mortals’ interactive workshop, STUCK. Watching clinicians engage with the lived experiences behind the statistics - listening and reflecting was incredibly powerful. It was a reminder that equity isn’t an abstract goal; it’s about understanding the realities people face, and designing services with them, not for them. There is a growing recognition across the system that prevention and equity can’t be achieved without culture, creativity and community at the table. WAHWN has an important role to play in keeping these conversations connected, grounded and ambitious.
In Other News…
- WAHWN collaborating on ‘Taking Part in Refugee Week’ event 14th April
- Welsh Charity Awards open for nominations 15th April – celebrating the work of charities, not for profits and community groups
- Gofod 3, 17th June – bringing voluntary sector together for networking, speakers, masterclasses, panel debates and workshops.
- WAHWN, in partnership with WAHA (Wales Arts Humanities Alliance); PHW and ACW is developing a research project looking at who has access to arts and humanities for health and wellbeing. Thank you to everyone who took part in our research focused breakout at WEAVE and follow up survey. More news to follow…
- Our April network meeting will celebrate our WAHWN ‘Go and See’ bursary awardees.
- Applications are now open for September USW MA Arts Health & Wellbeing.
Onwards and Upwards!
Angela
