WAHWN Case Studies

Outside Lives ‘Into the Woods’ saw two pilot programmes fusing arts, creativity and nature in North East Wales with the aim of boosting connection, wellbeing and resilience.

Author: Anastacia Ackers, Evaluation Lead, Outside Lives

Diversifying the Workforce

Pilot training and mentoring programme for artists with lived experience of mental health, Deaf/disabled, global majority, low socio-economic backgrounds aimed at diversifying the creative workforce

Author: WAHWN Ltd

Taste of Nature - Exploring how connecting with nature and participating in dance, creative writing and visual arts can improve dietary habits of early years children in Blaenau Gwent

Author: Bethan Lewis, Creative Director Head4Arts / BG Arts

Twilight Barking is a multi-disciplinary arts project for inpatients at Hafan-y-Coed Adult Psychiatric Unit, Llandough, delivered with therapy dogs as companion and subject.

Author: Clare Charles, Co-Director, Arcade Campfa

A Creative home delivery service for older people living across Carmarthenshire who are feeling lonely/ isolated. In partnership with CCC & HDUHB

Author: Eleanor Shaw, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, PeopleSpeakUp LTD

An arts and health project seeking to explore how creative friendships can help alleviate loneliness and isolation and improve mental health and wellbeing for older people.

Author: Eleanor Shaw, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, PeopleSpeakUp LTD

Calonnau Cerddorol engaged with those with diagnosed mental health conditions across Wales, delivering song writing, recording sessions & practitioner training to support recovery

Author: Hannah Jenkins - Director - Community Music Wales

Cyflwr Celf : State of Art is an innovative project supporting a safe, inclusive, creative and culturally competent arts-for-wellbeing space within a diverse community in Cardiff.

Author: Melanie Wotton, Arts and Health Coordinator, Cardiff & Vale UHB

An Arts in Health project exploring the outcomes of providing accessible, adaptable and timely movement sessions that support people at various stages of their health journey.

Author: Sharon Teear, Development Co-ordinator, Rubicon Dance

Dance To Move – Creative Family Activity Days for Juvenile Arthritis Patients and their families. Devised by Ballet Cymru in collaboration with Health and Third Sector partners.

Author: Darius James OBE, Artistic Director of Ballet Cymru

A Space To Grow, Lle i Dyfu is a social prescribing project which connects growing and creating through a synergistic combination of the creative arts, nature + food-based sharing

Author: Melanie Wotton

An arts for wellbeing project delivered in community spaces across Flintshire. Increasing confidence and empowering members of the local community to have their voices heard.

Author: Jessica Sparks, Youth & Education Director, Art & Soul Tribe

‘Reaching Out’ delivered 36 specially designed creative activities across Gwent, connecting with those who couldn’t normally access this provision because of barriers in support.

Author: Inside Out Cymru

HDUHB formed a coalition of cross-sector partners to embed evidenced based arts activity into social prescribing practice across the health board to reduce health inequalities.

Author: Kathryn Lambert, HDUHB

NHS Wales movement-for-employee-wellbeing programme offers workshops & creates online resources on creative self-care practices. SROI Evaluation measures benefits for staff resilience & team cohesion.

Author: The Body Hotel

Wellness with WNO is a singing and breathing programme designed to support people with Long COVID symptoms such as breathlessness, anxiety and fatigue, in Wales.

Author: WELSH NATIONAL OPERA CENEDLAETHOL CYMRU

Cardiff Branch of Parkinson's UK and Barracwda, have created SParky Samba Band. Led by Sallie MacLennan, people affected by Parkinson's(PD) have gained skills and well being.

Author: Eirwen Malin, Parkinsons UK Cardiff Branch

Printmaking workshops were delivered for service users of Ty Canna mental health outreach service, to identify the potential benefits of this art form for people living with poor mental health.

Author: Edmund William Chambers - Cardiff Print Workshop

Professional artists led creative activities with people recovering from mental ill health across community and in-patient settings, using varied art forms to build resilience and support wellbeing.

Author: Chris Ryan - Arts Care Gofal Celf

The Art of Growing Strong provided creative opportunities to give participants the chance to feel valued, find meaningful activities, build positive relationships and address their wellbeing needs.

Author: Alex Bowen - Breathe Creative

A partnership exploring how a combination of arts activities and connection with the natural environment could best support people in bereavement.

Author: Kate Strudwick - Head4Arts

A preventative stories on prescription service to help older people in the West Wales area to become more independent, resilient, feel less lonely, socially isolated & improve mental health/wellbeing

Author: Eleanor Shaw - PeopleSpeakUp LTD

The aim was to support new parents, offer opportunities and a creative nurturing space. ‘Creative Minds’ encouraged beneficiaries to foster creativity as a means to promote wellbeing.

Author: Jessica Doyle - Caffi Isa CIC

NHS Wales serves 3 million people. Can arts and health grow faster to serve more of these 3 million? The project focused on Bridgend West and involved Aesop’s Dance to Health and ETC Dance.

Author: Aesop

HAUL’s Arts in Health project sought to assist the local Health Board and Third Sector partners to provide arts based activities for the most isolated and vulnerable in Ceredigion.

Author: Haul - arts in health

Weekly 2D visual arts and 3D crafts for young people exploring creativity in a safe, non-judgemental environment encouraging a sense of belonging, forming friendships, social connections and trust.

Author: Y Ty Celf - The Art House Ltd CIC

Dwylo Bach is an interactive creative programme for early years children. Delivered by Making Sense and designed to provide stimulating educational art activity that promotes health and wellbeing.

Author: Sioned Philips, Dwylo Bach Project Coordinator and Ticky Lowe, CEO Making Sense CIO

A theatre based mindfulness course piloted with ABUHB staff to improve mental health and well being at The Grange University Hospital and with the Complex Care Team at Mamhiliad Park Estate.

Author: Iwan Brioc, Director, Theatr Cynefin

Artist Marion Cheung's workshops enable MHM staff to learn new skills, deliver art techniques independently and enhance patient and staff well-being at St. David's Hospital by co-creating artwork

Author: Marion Cheung, Visual Artist, Arting Wales

EPIC offers young people, including those at risk of offending, or victims of crime, opportunities to participate in creative activities that focus on shaping identity, community and citizenship.

Author: Wendy Keay-Bright

MMI is a collaborative arts and health project that aims to create a playful, adaptable, wearable technology for encouraging people in residential homes to experience the joy of moving together.

Author: Wendy Keay-Bright, Professor of Technology and Inclusion, Cardiff Metropolitan U

Wales Wide Training Programme

Creative Practice Support Sessions evaluation case study from Rubicon Dance Wales Wide Training Programme

Author: Dr Susanne Burns

Therapeutic dance/movement self-care programme & video series improved employee wellbeing in HEIW & Health Boards. Co-funded by ACW and evaluated by Wales School for Social Prescribing Research.

Author: Thania Acarón, director & leader facilitator, The Body Hotel

People Place Future

We demonstrated how the creative arts can enable better engagement with marginalised, vulnerable and multi-cultural communities in Cardiff and the Vale, reframing our NHS services for the future

Author: Simone Joslyn, Head of Arts & Health Charity, Cardiff & Vale Uni Health Board

Moving Beyond Compliance is a pilot project designed to explore how movement can benefit the wellbeing of staff working in care settings.

Author: National Dance Company Wales

A National Dance Company Wales and English National Ballet collaboration in North Wales tackling the physical and social restraints of people living with Parkinson's Disease.

Author: National Dance Company Wales

Breathe Creative collaborates with Cardiff & Vale UHB Paediatric Diabetic Unit to make a film to help health professionals understand Type 1 disordered eating

Author: Katja Stiller and Jane Hubbard

Creative movement workshops delivered in Monmouth helping participants improve mental and physical wellbeing through mark-making and somatic movement.

Author: Vicky Evans

Creating Artists in Residence

Short films from cARTrefu 2015-2022 showcasing projects across Wales and including reflections from project artists, residents and carers

Author: Age Cymru

An experiment: using origami to improve the wellbeing and resilience of healthcare staff in Ysbyty'r Seren and beyond.

Author: Jessica Ruth Morris (Programme Manager for Arts in Health & Special Projects)

Elysium Healthcare commissions Dr Maria Hayes to co-create Recovery Tree Murals in their UK secure hospitals. The projects enhance environments and improve wellbeing for both patients and staff

Author: Dr Maria Hayes

Online artist-led workshops in dance, poetry, puppetry, singing and mindful photography in during the pandemic to improve social connectedness and well-being for all ages in Pembrokeshire.

Author: SPAN (via external evaluator - Abi Marriott, CWBR Coordinator at PLANED and Kath

A national arts-in-care-homes participatory and mentoring programme, cARTrefu provides high-quality creative activities for older people living in care homes across Wales.

Author: Kelly Barr, Sarah Lord, Katherine Algar-Skaife, Gill Windle, Angela Rogers

Case Study

Aneurin Bevan UHB I'm Thinking of You Case Study

Author: Eleanor Davis

Using art to capture a sense of self during antidepressant treatment

This was a collaboration between professional artists, clinical researchers and people suffering from depression; to extend the exploration of experiential effects of antidepressant treatment.

Author: Dr Susan Liggett, Dr Karen Heald

Arcade Campfa and Llandough Hospital

Arts and mental well-being collaboration between Arcade Campfa and Cardiff & Vale University Health Board working with six artists

Author: Gail Howard

An interactive textile arts project for University Hospital Llandough

This project was commissioned to capture the essence of Rookwood Hospital via memories to support the transition of services from Rookwood Hospital to University Hospital Llandough.

Author: Marion Cheung

Denbighshire

Music, dance and arts and crafts workshops were delivered in Denbighshire care homes, upskilling frontline care staff and improving well-being of residents through creative activities

Author: Sian Fitzgerald, Jo McGregor

Health & wellbeing benefits for residents, staff and setting at Woffington House

A study on the impact of live music activities delivered by LMN Wales musicians on the health and wellbeing of the residents, staff and setting, at Woffington House, Tredegar, between 2016 - 2019.

Author: Douglas Noble & Claire Cressey

Life Stories with Veteran communities

Coming Home to the Arts is a programme of arts participation and Life Story performances with veterans, veteran families and community members.

Author: Karin Diamond

Dementia Life Stories

Memoria: People living with dementia and their families share their experiences via Life Story Theatre and creative group work throughout Wales.

Author: Karin Diamond

Play About Dementia

Belonging/Perthyn is an award-winning bilingual theatre play that explores issues facing people living with dementia, their families, and health and social care professionals in Wales.

Author: Karin Diamond

Site specific art project in Traumatic Brain Injury Unit, Morriston Hospital.

Many traumatic brain injury patients experience feelings of isolation and hopelessness. This project involved patients co-creating artwork, contributing to a sense of belonging and a positive outlook.

Author: Heather Parnell, Capital Arts Manager

Penylan House Care Home

Forget-me-not Chorus aims to bring joy and meaning back into the lives of those living with and those affected by dementia through the power of song.

Author: Sarah Teagle

Creative Writing to Develop Health and Well Being in Young People

Caban Sgriblio was a creative writing for wellbeing project, run by Peak, for young people facing disadvantage, poor mental health and rural isolation.

Author: Emma Beynon & Uschi Turoczy

Falls Prevention programme

A pioneering falls prevention dance programme for older people developed by Aesop and delivered in partnership with Swansea Bay University Health Board

Author: Tim Joss, Aesop and Prue Thimbleby Swansea Bay UHB

Creatvity, Dance and Movement in Recovery

Case study summary of a pilot dance and movement sessions with patients recovering from the effects of a stroke at Llandough Hospital, South Wales

Author: Melanie Wotton

Pregnancy and Maternal Mental Health

Gravida Project is the very first project in Wales that looks at creativity through pregnancy, and maternal mental health.

Author: Carrie Westwater

Rubicon Dance and CVUHB Stroke Rehabilitation Centre

Pilot project using Creative Movement sessions to improve confidence and social experience for patients in the UHL Stroke Rehabilitation Centre

Author: Sharon Teear, Rubicon Dance

Dance for Parkinsons Class, Dance House, Cardiff and Blackwood Miners Institute

Dance for Parkinson's classes are a fun, informal way to discover the themes of our dance pieces. Class has been proven to support people with Parkinson’s in everyday life.

Author: Guy O'Donnell

Dementia and Imagination was a large arts and science collaboration of universities, artists, charities and providers of cultural services working together through five inter-linked projects.

Author: Gill Windle

Reading Friends is the UK-wide programme from the Reading Agency. It has been co-created with older people with local project partners and is aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness.

Author: Bob Gelsthorpe, Literature Wales

Stori Gofal a Rhannu

Fortnightly storytelling gatherings for people affected by cancer and life limiting illnesses at The Ffwrnes Fach, Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli.

Author: Eleanor Shaw

Singing, technology and connection in Pembrokeshire

Participatory singing project piloted by Span Arts, for isolated, housebound people in rural West Wales. Singing and digital technology were used to increase wellbeing and reduce loneliness.

Author: Rowan Matthiessen (Span Arts)

Dance to Health, smuggles evidence-based exercise programmes into creative, social and engaging dance activity

Author: Aesop