Case Study: Bro Lles Dyffryn Nantlle

Introduction

The intention of the 'Bro Lles' project was to promote mental health, well-being and confidence in nature through the use of the arts. A mix of creativity nurturing, skills development sessions were held, intertwining the celebration of nature and the community. A wide cross-section of ages, children and young people were supported using 3 local natural materials, wool, willow and slate, and giving adults a chance to gain confidence in monthly skills sessions. The 3rd group was people 60+, where there were several intergenerational events, and visits to an elderly home. We often see residents from the community who suffer from rural isolation and loneliness. In each group many suffered from a lack of confidence since the lockdown period, the intention of the sessions over 2025/26 was to respond to this by creating welcoming, creative spaces and sessions rooted in heritage and the local landscape.

The Challenge

Following covid the project focused on challenges such as isolation, anxiety, and social isolation. According to AgeUk figures 33% of people say they sometimes feel lonely. Many older people have introduced themselves to us through the transport service, Llond Bol(community meal)and Be Nawn Ni,(other events that happen at Yr Orsaf), that they have a lack of contact with the community, especially if they have moved in. COVID had a big impact especially on children, young people and the older generation. It has been shown that creating art can enable people to take more responsibility for their own health and well-being, by helping to maintain levels of independence and curiosity and improving the quality of life by bringing more joy.Over the last few years we see that anxiety has risen among young people in Wales.The project tried to tackle this by holding workshops for young people, as well as the other two age groups, by giving them a space to socialize and bring friends.

The Approach

Bro Lles recruited two main local artists to the Nantlle Valley, Nicole Le Marie and Eirian Muse, it was explained from the outset that the focus of the project was on well-being and creativity rather than putting pressure on the outputs of the artwork. There was also collaboration with 4 other artists leading workshops with adults. The artists held and presented creative sessions with children aged 9-11, youth aged 16+ focusing on using wool using a wet felting technique, and Eirian using willow, to create woven objects. Other artists presented sessions for adults, and residents 60+, building confidence and giving an opportunity to learn new skills. 6 sessions were held for children aged 9-11 after school weekly with Nicole and Eirian working with Gwlan and Willow. 12 sessions were held for adults over the year taking place once a month 3 walks were held for children, with a nature hunt, sketching and enjoying the natural environment. Visits to a local elderly home. 4 generational transition sessions were held with 60+ groups and children One wool weaving session was held with CFFI (Young farmers group)

The Impact

Working with CARN, qualitative and quantitative methods were used to evaluate Bro Lles. During the period the following were used: - The main method used to gather feedback from children between 9 and 11 years of age who attended weekly art sessions was to ask them to note their feelings at the start and end of the session based on leaflets with pictures of animals conveying different emotions, ogstal and some other creative ways. - The SWEMWBS Questionnaire (Short Warwick and Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale) to try to identify participants' levels of well-being at the start and end of the project. - A Ripple Effect Mapping workshop was held with a group of adults who attended the monthly art workshops. Findings: Total attendees were 111 adults and 159 children which gives a total of 270 attendees. The number of individual participants was approximately 117, with the same people attending more than once, giving a higher total of 270 A few quotes: By an adult who came to the monthly sessions: "The experience has opened a lot of doors, (since gaining confidence), I've booked myself on an art and yoga retreat next May... I would never have done this before" A young person from the intergenerational felting workshop: "good to have a chance for something new. We don't really get to do things like wet felting in class" "it was really relaxing to do". We also saw unintended consequences, such as the opportunity to collaborate with young Farmers and support another creative project in the area with GISDA: "participants feel connected to local skills and traditions, while guided walks and outdoor sketching sessions encouraged young people to explore the quarry landscape and better understand the heritage of the area. Feedback from participants showed that they enjoyed the chance to creatively connect with their home town and appreciated the balance between creative work and outdoor activity. " More details of the impact as well as full case studies in the full evaluation report.

Lessons Learned

Throughout there have been opportunities to share and reflect. Looking over the project period, the delayed start caused challenges that were overcome; the facilitator joined the North Wales health and wellness arts steering group which was very beneficial. In future, the dates of meetings around the board must be agreed when writing the application, there must be time and capacity commitment from staff. We learned that creating a space to create, often without deep conversations, is sometimes enough to deal with loneliness. The children had the opportunity to strengthen relationships with peers before attending secondary school. The time of year was not suitable for youth because of exams. Despite this a benefit was seen in all ages.

The Legacy

The project strengthens and contributes to our experience of holding art workshops, discussion regarding the arts center and how the space there will be used. The project also strengthens applications and ideas that have been made since the project, such as opening the cafe for craft and cuppa sessions regularly.

Website and Social Media Links

facebook.com/yrorsaf instagram.com/yrorsaf youtube/yrorsaf carncelf.com

Contact Details

Esyllt Davies Esyllt.yrorsaf@gmail.com or post@yrorsaf.cymru

Tags: Arts, health, young people, elderly, loneliness, confidence, nature, Dyffryn Nantlle, crafft, landscape, natural materials

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