This is a practical visual arts workshop with some of the artists to get a hand on experience of the processes they used.

Synwyriwm is an Arts and Health project created by Amser i Siarad (AiS) and Galeri Caernarfon in collaboration with Plas Newydd, National Trust, that aimed to address to moderate mental health problems through creative sessions that foster self-expression and conversations, promoting resilience and wellbeing.

Five bi-lingual artists were commissioned to produce a variety of sensory artworks inspired by Plas Newydd’s heritage. These pieces were used as a focal point in the workshops to empower and encourage individuals to create their own art pieces from whatever inspires them within the grounds and house at Plas Newydd. The project culminated in a touring exhibition at Galeri Caernarfon and Plas Newydd, showcasing both the commissioned works and the art created during workshops. The exhibition aimed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, promote awareness, and celebrate the intersection of art and health.

The session will begin with a short introduction and overview of the project.

The creative session will be led by artist Ella Louise Jones who will be delivering a relaxing sensory latch hook activity. 

The session will end with a Q&A about the project. 

with:

• Ffion Evans, Art Coordinator, Galeri, Amser I Siarad
• Ella Louise Jones, Artist
• Clare Bailey, Amser I Siaras
• Taya Drake, National Trust

Amser i Siarad (AiS)

AiS is a local grassroots mental health charity supporting adults, children, and young people across Ynys Môn and Gwynedd. Based in Caernarfon, AiS provides a variety of services including 1-1’s , therapeutic groups and training across both counties.

This panel discussion will showcase the ways in which Welsh universities have worked with arts practitioners around health and wellbeing projects. It will comprise of three short presentations on existing projects followed by an open conversation on future directions and priorities for arts and wellbeing research. 

WAHA brings together all nine Welsh universities and fosters partnerships between practice, research and society. 

with: 

• Panel chair: Professor Emily Underwood-Lee
• Wales Arts and Humanities Alliance (WAHA) Arts Health and Wellbeing group

Nature is known to have remarkable effects on our wellbeing, and the combination of art and nature opens new possibilities for health practitioners. Join this panel discussion to explore three different perspectives on art and nature within, around and beyond our health care settings.  

1. Taking people out to nature for a provision  
2. Bringing nature close to healthcare provision
3. Bringing nature into the health care provision with technology  

Chaired by Joseph Conran, freelance artist, who also works for Natural Resources Wales and was instrumental in establishing the Memorandum of Understanding with Arts Council of Wales.

What are the challenges to creative prescribing from a healthcare perspective?

Arts organisations and artists are keen to collaborate. Health care services are overburdened. Even if health professionals can identify a need for creative prescribing it is difficult to get projects off the ground. We want to have a conversation about the real challenges and sticking points faced in making strong relationships with health and imbedding creative prescribing into mainstream healthcare practice.

with:

• Dr Catherine Jenkins, GP Academic Fellow, Swansea University
• Ffion Strong, Arts Development Officer, Gwynedd County Council
• Dr Will Mackintosh, GP, St Clears, Hywel Dda University Health Board 
• Dr Sarah Templin, GP, Tenby, Hywel Dda University Health Board  

Join artists from the Culture in Care project for an informal, hands-on session exploring creative approaches to wellbeing for those working and living in care settings. Rooted in real experiences with activity coordinators and artist residencies, this playful workshop offers practical tools, honest conversation, and joyful ways to bring culture into care.

with:

• Ticky Lowe
• Lisa Heledd Jones
• Ffion Evans
• Tara Dean
• Eleri Jones
• Kate Evans (care partner)

The North East Wales Community Cohesion team in partnership with Multi Cultural Hub Coordinator Iolanda Banu Viegas and artist Krishnapriya Ramamoorthy and Jean Samuel Mfikela will lead a discussion on the value social value of using art a tool to create community cohesion and improved health and wellbeing. The session will also feature their recent resettlement project with Denbighshire Leisure Trust. 
Emily Reddy, NE Wales Community Cohesion team.

with:

• Iolanda Banu Viegas, MCH Coordinator 
• Krishnapriya Ramamoorthy and Jean Samuel Mfikela, MCH Artists 
• Sian Fitzgerald, Denbighshire Leisure Trust 

Hywel Dda will share their findings and reflections following 4 years of collaboration between the SCAMHS and Arts and Health Teams in delivering Arts Boost - a project designed to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people known to Hywel Dda University Health Board SCAMHS with mild to moderate mental health needs across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. 

with:

• Katie O'Shea, Hywel Dda UHB Consultant Systemic Psychotherapist and Lead for Psychological Therapies CAMHS
• Kathryn Lambert, Hywel Dda UHB Head of Arts and Health

Hapus is a space dedicated to mental wellbeing. Where ideas and resources are shared to help inspire us all to take action to protect and improve our mental wellbeing and that of others. Hapus aims to spark a national conversation on mental wellbeing, and is delivered by Public Health Wales, in partnership with a wide range of national and local organisations and supporters.  This session will explore how Hapus is increasing engagement with arts and creativity and bringing people together around a common cause, to improve mental wellbeing for people in Wales 

with:

• Emily van de Venter, Lead Consultant for Mental Health, Public Health Wales

Bea Gbevegnon-Roper and Will Roper offer a short vocal workshop called ‘Grounding through Vocal Improvisation’ which will share some of the techniques they have developed as part of their Cocoon project, working with NICU in Swansea Bay University Health Board.  

This will be followed by Mr Phormula who will offer a fun, dynamic workshop to create your own beats and lyrics. Or just come along and watch the process happening. Ed works in a wide range of social setting from schools to care homes.  

Since the pandemic there has been an increasing focus on ensuring that practitioner and freelance artists wellbeing is considered within projects. WAHWN has just completed an award-winning, 3-year national programme, How Ya Doing? that developed different approaches to supporting artist wellbeing from an individual to an organisational level. Programme Manager, Tracy Breathnach will present their findings.

A second presentation will be shared from BECTU which focuses on their wellbeing programme in the arts sector, called Cult Cymru, which focuses on the mental health and wellbeing of the workforce in the creative sector. We will hear about their Mental Health Training and Wellbeing Facilitator programme as they work with partners to create a fairer, more inclusive creative industry that we can all be proud of.

The second half of the session will be a practical workshop led by artist Cai Tomos, who will offer some gentle, creative prompts for people to relax, connect and reflect on their own work and practice.

With:

• Tracy Breathnach
• Sian Gale
• Cai Tomos

In this introductory workshop, Nick will take you through the basic methodology of the Most Significant Change process and offer a couple of examples of where it’s working well.

Outcomes-focused evaluation has long been promoted - particularly in services and programmes focused on change and improvement. Gathering evidence of people’s outcomes is now a common-place requirement. However, measuring and gathering change outcomes in ways that are meaningful can be challenging. There is a growing recognition that people’s stories can be more powerful in learning-focussed evaluation. Most Significant Change is a storytelling approach to gathering and exploring change outcomes that was developed in the context of public health and community development (Davies and Dart 2005). It has been used successfully in a broad range of situations with individuals and communities to capture the impact of a change in their lives - from their perspective and in a way that enables their views to be heard and explored further in dialogue with relevant stakeholders.

with: 

• Nick Andrews, research and practice development officer at the Developing Evidence-Enriched Practice (DEEP) project, Swansea University

In this era of ongoing political uncertainty, we need to make sure our message to policy makers is clear. In this workshop session we'll explore how our local and national government could better support our sector and come up with some specific policy ‘asks’ to help us survive and thrive.

with:

• Rosie Dow, Arts and Health Consultant