Wales

The Arts Council of Wales (ACW) has announced the reopening of its lottery-backed Arts, Health and Wellbeing Fund.

From the autumn, the fund will have a new focus. It will prioritise projects which aim to improve people’s health and wellbeing by connecting them with nature.

Partnerships between arts, health and nature organisations are encouraged to apply through the Creative Nature Programme, a collaboration between ACW and Nature Resources Wales.

“I am particularly happy to see this opportunity for the environment, health and cultural sectors to collaborate on projects that improve people’s wellbeing,” said Joe Roberts, a Lead Specialist Advisor at Natural Resources Wales.

“This truly embodies Wales’s unique approach to partnership working and we will learn a lot from the projects that come forward.”

Partnership bids from across the arts, health, social care, nature, environmental and third sectors are invited, as long as the proposed project includes a focus on nature and wellbeing, physical wellbeing, staff wellbeing in the health and arts workforces or tackling mental health and health inequalities.

Grants are for between £500 and £50,000, depending on the stage of the project. Applications are open until 20 September.

The Welsh Government has shared plans to showcase Wales’ national contemporary art collection in galleries across the country.

Arts Council of Wales, Amgueddfa Cymru and the National Library of Wales will collaborate on sharing the work across the network of venues which include Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Newport Museum & Art Gallery.

Meanwhile, a digital platform, featuring around 25,000 images, has been launched to support the initiative, while plans to develop an anchor gallery acting as a prominent public face for the national contemporary art gallery continue.

Proposals for a national contemporary art gallery were first explored in 2018 and committed to in the government’s draft budget in 2021. 

Work is currently underway to find a host for the anchor gallery, with local authorities in Wrexham, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport and Cardiff being invited to develop their plans for the space further.

“The national collection belongs to everyone in Wales,” Deputy Arts Minister Dawn Bowden said.

“The new model will allow people to explore the collection within their own communities, whilst also ensuring more people across Wales, the UK and even internationally can have improved access to the national collection.”

“It will help to boost the visitor economy, support local businesses and jobs, and put Wales on the map internationally.”

Several museums in Wales have received funding in the latest round of the Welsh Government's Cultural Transformation Capital Programme.

Among those to benefit from the £1.7m funding pot is Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery in Merthyr Tydfil.

It has been awarded £146,480 to develop an off-site storage space that will enable the relocation of its art store and provide better access to its collection.

Other recipients include Narberth Museum in Pembrokeshire which has been awarded £120,534 to improve efficiency, while Abergavenny Castle will use its £110,000 to improve energy efficiency.

Rhondda Heritage Park in Rhondda Cynon Taf has received £135,000 towards new interactive history digital displays.

Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Dawn Bowden, said that support provided by local museums, archives and libraries "is essential to helping communities in Wales thrive, now more than ever". 

She added: "This round of funding is supporting a wide variety of initiatives, from transforming spaces to be better used by their communities, enabling greater access and participation, whilst also supporting the health and wellbeing of users, to preserving collections for future generations."

Since the programme was extended in 2017 to include museums and archives, more than £9m has been provided to organisations across Wales.

A new programme of education and training for music entrepreneurs in Wales has been given Welsh Government support.

The one-year project delivered by the Music Managers Forum (MMF) hopes to boost the business skills of Welsh music managers.

Funded through Creative Wales, MMF will be working with Welsh partners including music industry organisations Anthem, Beacons and Focus Wales.

The initiative will also build on MMF’s existing partnership with the University of South Wales.

Activities will include a course on the essentials of music management, with training led by Lu Whitting, manager of the Cardiff band Himalayas.

Travel bursaries will be available to attend events and the MMF is keen that individuals from ‘diverse or marginalised backgrounds’ take part in the programme.

MMF Chief Executive, Annabella Coldrick, said: “The music scene in Wales has always been hugely exciting, and we believe this new programme will strengthen networks and benefit both existing Welsh managers and those looking to break into our profession."

A performing arts franchise in Swansea is under new ownership following a six-figure funding package from HSBC.

Swansea’s Stagecoach Performing Arts franchise includes eight schools – three main, four early and one further stages school - and caters for around 400 performing arts students aged four to 18.

It is part of the Stagecoach Performing Arts network, which was been operational for 26 years, and is the largest network of part-time performing arts schools in the UK.

The Swansea franchise has been acquired by teacher Kelly-Marie Rosina Williams and her husband Benn.

The HSBC funding will facilitate growth and expansion plans, including the creation of a new school and early-years class.

Williams, Principal at Stagecoach Performing Arts Swansea, commented : “Students are the heart of the Stagecoach Performing Arts school, and it is my goal to ensure they continue to thrive throughout this seamless transition which simply wouldn’t have been possible without the support of HSBC UK.”

Cardiff Council has dropped plans to turn the Museum of Cardiff into a mobile attraction.

The council proposed the move, which would have resulted in the loss of the museum’s current building and most of its staff, as part of a consultation into its 2023/24 budget in December.

Following backlash against the plans and a protest against the proposal in Cardiff earlier in February, the council said it plans to keep the museum at its current location for now.

Council leader Huw Thomas told Wales Online councillors will instead “work with the trustees of the museum to secure a sustainable future, including looking at options for delivering the service at an alternative location."