Projects to encourage new participants in the arts, a conference for the voluntary sector and an interactive website are among the proposals being put forward by Voluntary Arts Wales (VAW) in its new five-year plan. The document, entitled ‘pARTicipation – A Strategy for the Voluntary Arts in Wales’, has been made available for consultation among voluntary arts organisations and individuals. VAW, which is part of the Voluntary Arts Network, exists to support and stimulate participation, and to champion the sector in Wales which it says is “widely hailed as a world leading example”. The organisation has identified a range of opportunities and concerns for both the sector and the network, particularly the problem of diminishing and short-term funding and a lack of understanding from Government. The strategy, which covers the period 2008–2013, is available at
