Gwanwyn Festival 2023: Celebrating the creativity of nature and the nature of creativity in older age

Gwanwyn is a month-long national festival held across Wales in May each year, showcasing creativity in older age. Since 2007, the festival has worked with artists and organisations of all sizes to promote a wide range of artistic and creative activities, from stand-up to stitching, and from Bollywood to book clubs. 

The festival provides opportunities for older people to become involved in arts and creative activities, either as practitioners, organisers, or audience members. It also helps older people to recognise the benefits that being creative can bring to their health and well-being. 

The theme for this year’s festival is Nature. For many of us, living with the pandemic during the last few years has helped us to appreciate the natural world around us through our daily walks and meeting socially outside. It is also widely recognised that being in nature has a positive impact on our physical and mental wellbeing. 

Festival co-ordinator, Kelly Barr says “We want to celebrate how nature inspires creativity not just in the garden and the kitchen but across all areas of our lives, from garden design to geranium growing and grilling our own produce, as well as the more traditional creative activities. 

“Part of the aim of Gwanwyn is for us to challenge stereotypes of ageing and older people and we will be highlighting activities, events, artists and groups that represent the diversity of experience of older people throughout Wales.” 

To keep up to date with news and find out how you can get involved in the Gwanwyn Festival, join our mailing list. Email gwanwyn@agecymru.org.uk, call 029 2043 1576 or visit www.agecymru.org.uk/gwanwyn. 

Some of the key events for 2023 

Choirs for Good, throughout May 

Choirs for Good are a network of community wellbeing choirs that exist to promote the importance and benefits of community singing, not just upon an individual’s physical and mental wellbeing, but also how choirs can unite people and enable them to contribute to their local communities.

For more information visit www.choirsforgood.com/book-a-session, email hello@choirsforgood.com, or call 07897 000724. 

Mostyn: Document / Dogfennu, Tuesday to Saturday throughout May 

Document’ draws together a carefully curated selection of artists and craft makers from Wales and beyond who record, reflect upon, and respond to their surroundings, environment, and popular culture, within their work.  

From the use of text, symbols and icons to mark-making and patterning, and to the imaginative use of natural materials and resources. Each piece reflects the artist who created it. 

For more information contact Mostyn Cymru | Wales on 01492 879201, visit mostyn .org, or email post@mostyn.org. 

Oriel Bevan Jones Gallery, Carmarthen: Nigel Mason through the Glass, Tuesday to Saturday throughout May 

A stunning collection of fused and slumped glass by Nigel Mason. He has always been inspired by the natural patterns within nature, particularly the movement of the sea and the amazing shapes and textures created. Nigel says “As well as being a glass artist I am also a musician playing folk and world music on an array of instruments. I find that creating glass is very therapeutic and a wonderful way to unwind.” 

For more information email eiryl@acgc.co.uk, call 01267 243815, or visit www.orielbevanjonesgallery.co.uk 

#CrowdCymru – Online, throughout May 

#CrowdCymru is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and run jointly by Gwent Archives, Glamorgan Archives, and Cardiff University Special Collections & Archives.  
 
It is a pilot digital archives volunteer project, everything their volunteers do is online via a bilingual, digital, crowd sourcing platform. This platform, established by the National Library Wales, allows remote volunteers, anywhere in the world if they have online access/device to work on the digital collections that the project partners are providing.  Participants can transcribe documents or tag photographs for us all from the comfort of your own home.  
 
Archive services across Wales hold millions of irreplaceable records, but many are only minimally catalogued and therefore difficult to identify and find. This project will harness the knowledge of individuals in communities across Wales and beyond to enrich our collective heritage for the benefit of current and future generations - locally, nationally, and globally.   
 
For more information email jennifer.evans@gwentarchives.gov.uk, call 01495 742450, or visit www.gwentarchives.gov.uk/en/partnership-and-projects/crowdcymru/ 

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