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 [email protected], call 029 2043 1576 or visit www.agecymru.org.uk/gwanwyn.
