What an unusual and challenging few weeks it has been due to the pandemic we are all facing, and it’s not over yet sadly. Every day we are faced with new challenges, changes to laws, potential job losses, activity losses and most terrifyingly, lives lost. All of this has had an understandable impact on everyone, their health and well-being, financial stability and security, relationships and sense of being. It must be incredibly hard for those who have lost business, jobs,…

So here we are then, week 4 into lockdown, with all of us still sat in our homes, slightly shell-shocked, wondering how on earth life as we knew it could be turned on its head in a flash, spun around a few times, given an almighty shake and then dropped back down on our laps for us to deal with in whatever shape or form it landed. I think we can all safely say that the situation we’re currently living…

Photograph from CardiffandVale.art The creative arts can offer a powerful contribution to the experience of patients in care settings but, more importantly to a person’s wellbeing. There is an ever-growing body of evidence that demonstrates the benefits of the arts in health and social care settings. For example, a study in London found that after engaging with the arts, 79% of people in deprived communities ate more healthily, 77% engaged in more physical activity and 82% enjoyed greater overall wellbeing….

There are never enough hours in the day or days in the week to get everything done. The bare essentials may make it through but looking after us often ends up at the bottom of the list. It’s crazy – because looking after ourselves saves time in the long term, as we are able to function more efficiently and less likely to succumb to illness when we are healthy. But when life is out of control, try to find just…