Tŷ Newydd, the National Writers’ Centre for Wales, and Gwynedd Council's Community Arts Unit are working in partnership to develop training for writing in healthcare.

There is a growing appreciation of the impact that the arts can have on wellbeing and several arts in health projects have been held in Gwynedd in recent years, particularly in the visual arts and music. This recent partnership will aim to develop a framework for training and work experience for Welsh writers interested in using creative writing in healthcare situations in this county.

A Writing in Healthcare course was held at Tŷ Newydd in November 2008 which acted as an introduction to the theory and practice of using the literary arts as an integral part of healthcare.  Participants experienced the different ways writing can be used with patients, clients and in educational or community settings. This was the first step in developing writing in healthcare locally and awarded a Gwynedd based writer a bursary to attend the course and also offered a work experience placement. This course will be offered again in November 2009.Gwynedd County Council, Denbighshire County Council and Gwanwyn have offered bursaries for this course.

Sally Baker, Executive Director of Tŷ Newydd, said: “The course will be an useful introduction to this interesting field and will create opportunities for Welsh writers in Gwynedd and the rest of Wales to develop new skills and work in healthcare situations to the benefit of their local communities.”

Gwawr Wyn Roberts, Gwynedd Council's Community Arts Development Officer said: "The Community Arts Unit is very pleased to be working with Tŷ Newydd by contributing towards the professional development of writers in Gwynedd. We have already been working with the NW Wales NHS Trust on visual art projects in various health settings and are now looking forward to developing similar opportunities with creative writing."

The Writers in Healthcare project is supported by The Arts Council of Wales Lotery Fund and Gwynedd Council’s Community Arts Unit.