Past Projects - 2024 Year

2024 saw People Speak Up expand across Carmarthenshire, increasing projects for underrepresented voices in it's community and establishing a new second base at Carmarthenshire Living Well Centre.

Working with Parkinson’s UK and Parkinson’s Cymru Sparky Samba held a free taster session older people and those living with Parkinson's. 

SParky Samba is a band of people living with Parkinson's who play Samba percussion. Samba can help with physical and mental healthy with lots of fun and laughter packed in too. We saw over 50 people take part and Samba at Ffwrnes Fach.

Every June, PSU celebrated International Children’s Day at it's Arts, Health & Wellbeing Hub. In partnership with Llanelli Multicultural Network, Llanelli Town Council and Hywel Dda University Health Board we host a free event with stories, music and free family activities.

In Spring 2024, we launched our Creative Offloading sessions for Carers at People Speak Up, Llanelli.

We created a monthly space for carers to come together, create and connect with other carers and offload in a non-judgmental space, while their cared for could attend with them but take part in other activities with our supervised break out room with our trained creative facilitator.

This project was supported by PAVS, Welsh Government and West Wales Regional Partnership.

The planters moved in April 2024 and our garden started to grow.
Thanks to the Lottery Community Fun People Speak Up received funding to set up a community garden at People Speak Up, Park Street, in Llanelli Town Centre.

It has become a sanctuary for people of all ages, backgrounds and life experiences to enjoy, whether they are novice or experienced gardeners wanting to get their hands dirty or people looking for a peaceful place to relax, write, draw and support their mental health and wellbeing.

Since the Community Garden has been installed we have a new Volunteer and Community Garden Officer, Cerys and we have established a fortnightly Gardening Club. 

People Speak Up were commissioned by The Integrated Children’s Centre in Morfa, Llanelli to work with the children to explore positive relationships, understand rights and responsibilities, consequences of actions and to feel empowered by finding their voice in their community. In the heart of the Morfa community, Over 14 weeks, our team of creatives used various art forms to create a space to explore identity, community and voice.

Local sculptor Mared Davies transformed metal into a testament to resilience and connection. Children created hands—each one a symbol of their rights and a beacon of positivity. These hands, adorned with words of hope, form the leaves of a tree—a Tree of Wisdom.

This Tree of Wisdom stands as a powerful symbol of their future, their hopes, and their dreams. It represents revival, growth, and the unyielding spirit of our community. Together, we nurture these dreams, fostering a brighter tomorrow for all.

Thanks to funding from Carmarthenshire County Council we were able to host Creative Warm Hubs at PSU Llanelli and Carmarthenshire Living Well Centre. We were able to create a space and time for people to drop in to our sessions during the cold months, to keep warm, meet others and connect and create.

Working with the Pen Y Bryn Gyspy and Traveller community and Hywel Dda University Health Board, we worked with the young people in the community on collecting stories to create a mural for the site cabin and to create a time for voices to be heard.
Collaboration with Fresh Creative artists.

On Saturday 2 November, Llanelli Unites and People Speak Up held their first Unity event, to celebrate and bring cultures, languages and stories from Llanelli and Carmarthenshire’s diverse communities.

The event hosted at People Speak Up, Park Street, Llanelli invited National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa and musician Parisa Fouladi to perform.

Following the event, Hanan Issa said, “Had a great time performing in Llanelli today at
People Speak Up. Felt important after the tensions we’ve seen here. Left with only gratitude for a beautiful space doing important work to support local refugee communities.”

There was also poetry and spoken word sharing's from the Association of Polish Journalists and Writers in Wales, who also meet at PSU every week.

"Presenting Polish poetry at a multicultural event was an incredible experience. We were aware that the audience did not speak Polish, but it was amazing to see how fascinated most listeners were by the sound of the Polish language. After our performance, many attendees approached us, eager to discuss the poetry and learn more about it. It was a great honour to perform alongside such talented poets and musicians. I am grateful that the Association of Polish Journalists and Writers in Wales Dialog, which is cooperating with People Speak Up, be part of this event," says Paulina Czubatka, the main editor of the anthology of the Polish poetry in Wales "Whisper in the Rain" and secretary of the Association of Polish Journalists and Writers in Wales Dialog.

Unity is now an annual event held at PSU Llanelli every November. 

In December 2024 we were invited to lead on arts and health activities at Carmarthenshire’s Living Well Centre – a one stop shop for preventative services and led by Planed.  Our second home to deliver activities in our community. 

Carmarthenshire Living Well Centre at Parc Dewi Sant offers an array of primary care health, third sector and support services ranging from mental health, dementia and carer support to information and advice, education, arts and exercise classes, amongst other activities, but providing clients and visitors with a coordinated and joined up approach that empowers the individual.

Co-ordinated by Planed, the development of the Living Well Centre came from a response to public demands for better coordination of services, and a willingness from multiple delivery partners to share resources and co-locate in Carmarthen.

We launched with Arty Afternoon, Story, Care & Share and Elevenses…and our drop in programme continues to grow…