15 October 2020 

The Arts & Business Cymru awards took place on Friday 9th October and had a virtual crowd of 200 people. Despite having to move online, the awards were just as fabulous as ever, with celebrity guests and stunning awards designed by ceramicist Lowri Davies. Rubicon were thrilled to win the award in the Arts, Business and Health category for our partnership work with Cardiff and Vale Health Charity's Art team.

For a number of years, our sessions at University Hospital Llandough have helped combat the risks of physical and mental health decline in older people, and to ensure sessions could continue throughout lockdown we made a series of videos for use on the wards as well as the Health Board’s rehabilitation website. This has meant that participants can still interact and dance together in a safe environment whilst lockdown restrictions remain in place.   

The use of dance and music in sessions improves mood and encourages participants to move, which has positive benefits for their flexibility, strength and co-ordination. This project has been led by Rubicon’s development team and dance leaders, alongside the multi-disciplinary team in the Mental Health Services for Older People unit. This partnership has produced an array of successful outcomes for patients, and we are extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve with CAVUHB’s Art team.  

This project would not have been possible without funding from Cardiff & Vale Health Charity and Arts&Business Cymru’s CultureStep Scheme, and we were delighted to be recognised for this vital work in the annual awards evening. 

Simone Joslyn, Head of Arts at Cardiff and Vale UHB, said, “We are so pleased and proud to have been awarded this Arts & Business Cymru award. However, we are even more pleased that our work with Rubicon has been able to continue during these extremely challenging and difficult times. It is clear that the arts are essential to not only the holistic care of patients but to our collective wellbeing and I hope that businesses like ours are able to continue working with artistic organisations long into the future.” 

Kathryn Williams, Director of Rubicon Dance, said, “Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Cardiff & Vale Health Charity and are committed supporters of Rubicon’s Dance in Health Programme, and this has seen the partnership between us deepen over the years. It is wonderful to see how patients have reaped real benefits by taking part in our dance activities and working together has significantly contributed to the sustainability of this important aspect of Rubicon’s work.”