A ballet company has launched a special set of sessions to help children with arthritis.
Ballet Cymru has partnered with the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to provide creative and inclusive support to children and young people living with juvenile arthritis.
Dr Joanne May, who established Wales' first specialist service for paediatric rheumatology in 2019, initiated the collaboration after identifying the benefits of creative interventions for holistic care.
Dr May said: "We aim to deliver holistic care but time in clinics is limited which often means the focus is on condition management and treatment.
"Early on, we recognised that creative interventions would benefit children not only because dance elements would support movement, but also because they provided an opportunity to build confidence and support the wellbeing of children and their families."
Funded by the Arts Council Wales, the innovative Dance to Move programme was designed with Ballet Cymru.
It offers an immersive experience for children and their families, exploring dance, drawing, and elements of a ballet production, such as costume design and storytelling.
Community events have been hosted in Cardiff, Newport, and Carmarthen as part of the programme.
These family fun days were supported by Cymru Versus Arthritis and offered workshops in dance, yoga, and drawing, alongside mindfulness sessions for parents and carers.
Access and Inclusion Officer at Ballet Cymru, Louise Lloyd, said: "The idea was to make it open, friendly, and inviting... The children and young people felt included and you could see their confidence grow throughout the day."
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