New artwork on stairwells encourages staff to speak Welsh

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) staff will be stepping up their Welsh language skills thanks to new artwork which has been installed on the stairwells at the organisation’s Woodland House headquarters.

The new artwork, which features Welsh landmarks and common Welsh words was kindly funded by Cardiff & Vale Health Charity. 

It has been installed as part of the recently-launched Meddwl Cymraeg - Think Welsh campaign, which encourages Health Board employees to actively think about the Welsh language, and consider how they can contribute to making services more accessible to Welsh speakers. 

The campaign is part of wider efforts to celebrate the Health Board’s heritage as a major public sector organisation in the Welsh capital, with initiatives such as the installation of the new artwork designed to further the use of the Welsh language.

Jessica Sharp, Welsh Language Officer at Cardiff and Vale UHB said: “This is a big step forward for us within Cardiff and Vale UHB with regards to the profile of the Welsh language. 

“Approximately 65 per cent of the population are visual learners, and so, by placing these art works in busy circulation areas we hope that staff will begin to notice and learn these simple greetings and phrases to use with colleagues and patients – an important starting point as we look to embed a truly bilingual culture.

“We are very grateful to have the support of the Executive Team, Abi Harris, Executive Director of Strategic Planning in particular, as our designated Board Welsh Language Champion, and with the full support from the Capital, Estates and Facilities Teams.  I’d also like to thank Grosvenor Interiors for their continued support and help in producing the artwork.”