DR BETHAN RYLAND
CREATIVE HEALTH | EVALUATION | CONSULTANCY
DR BETHAN RYLAND
CREATIVE HEALTH | EVALUATION | CONSULTANCY
Research, creativity and real-world experience
I’m Dr Bethan Ryland, a creative health researcher, evaluator, practitioner and consultant with over 20 years’ experience across the arts, health, community and public sectors.
My work brings together evaluation, research, creative health, project development, funding, training and strategic development. I support organisations to understand and demonstrate their impact, develop stronger projects, secure funding, build meaningful partnerships and turn ambitious ideas into work that can make a real difference.
What connects all of this is an understanding of both what makes a strong project and how to evidence the difference it makes.
01
Research grounded in practice
My academic work grew directly from my experience as a creative practitioner. My PhD explored arts practice in care homes in Wales, developing my specialist knowledge of creative ageing, dementia and the contribution creativity can make to health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Research continues to inform the way I work, but my approach is firmly grounded in practice. I have worked directly with children and young people, older people, people living with dementia, families, artists and communities, alongside charities, health professionals, local authorities, cultural organisations and regional partnerships.
I am also the founder of Dr B Creative CIC, which gives me continuing first-hand experience of project development, fundraising, delivery and evaluating creative programmes in communities.
This combination of research and practice means I understand projects from different perspectives - from the experience of the participant to the requirements of the organisation, commissioner or funder.
02
Evaluation that is useful
I provide independent evaluation for arts, health, wellbeing and community projects, helping organisations understand not simply what happened, but what changed, for whom, why it mattered and what can be learned from it.
My approach combines qualitative and quantitative evidence with participant voice, consultation, practitioner insight and reflective learning. Depending on the project, this can include Theory of Change, evaluation frameworks, interviews and focus groups, surveys, case studies, evidence reviews, data analysis and independent evaluation and impact reports.
I believe evaluation should be useful. A strong evaluation can demonstrate impact to a funder or commissioner, but it should also help an organisation understand its work, recognise what could be strengthened and make better decisions about what happens next.
03
Developing ideas and making things happen
My experience extends across the whole life of a project - from the first idea and funding application, to development, delivery, evaluation and demonstrating impact.
I have designed and written successful funding applications, undertaken research and consultation, built partnerships and developed programmes and budgets. This, in turn, has created outcomes and evaluation approaches for organisations to turn ideas into credible, achievable and fundable projects.
My work also includes strategic cultural development. This has included leading transition work for Blackwood Miners’ Institute, bringing together strategic planning, evidence, stakeholder engagement, partnership development and funding to help secure a future for an important cultural venue during a period of significant change.
This experience means I understand that a successful funding application is about much more than good writing. Strong projects need a clear purpose, evidence of need, meaningful involvement, realistic delivery, appropriate partnerships and a convincing understanding of the difference the work intends to make.
04
Training, teaching and sharing practice
Sharing knowledge is an important part of my work. I design and deliver training, workshops and facilitate sessions for professionals and organisations across the arts, health, care and community sectors.
I have delivered professional training as part of a Wales-wide training programme, provided training for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, and worked with organisations and partnerships including Llamau and the Cardiff and Vale Regional Partnership Board.
I am also a guest lecturer at the University of South Wales and have presented papers and shared my research and practice with academic and professional audiences.
My training draws together research, evidence and practical experience, creating opportunities for people to explore ideas, reflect on their own practice and take useful learning back into their organisations.
05
Working across sectors
Over more than two decades, my work has taken me from grassroots creative and community practice to strategic work with health services, local authorities, universities, charities, cultural organisations and regional partnerships.
That breadth of experience is important to how I work. I understand that the same project can look very different depending on whether you are the person taking part, the practitioner delivering it, the organisation managing it, the commissioner investing in it or the funder asking what difference it made.
My role is to bring those perspectives together and help organisations develop work that is creative, credible, evidence-informed and meaningful.
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| Children & Young People | Community Development | Cultural Development | Participation & Engagement | Funding & Project Development | Training & Facilitation
Areas of experience
| Creative Health | Evaluation & Impact | Arts & Wellbeing | Creative Ageing | Dementia