19 Jul 2019
At the recent Arts & Business Cymru Awards, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed Powys (the Commissioner’s Office) was presented with the ‘Arts, Business and Young People Award’ for its innovative partnership with Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch.
The Arts & Business (A&B) Cymru Awards 2019 took place on stage at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre in front of over 400 guests from the arts and business sectors.
The partnership between the Commissioner’s Office and Aberystwyth-based Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch was established in 2017 and grew from a concern about the issue of sexual exploitation in rural areas. Commissioned by Police Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn, Arad Goch devised a piece of forum theatre entitled #Hudo/#Tempted, aimed at secondary school pupils, which directly engages them in a range of scenarios for discussion.
Dafydd Llywelyn, Police and Crime Commissioner of Dyfed Powys, said:
“I am delighted that the success of our partnership has received national recognition. I wanted to address the problem of sexual exploitation in rural areas in a creative way. Joining forces with Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch has been effective in tackling such a sensitive and challenging issue. The success of this production has been phenomenal and I’m pleased to announce that further funding from the Commissioner’s Community Funding scheme will be made available to enable #Tempted to go on tour again and ensure that this important message is relayed to even more young people in the region. I would like to thank Arad Goch for interpreting our message in such an effective way.”
Jeremy Turner, Artistic Director of Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch commented:
“Young people’s wellbeing and ideas are at the heart of the company’s work and the financial support by the commissioner allowed us to perform this important play Tempted to many more of them. Just as important as the financial support was the discussions and practical help we received from the commissioner and his staff as we researched and performed this sensitive issue. We congratulate Dafydd Llywelyn and his team and their innovation to recognise the value and potential of creativity and the arts to help young people and their safety.”
The project also saw the director working closely with Dyfed-Powys Police’s SchoolBeat programme, to further understand the theme of sexual exploitation, helping to ensure that Tempted covered a range of aspects of this difficult and dark subject in a way which is accessible for the target audience.
During the evening of the Arts and Business Cymru Awards, Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch also won the Hodge Arts Award, and the Commissioner’s Office were finalists in the Admiral Business of the Year 2019 award, both categories recognizing the strong partnership developed between both organisations.
