Our Past, Our Future
Tanio is committed to providing access
to arrange of creative activities and
interventions to different communities,
both locally and internationally
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Established during the miners’ strike in South Wales in the early 1980s under the name Valley & Vale, the organisation has worked with countless people using Community Arts as a vehicle for exploration, education, and empowerment. After decades of work, we’ve naturally evolved to align with what communities need from us, and in 2020, we rebranded as Tanio to align with our refreshed direction and purpose. Tanio means ‘to spark’ or ‘ignite’ in Welsh.
Focusing on three core values – igniting community, igniting creativity, and igniting change – Tanio believes that individuals and communities can be strengthened and enriched when they are equipped with the courage, knowledge, and self-assurance that creative self-expression nurtures. Community Arts is a perfect vehicle for such exploration, education, and empowerment.
Igniting communities is our commitment to bringing people together to explore their creativity. We help participants to form new connections, while providing escapism from everyday life. Our door is always open, and everybody is always welcome.
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Igniting creativity means we will give everyone an outlet to connect with the arts in a safe, empowering space, where everybody’s contribution to the creative process is valued. Each person is creative in their own way, and we will help enable your creativity to flourish by teaching you new skills or growing skills you already have.
Igniting  change is our promise to use the arts to have important conversations and instigate meaningful change working alongside you, for you,  and for  your community.  
Engaging in new art forms is one of the best ways to promote lifelong learning and stay connected to our mental and physical health. There’s always an opportunity to express yourself through creativity, and we want to help you explore, on your terms, the art forms that you love. We can’t promise everything, but we can promise to always try.
Meet the
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trustees
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Kevin Mably – Chair
Kelly Barr - Vice-Chair
Lauren Davies
Tom Dyer
Huw Marshall
Gray Hill
Adam Wakeford
Sybil Fowler
Illustrations by @jackskivensillustration
team
Volunteer With Us
Volunteering with Tanio is a fantastic opportunity to help your community while learning valuable skills and gaining useful experience. By joining us, you'll be part of a supportive and inclusive environment where your contributions matter. Whether you're helping to deliver projects, providing administrative support, or making cups of tea, your efforts will improve the quality of our work and give you a sense of ownership. Plus, you'll have access to training and development opportunities, making your volunteer journey both rewarding and enriching.
Come and be a part of something special with Tanio!
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To register your interest in becoming a volunteer, fill out this form.
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Work With Us
Much of Tanio’s work is project-based, which means we are always looking for new freelance artist facilitators to work with. Watch this space for artist call-outs, and for salaried roles which sometimes become available. Or if you have a great idea for a project and want to chat about it with us, drop us an email to helo@taniocymru.com and we’ll be in touch!
Partner With Us
Tanio believe in the power of collaboration to effect change
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We’re always interested in having conversations about new partnerships
and ways of working together.
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If you’d like to know more about us, or if there’s a way you envision us working together,
get in touch by emailing helo@taniocymru.com
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Access Rider:
At Tanio, we are committed to inclusivity and ensuring everyone
can work with us easily. If you need support, please complete our
access rider form to let us know how we can assist you.
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Click here for the form.
Our Partners & Funders
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We work in partnership with all different types of people and parties, from third sector organisations and charities, to housing associations and councils, to artists and community groups.
Some of our current and recent partners include:
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PARTICIPANT A
Participant A attends our Breathing Space group at Tanio HQ in Betws. They are an older person (50+) with complex needs and long-term health conditions. They shared with us the benefits they have felt from attending weekly Breathing Space workshops: ‘Breathing Space has given me confidence that I lost and has helped me to get out of the house and meet new people. I would recommend it to everyone.’ ‘I love Breathing Space and I don’t know what I would do without it. I have really enjoyed learning new things and doing crafts. I really loved the social side of the group too – going along every week when I was well and meeting new people and making new friends. I liked learning from the tutor too, she is so talented. I live on my own and I loved getting out of the house and meeting new people. I really enjoyed learning from our tutor and some of the others were a bit younger than me, so I really enjoyed the intergenerational side of the sessions. I have made lots of new friends and my daughter also started coming with me too, which has been nice. I would recommend it to everybody! It has helped me feel confident again.’ ‘You don’t realise how important it is for us to come here every week. It makes a big difference.’
PARTICIPANT B
Case Studies
Participant B, who is age 40+ and lives with mental health problems, has shared how attending weekly Breathing Space sessions at Tanio HQ in Betws has helped them cope with isolation and to manage personal difficulties: ‘It gets me out of the house and helps me deal with isolation. I have come every week since I started and find the group really supportive and I make new friends.’ ‘This group has really helped pull me through after a very difficult personal situation at the beginning of last year – I don’t know what I would have done without it.’ ‘I find it very relaxing and my mood always lifts. Like today I hadn’t been out the house this week until I came along and it made me feel much better. Creating the art has a very relaxing effect on me – it helps my brain slow down which I need sometimes.’ They shared that they were initially ‘a bit unsure’ about joining because they had ‘no confidence in art’, but that the workshops have helped them build their confidence to try new creative activities: ‘[The workshops are] informative, I try different things I wouldn’t have chance to do otherwise. It’s very friendly and enjoyable. The space is nice and staff are really supportive – I always feel like I can ask if I need help with anything. It’s very creative, I like making all the different things and the getting new skills.’ Since attending the weekly Breathing Space sessions, Participant B has also started volunteering during our events. They are a valuable person at each event they attend, proving themselves to be reliable, proactive, and always ready to help. They actively seek out and look for more ways to get involved, which reflects the growth in confidence achieved through Breathing Space.
ARTIST A
Tobias Robertson – Breathing Space Facilitator Tobias is a successful performer (watch his audition for The Voice on YouTube if you want to see just how good he is) who recently started the move into community and health focused work. Joining Tanio as an artist on our Breathing Space Program is part of that journey and we recognise the amazing skill and passion he brings. ‘What has been really good about doing this work with Tanio is the support I’ve been given. This is the first group that I’ve run as the main facilitator and I was a bit nervous at first – I came in to shadow Tom on the first few sessions, then used the structure and some of the activities to build my workshops. That’s what really helped me to feel confident in what I’m doing, knowing that the support is there if I need it.’ ‘I’m really passionate about helping support others and currently studying for a Level 3 Counselling qualification. Although I won’t be doing Counselling in Breathing Space – I am using skills I’m learning alongside music to have a real positive impact on the group.’ ‘Seeing [the participants] have that self-confidence grow, just from a weekly hour and a half session, it’s just an amazing thing to be a part of.’