Men-only creative sessions aimed at supporting mental health and wellbeing are set to begin at the Welfare Ystradgynlais next month.

The Man Made project is being delivered by the Welfare in partnership with mental health charity BloomSpace Foundation, with funding from Arts Council Wales. It follows research and consultation with local men about creative activities they would find interesting and beneficial.

Nine free sessions are planned, covering ceramics, visual arts and photography. The first three will be led by Kaz Woods, who appeared on this year’s Channel 4 series The Great Pottery Throwdown, with participants learning techniques including pinch pots and coiling and making items to take home.

Artist Bill Taylor-Beale will then lead three visual arts sessions, covering activities including sketchbook-making, sketching, acrylic painting and printing. The final three sessions will focus on photography with Lloyd Straghan, including camera techniques and editing, as well as opportunities to photograph a live music practice and show at the Welfare.

Zoe Gealy, the Welfare’s community and engagement manager, said: “We’re really excited to get started on the workshop phase of this project. Earlier in the year, we surveyed local men on what creative workshops they felt would be of most interest to them and most beneficial to their own mental health and wellbeing.”

The project will also measure its impact, with participants asked to complete a wellbeing questionnaire before the workshops and after the final session.

The ceramics sessions take place on October 4, 11 and 24 at 10am. Visual arts sessions are on October 29, November 12 and 26 at 4pm, while photography sessions take place on November 4 and 18 and December 2 from 6pm.

All sessions are free and can be booked through the Welfare Ystradgynlais website, which can be found at: www.thewelfare.co.uk