It’s not every day you come across someone on the WEN Wales 100 Welsh Women list but for Llanelli-based sound artist and poet Cheryl Beer, it’s just one of many accolades. The creator of Sound Memories Dementia Friendly Radio Station, Cheryl is currently working on Walk 19, an innovative ‘environmental sound mapping’ project bringing the outside world inside for older people who are shielding or unable to go out.

Funded by the Arts Council of Wales’s National Lottery Good Causes, Walk 19 recreates people’s favourite walks using sound and images, enabling older individuals and people living with dementia to stay connected to the special places they love. Cheryl explains:

“Sound has an immense power to evoke memories and keep us connected us to our life story. Recreating a uniquely personal soundscape can take people back to a deeply meaningful place and time. The sense of agency someone feels in sharing their story and experiencing the piece that flows from our interaction can have a hugely beneficial effect on their wellbeing.”

To further enhance the Walk 19 experience, Cheryl is now being supported by Fusion in creating sensory boxes full of natural objects the person might find on their walk, whether it’s seaweed from the beach, or acorns from the woods.

Although each walk is specific to someone who has shared their own personal memories, the pieces can also be used as a resource for others to enjoy. This December, there will be a series of online exhibitions of the walks with a live stream into local care homes.

If you’d like to get involved or find out more, you can catch up with Cheryl’s Walk 19 news every Friday lunchtime on Facebook, visit the Sound Memories Dementia Friendly Radio Station website for information on the online exhibitions or learn more about Cheryl’s story on cherylbeer.com.