Glenda Roberts from Llanor near Pwllheli has been a valued member of the Dementia Actif Gwynedd & DEEP United family for 5 years. Glenda is living with dementia, she was diagnosed in her mid-fifties, and is a shining example of how to live life as well as she can with the disease. Although it was a different story when she was first diagnosed, as she had to deal with the reality of the disease and what that meant for her becoming despondent and anxious. However, since then she has regained her confidence and has become an activist standing up for the rights of people living with dementia. She is a member of several focus groups; she’s on the steering board for Bangor University Dementia Friendly Communities group and has taken part in National Conferences, where she speaks openly and honestly in front of hundreds of people! As a Welsh speaker, she is passionate about ensuring that people receive social and health care in Welsh if that is their language of choice.
So, when artist Teresa Jenellen approached us to ask if we knew of anyone in our groups who would be happy to share a time in their lives that had changed them and would like to have their portrait painted – we thought of Glenda.
Teresa received funding from the Arts Council of Wales to create 10 portraits of women throughout Wales who had experienced life-changing events. The project is called ‘Metamoffosis’ Here is the beautiful portrait Teresa created after meeting and speaking to Glenda.
Mae Glenda Roberts o Llanor ger Pwllheli wedi bod yn aelod gwerthfawr o deulu Dementia Actif Gwynedd a DEEP Unedig ers 5 mlynedd. Mae Glenda yn byw gyda dementia, cafodd ddiagnosis yng nghanol ei phumdegau, ac mae’n enghraifft ddisglair o sut i fyw bywyd cystal ag y gall gyda’r clefyd. Er ei bod yn stori wahanol pan gafodd ei diagnosio gyntaf, gan fod yn rhaid iddi ddelio â realiti’r clefyd a’r hyn a olygai hynny iddi ddod yn ddigalon ac yn bryderus. Fodd bynnag, ers hynny mae wedi adennill ei hyder ac wedi dod yn actifydd yn sefyll dros hawliau pobl sy’n byw gyda dementia. Mae hi’n aelod o sawl grŵp ffocws; mae hi ar fwrdd llywio grŵp Cymunedau Cyfeillgar i Ddementia Prifysgol Bangor ac wedi cymryd rhan mewn Cynadleddau Cenedlaethol, lle mae’n siarad yn agored ac yn onest o flaen cannoedd o bobl! Fel siaradwr Cymraeg, mae hi’n angerddol am sicrhau bod pobl yn derbyn gofal cymdeithasol ac iechyd yn Gymraeg os mai dyna yw eu dewis iaith.
Felly, pan ddaeth yr artist Teresa Jenellen atom i ofyn a oeddem yn gwybod am unrhyw un yn ein grwpiau a fyddai’n hapus i rannu amser yn eu bywydau a oedd wedi eu newid ac a hoffai gael eu portread wedi’i baentio – roeddem yn meddwl am Glenda.
Derbyniodd Teresa gyllid gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru i greu 10 portread o ferched ledled Cymru a oedd wedi profi digwyddiadau newid bywyd. Enw’r prosiect yw ‘Metamoffosis’ Dyma’r portread hardd a greodd Teresa ar ôl cyfarfod a siarad â Glenda.
