National Poet of Wales named ambassador for leading cancer support charity

Nation Cymru staff

National Poet of Wales, Hanan Issa, has become an ambassador for cancer support charity Maggie’s Cardiff, based at Velindre Cancer Centre.

The Welsh-Iraqi poet and filmmaker became the first Muslim to hold the title of National Poet of Wales in 2022.

Hanan has supported Maggie’s Cardiff through her involvement with the centre’s literature evenings and will continue that connection later this year when she takes part in Maggie’s Culture Crawl.

Hanan shared: “It’s an honour to be a Maggie’s Ambassador. I’m looking forward to getting involved and raising awareness so that more people find this refuge of incredible support.”

Hanan, along with Cardiff Rugby and Welsh International player Teddy Williams will be working closely with the centre, helping to raise awareness of Maggie’s across south-east Wales.

Maggie’s national ambassadors include broadcasters Mark Chapman and Sian Williams, Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, and recording artist AJ Tracey, as Maggie’s marks its 30th year of supporting people with cancer.

The National Poet of Wales acts as a cultural ambassador for the nation, creating works which promote the image of Wales; works are read at ceremonial and official occasions. The post alternates between poets who write in English, and poets who write mainly in Welsh, and is supported by the Arts Council of Wales’ Lottery fund.

Hanan Issa was named the national poet of Wales by Literature Wales in July 2022.

As well as being a poet, Hanan is a filmmaker and artist whose recent works include her poetry collection My Body Can House Two Hearts and her contribution to Welsh (Plural): Essays on the Future of Wales and The Mab.

She co-founded the Cardiff open-mic night Where I’m Coming From and has worked with the Bush Theatre, Channel 4 and Ffilm Cymru / BBC Wales. She was also a member of the first cohort of writers who took part in Literature Wales’ Representing Wales programme in 2021.

Sam Holliday, Maggie’s Cardiff Centre Head, said: “We are excited to welcome Hanan Issa, the National Poet of Wales, as an ambassador for Maggie’s in Cardiff. We look forward to working with Hanan to raise the profile of our centre. Her support will help Maggie’s continue providing expert cancer care to people in the South-East Wales community.”

Maggie’s has been providing free, expert emotional and practical support for people with cancer for 30 years.

A Maggie’s centre provides free emotional, practical, and psychological support for people with cancer, their families, and friends.

Located next to major NHS hospitals, these drop-in centres require no appointment or referral, offering a calm, non-clinical space away from hospital wards

Maggie’s Cardiff opened in 2019, and is one of three Maggie’s centres in Wales. In 2025, the centre welcomed more than 10,000 visits from people with cancer and their family and friends. Find out more here.

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