Yesterday I joined the Wales Working Together conference at Cardiff City Stadium, a national forum for conversations around community wellbeing, suicide and bereavement. It was a day which built on the foundations of previous years, and you could feel those roots holding firm.
Barrie Philips opened the day as MC, with Ahmed Alsisi of White Rose Funerals hosting.
From the first moments, the tone was set: this is work which matters, and it matters now. Members of the steering group came to the stage to share why they do what they do, and their passion filled the room.
Dr Joanne Hopkins, Programme Director of ACE Criminal Justice and Violence Prevention, gave an inspiring talk on her work, followed by Shav Taj MS and Jay Dave, who shared their lived experiences around ethnicity and diversity.
After a break, there were three workshops:
- Invisible Walls on the emotional trauma children carry when a parent is in prison;
- Action Deafness Cymru on sign language and supporting members of the Deaf community;
- and Mark Isherwood, retired MS, on community engagement in action.
The first panel explored bereavement, coronial and system improvement, led powerfully by Prof Jon Bisson on people’s experiences following the death of a loved one, and how systems can become more dignified, accessible and inclusive.
Steph Lotz of Convo shared valuable insight on how services can make themselves more accessible for sign language users.
Emma Wools, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, then spoke about creating spaces of safety within our communities.
After lunch, Laura Tranter and Hannah Wenden offered an insightful presentation on suicide and self-harm in Wales, particularly in supporting children and young people. A second panel on building resilient communities, led by Nicola Morgan, Education Consultant, brought another powerful session.
Lisa Taylor then spoke to how suicide and bereavement can impact members of a school community, and Amy Davies, Public Health Principal, shared Hapus – hapus.wales – which seeks to support greater mental health awareness.
As the day drew to a close, I led a short workshop exploring our body’s responses to overwhelm and grief, looking at the evolutionary purpose of these changes so we can loosen the sense that there is something ‘wrong’ with us, and sharing techniques for self-support.
Throughout the day there were chances to network and browse the exhibitor stalls, making those all-important connections which help build a more joined-up and cohesive support system. What if the connections we made yesterday are the seeds of something stronger still?
For further information on the conference, vision and mission, steering group, speakers, next steps, and more, you can read and download the conference booklet: Wales Working Together 2026
You can also view the conference website here: Wales Working Together conference
A fabulous day, strengthening the vision and giving us plenty of food for thought as we look to next year.
