DTA Wales Spring Conference 2025: A Day of Workshops, Connection & Inspiration
DTA Wales held our Spring Conference on March 27th in Caernarfon, hosted by longstanding member Galeri. It was an amazing day buzzing with conversations and connections, and too many excellent workshops to choose from.
This was only our second in-person event in recent years, and our first in North Wales, and we’re grateful to the team at Galeri and our fantastic host Meleri Davies, former CEO of Partneriaeth Ogwen, for helping the event run so smoothly.
We’re already looking forward to gathering again for our next conference in the Autumn, this time in either South-West or Mid Wales. We always hold our events at member venues, so if you’re keen to see us come to your region then let us know about any fantastic community owned facilities!
The workshops which took place were:
- Historic buildings: the benefits and challenges of community ownership with Architectural Heritage Fund’s Adam Hitchings.
- Building an Equitable Local Food System with Sarah and Katie from Social Farms & Gardens, and local food heroes Tyddyn Teg and Growing for Change.
- Community Climate Action chaired by Gwyneth Jones from Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig (DEG), Egin Facilitator Mair Jones and GwyrddNi facilitator Lowri Hedd Vaughan.
- Measuring What Matters: A guide to community activity evaluation with Jo McGreal from Co-Production Network Cymru
- Energy: Reducing costs and carbon emissions for community buildings with Elfed Lewis, green/low energy building practitioner and Building Performance Network Lead for the Good Homes Alliance.
- Cymunedoli: A Community of Communities with Haydn Wyn Jones.
We also heard words of tribute to the inspiring founder of Cymunedoli, Selwyn Williams, who sadly passed away in February and who left us with mobilising final instructions of “Don’t mourn – Organise.”
Final thanks to Bwyd Blasus Yashka for the incredible vegetarian lunch, and to Cymen for their translation support with the sometimes challenging acoustics.
