Common Ground: CHWA International Conference 2026

About the conference

We're excited to announce that the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance's international conference will run from 7-9 October 2026 in Barnsley.

Our theme for 2026 is Common Ground and we will be learning from people in our own and related fields about how we can come together to affect deep and much-needed systemic change.

This year we will work with international partners to share knowledge with practitioners and strategists around the world.

As ever we will be guided by the , to build a gathering that is person-centred, equitable, safe, creative, collaborative, realistic, reflective and sustainable.

Our main hub with be Barnsley Civic, with satellite workshop/meeting spaces around Barnsley town centre.

You can read about our

Header Image: from workshop with Leon Clowes, Making Change 2023. Photo Michael Aiden.

Conference Days

• Wednesday 7 October, 1pm - 5.30pm (6.30 - 9pm evening event); Mid afternoon drinks and cake + a hot evening meal and drinks
• Thursday 8 October, 10 - 5.30pm; Lunchtime buffet with drinks + mid afternoon drinks and cake
• Friday 9 October, 9.45am - 1pm; Mid morning hot drinks

The programme is currently being shaped and we will update this page with a full list of speakers, events and workshops in the coming months.

We will advertise digital tickets closer to the time.

We plan to have some bursaries available, and will announce a callout here and in our newsletter soon.

In line with our Climate policy, all food served will be vegetarian and we will not be providing bottles of water. Please let us know about any allergies, intolerances and preferences when you book your ticket.

Who is it for?

It is for people who are interested in creativity/ culture, health and wellbeing, and how to work effectively across different sectors and settings to bring about positive social change.

We imagine our audience will be a mixture of people with lived experience of using creativity and culture to support their own health and wellbeing, health and care professionals, freelancers and organisations in arts, culture and heritage, the research community, and leaders from across voluntary and community sector, health and local authorities.

Accessibility is important to us.

We understand that access is a highly personal and ever evolving area of need, and that barriers to access come in many forms. Read more about our commitment to creating an accessible event here.

Our access support in 2026 includes:

• Free essential companion tickets for those who would otherwise struggle to attend
• Main panels supported with live captioning
• Quiet spaces
• Support staff and marshalls, including mental health first aiders across sites
• Physical signage and way-finding
• Shorter sessions and regular breaks

Please let us know how we can support you to participate in this event via the booking form or write to Lara Eggleton at [email protected]. If you require BSL support, please inform us as soon as possible. We would also like to know in advance if you have childcare responsibilities, so that we can potentially build in support for this.

Tickets

We have worked to keep ticket costs as low as possible for all attendees and subsided wherever we can. We have created a tiered ticket system to reflect additional costs faced by freelancers and unsalaried workers for attending.

Please select a ticket that reflects your work. Here are our definitions for large and small organisations.

• Large organisations:10 + FTE employees or more
• Small organisations: under 10 + FTE employees or more

Bursaries

We are working with local and national partners to secure a small number of bursaries; a call-out will be be announced soon.

Companion Tickets

We offer free companion tickets to those with access needs, who would otherwise struggle to attend the event. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Sponsorship

For those who would like to support the conference (eg. bursary places, volunteer expenses, sustainable catering, etc.) in exchange for advertising opportunities, we'll be launching our new sponsorship packages soon!

Planning your trip

Find out more about travelling to Barnsley and where to stay via this link.

NB: There is limited town centre accommodation, so do book early if you would like to stay close to the conference venues.

Refund Policy

For in-person tickets, we can provide a refund minus the Eventbrite processing costs until two weeks before the conference. After that point we regret that we can't provide refunds, but we may be able to accept a transfer of your ticket to another holder.

Please contact [email protected] with any requests for a refund.

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