Co-producing Wales this week...

[Ruth Dineen]

Tuesday: great Spice training event with the very jolly folk of Carmarthenshire Council Housing Services who are aiming to co-produce their perfect community through a time-credit project. Wednesday: invigorating co-pro seminar and discussion with Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil, supported by WCVA who are spreading the co-pro word like good-uns. Thursday morning: stunning presentations from (among others) Joe Powell (Director, All Wales People First) and Ralph Broad (Director, Inclusive Neighbourhoods) about the Local Area Co-ordination initiative courtesy of the Local Area Co-ordination Study Group. Thursday afternoon: South Wales Co-pro Network Meeting, hosted by Monmouth County Council. Superb work being done in MCC to release our inner creative co-prodders - lovely lovely people, lovely lovely initiatives. Do look them up. And the amazing Diana Reynolds from the Welsh Government talked about transforming organisational cultures at the heart of government. But the most powerful presentation was from Sara Chicken, mother of Emily, and her full-time carer who provided a moving reminder of why co-production is so vitally important.

And our Open Letter to the First Minister now has over 150 signatures.