The first Welsh woman to climb Mount Everest and an award-winning former BBC journalist are among the line-up of speakers for Community Housing Cymru’s One Big conference in Cardiff next month.
Tori James and Sarah Dickins will be speaking at the conference on July 4 and 5 at the Mercure Hotel in Cardiff. This will bring together the key people and organisations from across Wales’s housing sector to discuss how they can support housing associations and tenants, and develop housing services across Wales.
During this year’s two-day event, speakers will be discussing retrofitting existing homes to meet the growing demand for housing, decarbonisation and net zero, building affordable homes and protecting the environment, and delivering high quality homes.
The two women are among a host of speakers, panellists and industry experts who will be sharing their experiences.
Sarah Dickins (left) was the BBC’s economics correspondent for 10 years and will be discussing the economic outlook: what it means for Wales, the social housing sector and net zero ambitions.
The former journalist, who left the BBC to become a sustainable economics advisor, said: ‘I’m really looking forward to speaking at the event, I think Community Housing Cymru and the sector are really crucial to the changes that we are all going to have to make in terms of becoming more sustainable, supporting the transition in terms of how it affects employers and tenants, and the changes we need to cope with in the next few years.’
Tori James, who became the first Welsh woman to climb Mount Everest at 25, will be discussing resilience for people and teams in difficult times.
The star of On Top of the World, about her expedition and record-breaking climb, said: ‘I’m very excited to be speaking at the Community Housing Cymru One Big conference. I’ll be sharing my experiences from some of the most extreme and demanding environments around the world.
‘I will look at what it takes to be a high performing team, deliver under pressure and develop resilience to see you through in the long term.’
CHC chief executive Stuart Ropke said: ‘Over the years our One Big conference has become a staple in the housing events calendar and we’re proud to be able to bring the sector together again in this genuinely impactful way.
‘One Big is an invaluable space where housing association leaders and key people can come together to discuss the big issues, share their thoughts, and work together to make a difference to Wales’s evolving housing sector.
‘We look forward to seeing all our housing association members, partners, guests and speakers, for what is shaping up to be another memorable year.”
To find out more about the One Big conference, and to buy tickets, visit Community Housing Cymru’s website.