Theme: REALISE Community Potential

The acronym REALISE represented

Resilience, Engagement, Adaptability, Liberation, Innovation, Supportive, Enterprising.

On April 1st TEDxHolyhead 2016, happened at the Ucheldre Centre, Holyhead, Anglesey. http://www.ucheldre.org/

Our speakers for TEDxHolyhead this year represented some of the potential present in communities everywhere. We’re moving psychologically away from top down hierarchical bureaucracies; towards an era of family and community. What you hear and see in the news is a last stand by the old guard, what you don’t hear about is the transformation that’s occurring one individual, one community, one enlightened leader, one poet or one social business at a time. Below the level of the corporate media, you’ll find a much stronger economy, resilient communities and bags of potential just waiting to be unleashed, moving us all towards a brave new world.

Our Speakers highlighted this to us over and over. It was an inspirational and often moving day with some powerful messages of hope, resilience, forgiveness and enterprise.

And if that isn’t enough after the event, we ventured outside after the last speaker to hold a Firewalk! What a way to end the night! Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPfHioHo9fw

Ucheldre Centre
Mill Bank
Holyhead, Isle of Anglesey, LL65 1TE
United Kingdom

Cat Williams

Author, Counsellor

She has been a qualified relationship counsellor since 2006 and is also a British Army wife with a passion for teaching emotional resilience and positive relationship skills. Cat is currently based back in her home village near Wrexham where she has a private practice working with individuals and couples, as well as in schools and workplaces. She delivers engaging and practical workshops on stress management, anti-bullying, friendship skills, self-confidence, self-esteem, coping with change and ‘Managing ‘F.I.E.R.Y’ situations©’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zULlOjSs0I

Denise Laura Baker

The Real Junk Food Project Network Coordinator, Speaker, Cuilinary Expert and Writer

In 2009 after facing redundancy from her job as a psychologist, Denise faced major life changes. Unable to find academic work, spending six months on the dole, Denise fell into debt, became depressed and was forced to rely on her creativity as a chef (she trained when she first left school) in order to feed her family. To cheer herself up she started food writing and opened her house as an ‘underground restaurant’ but lived a mostly ‘freegan’ life surviving on food retrieved from skips and living very cheaply. She became self-employed setting up her own catering company and found success. The Bethesda Pay As You Feel Cafe / Caffi Cyfrannu i Rannu was born in February 2015. It was the first PAYF cafe in Wales. Denise now co-ordinates TRJFP network in Wales. She helps and supports those wishing to start their own projects and shares surplus food with those that need it most through a local sharing network. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WhPuhHSSJw

Elin Haf Davies

Extreme Adventurering Social Enterprising Author

Elin Haf Davies has combined her career in paediatric health and her passion for sport and extreme adventure. In 2014 Elin founded aparito – a digital health social enterprise using wearable technology and smart phone apps to monitor patients remotely. In 2007-2008 she rowed across the 2600 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, raising £190,000 for metabolic research at Great Ormond Street Hospital. In 2009 Elin was part of the first all female crew to ever row across the Indian Ocean. The 3500 miles took 78 days to complete, but secured a place for the girls in the 2011 Guinness Book of Records. In 2012 Elin completed her hat-trick of oceans by sailing 6000 miles across the north Pacific, in 30 days Elin’s adventures over the years have raised over £250,000 for charities. Her book “On Tempestuous Seas” is a gritty account :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0_tavkKvS8

Jamie Denyer

Speaker and Plasterer

1 punch can kill April 14th 2012 changed Jamie’s life forever-this was the date his 19 year old nephew was murdered by a 14 year old boy, after seeing how much destruction it caused his family, he made a decision to tell young people how their actions can have serious consequences. “The talk from beginning to end just hit me full on. I was gripped through the entire presentation. Incredible, moving, inspiring & emotional is how I would describe it. It’s definitely something every young person needs to hear..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiH7T6HsaxM

Jo Hinchliffe

Freelance training designer, facilitator, community developer and author

By day Jo is a freelance training designer, facilitator, community developer and author.. working a cross a wide variety of sectors from innovation incubators to health promotion. Aside from this Jo (aka concreted0g) is also a maker, an electronics hobbyist, a machinist, a musician, an artist and general tinkerer. An advocate of self led learning Jo’s playful approach to development keeps him fresh, usually getting involved in interesting projects! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiR9U-tSEw8

Jon Symes

Author, speaker and poet.

Since the publication of his book, Your Planet Needs You, he has spent 10 years travelling the world with a wake-up call for humanity, and supporting the emerging network of citizens working for a sustainable, just and peaceful future. In this work he has advocated for, learned from and been inspired by indigenous people in both South and North America. Now, having spent a year living in Ecuador, Jon and his wife are setting up Friends of the Forest, a worldwide network of people standing in support of, and solidarity with, the people of the Amazon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzvMOnaUATg

Jon Woodall

Jon Woodall was always fascinated in all things digital. And he’d run his own business since the age of 24. So in 2008 he decided to mix business and pleasure and founded ‘Space 48′ which now employs a team of 37 who help retailers develop eCommerce platforms. Jon’s perspective changed in 2013 when he decided to set-up a conference. Initially he saw it as a marketing tool, but soon realised that he wanted to create something more fundamental. So he gathered suppliers, industry experts, platforms and clients together with his own competitors. Tickets sold fast, and then he panicked! Was he about to give away the secrets of his success? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM8ZiM6Csk0

Liam Barrie

One half of the Barrie Brothers, Liam has been working with his brother Ellis to create the ever impressing The Marram Grass. The brothers started on their entrepreneurial adventure 5 years ago, whilst in the very early 20’s, and have transformed an old potting shed, on a campsite on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, into a restaurant which is receiving national recognition. The Barrie brothers are now expanding and are using the same values and energy to create Gardd Rhosyr (Rhosyr Garden) - An open farm concept with an invitation for the community to get involved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA4y4mZtC78

Michael Cassop Thompson

I define myself and reject one-dimensional labels

Dr Michael Cassop Thompson has been employed in senior roles throughout the education and leisure sectors for over 25 years. These roles include: Manager, Assistant Director and Director. Although Michael works on a variety of diverse projects, he has a particular interest in creativity, strategy and marketing. He does however reject these labels and Is simply interested in the richness of life not captured by traditional titles. A regular presenter, he recently presented to The Call Centre Conference, The Training and Development Summit, The Education Forum, Leeds Beckett Research Conference, The Institute of Sport and Physical Activity, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, West Yorkshire Sport, The Sports and Leisure Forum, the Calderdale Project, Leeds Metropolitan University and The University of Sunderland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGal_VbzmIM

Paul Thomas

Founder DNA Definitive Ltd & Leadership Fellow ~ BBC Wales Business Doctor

Paul uses his academic and practical research to talk about Putting the Passion back into Leadership Leadership for the Top & Bottom-line Simplexity – Making the complicated, Simple Employee engagement Demonstrating Leadership over Management Paul suggests from over 15 years of research, achieving award winning companies in 2014 for leadership, team work and change sometimes in the glare of the BBC cameras, that putting the ‘Human-Mess’ back into Leadership is vital for sustainable, robust organisation and more importantly the health of employees. All mixed within this are his personal research interest of Democracy, Power and Gender. The focus of his present in-company work and research is to develop theoretical knowledge into the skills needed for the dynamic, human world of business and leadership. He was also a visiting Professor for the Drucker Management Institute, Switzerland and has recently had a book published:Reinventing Leadership: ASIN: B00JS2YRYQ

Rhiannon Tudor Edwards

Professor of health economics at Bangor University,

Rhiannon has Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye condition which results in gradual, and ultimately total, sight loss. She is passionate about enabling young people living with disabilities to participate fully in the worlds of work, sport and social activity. She has been a guide dog owner since 2002. Her current guide dog , Jazz , enables her to travel independently throughout the UK as part of her work at Bangor University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sv3pj5vfkA

Sid Madge

Founder Meee Programme

A brand strategist with over 30 years’ experience, Sid Madge has channelled his expertise into founding the Meee Programme – an initiative to help people believe in who they are. The Meee Programme was inspired by a workshop with a local school. Sid asked pupils to pick one word to describe themselves and was horrified that 15% used terms like ‘freak, ‘weirdo’ and ‘misfit’. These words would come up time and again – not just with students, but with adults of all ages. It seemed we could do with a collective confidence boost – something Sid knew he could help with. In March 2015, Sid was invited to Number 10 Downing Street to present Meee & is now looking for funding to build a digital resource support centre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3Cyjs62c8

Sophie McKeand

Community Poet

Sophie McKeand is a self-employed poet and educator from Y Gogledd Cymru whose work explores Community Artistry: engaging with The Arts to build stronger communities. She is the Young People’s Laureate for Wales 2016-2018. She won the Out Spoken Innovation in Poetry Award in 2015 and will be the Poet in Residence at Focus Wales Festival in 2016. Sophie regularly facilitates workshops for organisations such as Literature Wales, Arts Council Wales, Age Cymru and Barnardos with a focus on working with marginalised groups in society. “Sophie writes poems in which strange, old, true things are forced into contact with the present. They twist and turn and you never get quite what you expect from them, which is what gives them their power… some of the most interesting poems I’ve read in a long while. Genuinely original.” – Paul Kingsnorth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJOirgv7Kfg