Full Programme - National Cathedrals Conference

Programme | Programme Details

Below is the full conference programme and you can download a copy of the brochure here

MONDAY, 18th MAY 2026

DATE	TIME	SESSION	LEADER / SPEAKER	VENUE	DELEGATE SPACES & INFORMATION	SESSION TYPE
Monday, 18th May	11:00 – 13:30	Registration & Lunch
	13:45 -14:00	Introduction & Welcome	Chair: Jo Kelly-Moore & Anna Pitt	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Plenary
	14:00 – 14:30	Welcome from Bristol Team	Mandy Ford and Bristol team	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Plenary
	14:30 -15:00	Exploring the THEOS Research report – Living Stones: English Cathedrals as Sacred Spaces in Changing Times	Chair: Jo Kelly-Moore Chine McDonald (Theos)	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Plenary
	15:00-15:30	Exploring the ‘State of Life’ Research report – Economic Impact of Cathedrals	Chair: Jo Kelly-Moore Will Watt (State of Life)	Cathedral Nave		Panel discussion
	15:30 -16:00	Exploring the Project Narthex report	Chair: Jo Kelly-Moore Michael Minta with Ross McWhir (BDO)	Cathedral Nave
	16:00 – 16:20	Tea/Coffee break		Cathedral South Aisle	ALL	Social/Networking
	16:20 – 17:00	Panel discussion: Social Economic Spiritual Cultural	Chair: Sarah Meyrick Panel: Chine McDonald Will Watt Peter Robinson Robin Tjolle	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Panel discussion
	17:15	Choral Evensong	Bristol Cathedral Choir	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Liturgy
	18:45	Dinner, Sponsored by CCLA		Barbara’s Bier Haus Harbourside	ALL

TUESDAY, 19th MAY 2026

DATE	TIME	SESSION	LEADER / SPEAKER	VENUE	DELEGATE SPACES & INFORMATION	SESSION TYPE
Tuesday 19th May	08:15	Morning Prayer with reflection	Br John SSF	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Liturgy
	09:00 – 10:00	Plenary session on Economic Capital:	Chair: Jo Kelly-Moore Speaker: Sir Paul Ruddock	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Plenary
	10:00- 11:00	Panel Discussion	Chair: Sir Robert Buckland Panel: Matthew Mees Leslie Francis Dawid Konotey Ahulu Sir Paul Ruddock Justine Horseman Sewell	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Panel discussion
	11:00 – 11:30	Tea / Coffee Break		Cathedral South Aisle	ALL	Social/Networking
	11:30 – 12:30	Five Workshop Opportunities:
	11:30 – 12:30	Diversifying income	Matthew Mees (ORNC)	Lord Mayor’s Chapel, Nave	Capacity 75	Workshop
	11:30 – 12:30	Investments	Andrew Robinson (CCLA)	St Stephen’s Church, Cafe	Capacity 30	Workshop
	11:30 – 12:30	Operational efficiencies	Ross McWhir (BDO)	St Stephen’s Nave	Capacity 75	Workshop
	11:30 – 12:30	Softening Boundaries between Sacred and Secular	Leslie Francis	Cathedral Nave	Capacity 100	Workshop
	11:30 – 12:30	The Fundraising Landscape	Helen Gray (Benefact Trust)	Bristol Grand Conference Room Duchess 2	Capacity 50	Workshop
	12:30	Eucharist	Bristol Team	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Liturgy
	13:00 – 14:00	Lunch		Cathedral North & South Quire Aisles	ALL	Social/Networking
	14:00 – 15:00	Plenary Session on Spiritual Capital and Youth Engagement	Chair: Jo Kelly-Moore Speaker: Justin Brierley	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Plenary
	15:00-15:45	Panel discussion	Chair: Paula Gooder Panel: Justin Brierley Molly Boot Chris Curtis Dan Drew	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Plenary
	15:45 – 16:15	Tea/Coffee break and transition	Bristol Cathedral	Cathedral South Aisle	ALL	Networking/social
	16:15 – 17:00	Five workshop opportunities				Workshop
	16:15 – 17:00	Youth-led Community Cohesion	Jill Appleton (The Feast)	Cathedral Cafe	Capacity 30	Workshop
	16:15 – 17:00	Youth mental health	Joel Harris (Kintsugi Hope)	Lord Mayor’s Chapel	Capacity 75	Workshop
	16:15 – 17:00	Employing Gen Z and multigenerational workforces	Joanna Moriarty (Green Park)	St Stephen’s Church, Nave	Capacity 75	Workshop
	16:15 – 17:00	How do we attract and engage young people / schools engagement	Chris Curtis (Youthscape)	St Stephen’s Church, Cafe	Capacity 30	Workshop
	16:15 – 17:00	Lighting the Way: Cathedrals Leading Flourishing Ministries for Children and Young People	Debbie Clinton (Church of England)	Bristol Grand Conference Room Duchess 2	Capacity 50	Workshop
	17:15	Choral Evensong (with light projection)	Lay Clerks	Cathedral Nave		Liturgy
	18:30- 19:00	Drinks Reception followed by Dinner from 19:00, Sponsored by EIG		Za Za Bazaar, Harbourside		Social/Networking

WEDNESDAY, 20th MAY 2026

DATE	TIME	SESSION	LEADER / SPEAKER	VENUE	DELEGATE SPACES & INFORMATION	SESSION TYPE
Wednesday, 20th May	08:15	Morning Prayer with reflection	Br John SSF	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Liturgy
	08:45 – 09:30	Coping in a Crisis: Cathedral Emergency and Continuity Planning	David Cloake (Foresight Solutions)	Bristol Grand Ballroom	Capacity 100	Workshop
	08:45 – 09:30	Deep Dive into the Theos Think Tank Research	George Lapshynov (Theos)	Lord Mayor’s Chapel	Capacity 75	Workshop
	08:45 – 09:30	Update on the Net Zero Programme with particular reference to work already undertaken and planned for cathedrals	Julian Atkins (CoE Environment Programme)	St Stephen’s Church, Nave	Capacity 75	Workshop
	08:45 – 09:30	How Ecclesiastical can support Cathedrals going forward	Michael Angell & Claire Woolway (EIG, Benefact Group)	Bristol Grand Conference Room Duchess 2	Capacity 50	Workshop
	9:45 – 10:45	Keynote Address exploring the role, impact and benefit of Cathedrals	Chair: Jo Kelly-Moore Speaker David Olusoga	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Plenary
	10:45 – 11:15	Tea / Coffee Break		Cathedral South Aisle	ALL	Social/Networking
	11:15 – 12:15	Panel Discussion	Chair: Mandy Ford Eve Poole Dame Fiona Reynolds Julia Porter-Pryce David Olusoga Jonathan Mayes	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Plenary
	12:30 – 13:00	Midday Prayers	Bristol Team	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Liturgy
	13:00 – 14:00	Lunch		Cathedral North & South Quire Aisles	ALL	Social/Networking
	14:00	Networking sessions for:				Social/Networking
	14.00-15:00	College of Deans	Tim Stratford	Bristol Grand Ballroom		Social/Networking
	14:00	Precentors	Kathryn Goldsmith	Lord Mayor’s Chapel		Social/Networking
	14:00	Canons General	Ned Lunn	St Stephen’s Church, Nave		Social/Networking
	14.00-15:00	CAFA	Emily MacKenzie	Bristol Grand Hotel, Conference Room Duchess 2		Social/Networking
	14:00	Senior Non-Executive Chapter Members	Gill Reynolds	St Stephen’s Church, Cafe		Social/Networking
	14:00	Cathedrals Plus	Sarah Page	Bristol Grand Hotel, Conference Room Duchess 3		Social/Networking
	15:15-16:15	College of Deans and COOs	Tim Stratford & Emily MacKenzie	Bristol Grand Ballroom		Social/Networking
	15:15-16:15	CFOs	George Carter	Bristol Grand Hotel, Conference Room Duchess 2		Social/Networking
	18:00 – 18:45	Civic Drinks Reception		Cathedral Nave, Crossing		Social/Networking
	18:45	Conference Gala Dinner, Sponsored by CCLA	Speaker: John Lloyd	Cathedral Nave	ALL	Social/Networking

THURSDAY, 21st MAY 2026

DATE	TIME	SESSION	LEADER / SPEAKER	VENUE	SESSION TYPE
Thursday, 21st May	08:00 – 08:45	Morning Prayer with reflection	Br John SSF	Cathedral Nave	Liturgy
	09:00 – 09.15	Diversity & Inclusion in Cathedrals Working Group update	Andrew Zihni Kt Tupling	Cathedral Nave	Plenary
	09:15 -10:00	Walking with Cathedrals through change, challenge and hope	Michael Minta	Cathedral Nave	Plenary
	10:00 -10:45	Update from the 1st and 3rd Church Estates Commissioners Followed by questions from the floor	Chair: David Monteith Alan Smith – 1st Church Estates Commissioner, Sir Robert Buckland – 3rd Church Estates Commissioner	Cathedral Nave	Plenary
	10:45 -11:00	Tea/Coffee Break		Cathedral South Aisle	Social/Networking
	11:00 – 11:45	Dean Winnie & Dean Jo in conversation	Jo Kelly-Moore and Winnie Varghese	Cathedral Nave	Plenary
	11:45 – 12:00	AEC AGM	Jo Kelly-Moore	Cathedral Nave	Meeting
	12:00 – 13:15	Conference Eucharist	President: Mandy Ford Preacher: Winnie Varghese (Dean of St John the Divine, New York)	Cathedral Nave	Liturgy
	13:30	Lunch & Farewell		Cathedral North & South Quire Aisles	Social/Networking

Workshop title: Repair, recovery and renewal; welcoming our visitors back

Workshop leader(s): Bernard Donoghue

Location: Nave, Newcastle Castle

Timing: One hour repeated (14.30-15.30, 15.45-16.45)

Description:

We will look at the 10 things visitor attractions and cultural organisations learned about themselves and their visitors during the pandemic; how the domestic and inbound tourism markets are behaving; and what questions are organisations asking themselves as they plan and build for recovery.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this workshop, delegates should be able to

Recognise that organisations are recovering at different speeds dependent on who and where they are.
Accept that now is the time to ask critically honest questions about how an organisation can build back better, greener and in a more inclusive fashion.
Have a good understanding of where they sit in the spectrum or recovery and repair
Describe how they can aid that recovery process
Have an understanding of how other organisations are using the learnings of the last two years to change organisational behaviour and operations

Workshop title: Making good things happen – how to set out your vision to attract the funds you need

Workshop leader(s): Patrick Boggon

Location: County Room, County Hotel

Timing: One hour repeated (14.30-15.30, 15.45-16.45)

Description:
Why do so many good ideas fail to win the funding they deserve? Major project or making ends meet, we all need money to make good things happen. Whether or not your Cathedral has dedicated fundraising staff, this workshop is for you. Together we will explore how you capture the imagination of donors and grant-makers to turn your vision into reality. This interactive session will help you identify your unique selling points and how to use them to attract the attention of funders and build a narrative for your Cathedral that secures the funds you need.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this workshop, delegates will be able to:

Identify and articulate their Cathedral’s unique selling point
Understand what donors and funders want to know
Know how to craft an authentic and compelling pitch

Workshop title: Human Flourishing at the heart of mission

Workshop leader(s): Gillian Straine, Edward Kellow

Location: Lecture Theatre, Miners Institute (Common Room of the North)

Timing: 2 hours 14.30-16.30, Wednesday 18 May 2022

Description:

A chance to explore the mission of your Cathedral in terms of Jesus’ command to make disciples and to heal. The foundation of this workshop is a theological and missiological thesis that healing and growth are symbiotic.

The church has historically always grown during plagues and pandemics – given the recent Covid19 pandemic which has led to a major collective trauma, Cathedrals are now ideally poised to offer hope and healing at this moment of national crisis. We have designed this workshop to help you explore with your team your personal and corporate experience of the pandemic, learn about the history of the healing ministry and a theology of human flourishing, before exploring the current context and how you might respond.

Learning outcomes:

Grown together as a team focused on healing and mission, both personally and professionally.
Increased confidence and passion in the power of the healing ministry and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to make a real impact in traumatised lives.

By the end of this workshop, delegates should be able to:

Articulate with confidence the links between health, healing, mission and theology
Describe the part that cathedrals can play in recovery and resurrection from the covid19 collective major trauma
Have experienced the power of storytelling and listening for human flourishing
Know where to go for further resources, community and training.

Workshop title: The ‘wiser living phase’ of the pandemic – insights from trauma theory

Workshop leader(s): Hilary Ison, Christopher Southgate

Location: Wood Hall, Miners Institute (Common Room of the North)

Timing: 2 hours, 14.30-16.30, Wednesday 18 May 2022

Description:

After a brief introduction to the theory of individual and collective trauma, the workshop will consider where in the response to collective trauma cathedral communities find themselves, and what sources of hope can be identified. We then consider who might be left behind in the transition to the ‘new normal’, and how cathedrals might be places both of lament and memorial, but also of protest and the search to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before our God.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this workshop, delegates should be able to:

Understand the differences between individual and collective trauma, and consider to what extent COVID can be accounted a collective trauma.
Locate their own experience and perceptions within a wider discussion of the place of cathedral ministry in the transition to a (much-contested) new normal.
Take away ideas as to how to disseminate these insights with colleagues and congregations.

Workshop title: Just Scripture

Workshop leader(s): Justin Thacker (Christian Aid)

Location: Lecture Room, Lit & Phil Library

Timing: one hour repeated 14.30-15.30 and 15.45-16.45, Wednesday 18 May 2022

Description:

This workshop introduces Just Scripture, a Christian Aid programme of justice-focused, intercultural bible studies that has been developed with partners in Bolivia and South Africa. In this participative session, we hear from theologians in Kenya and Ecuador as they consider the significance of James 5:1-6 to global economic justice. In the process, we will explore how we could use this approach in our own contexts to transform both ourselves and the communities in which we work.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this workshop, delegates should be able to:

Run your own Just Scripture session using the resources that have been made available
Have some insight into the joys and challenges of leading intercultural bible studies
Be inspired to consider justice issues through an intercultural, contextual, biblical lens.

Workshop title: The prophetic voice of young people

Workshop leader(s): Josh Grear and Catherine Odell (Christian Aid)

Location: Lecture Room, Lit & Phil Library

Timing: One hour repeated (14.30-15.30, 15.45-16.45)

Description:
In this session we will explore the important role children and young people are and can play in our communities by calling for justice. We will share the projects and tools Christian Aid have developed in response to the prophetic leadership of young people.

Learning outcomes:

Inspire Cathedrals to engage with young people in Christian Aid’s Climate Justice opportunities in 2022 (L4C and tour)
Resource Cathedrals to convene local community together for climate justice

You’ll be equipped with resources and tools to engage people in action for climate justice and be able to sign up for further input from Christian Aid to plan a climate justice event in 2022. You will also be provided with a copy of the Letters for Creation poster pack featuring climate justice artworks created by children and young people around the world.

Workshop title: The Southwark experience of a diocesan covenant: growing racial inclusion

Workshop leader(s): Andrew Nunn, Rosemarie Mallett

Location: Assembly Room, Vermont Hotel

Timing: One hour repeated, (14.30-15.30, 15.45-16.45), Wednesday 18 May 2022

Description

Being anti-racist is not the same as simply not being racist. It is not enough as a Diocese not to be racist; instead we must actively counter, disrupt and oppose racial injustice. This isn’t an easy task; it takes introspection as well as continued intentional action and is not a static description of ourselves.

The Southwark Anti-Racist Charter was unanimously approved by Diocesan Synod on 13 March 2021. We are now in the process of making the words of the covenant live in the lives of the people of the diocese.

This workshop will look at the process behind the making of the Charter and suggest ways in which we can all be intentional about this work and especially in our Cathedrals

Learning outcomes

At the end of the workshop participants will have

A desire to be more intentional about tackling racism
A commitment to action
An agenda for change

By the end of this workshop, delegates should be able to: Bring the challenge to their own Cathedrals, Chapters and communities

Workshop title: The revival of pilgrimage to cathedrals, and the promotion of choral evensong

Workshop leader(s): Guy Hayward & Rupert Sheldrake

Location: Assembly Room, Vermont Hotel

Timing: One hour repeated (14.30-15.30, 15.45-16.45)

Description:
Dr Guy Hayward will report on work of the British Pilgrimage Trust, the 1-day cathedral pilgrim route project, our ‘Become a Pilgrim’ friends scheme, and major projects such as the Old Way and the Way of Aidan & David, an upcoming school pilgrimage initiative and our newly launched National Sanctuary Network of low-cost pilgrim accommodation in churches, church halls and village halls that will feed the cathedral pilgrim routes.
Dr Rupert Sheldrake will report on the work of the Choral Evensong Trust, which he co-founded with Hayward, and introduce our plans for increasing the publicity and visibility of the choral evensong tradition in Britain and Ireland, offering various ideas for how delegates can do that themselves.
We will finish with an exciting proposal: Rupert will introduce the positioning of cathedrals as ‘lightning attractors’ – through which they literally connect heaven and earth.

Learning outcomes:
How great it would be if cathedral visitors start identifying as pilgrims.

That creating demand for attending evensong as a visitor/pilgrim is as important as ensuring the continuity of the supply of choristers.

By the end of this workshop, delegates should be able to:

Pitch the importance of day cathedral pilgrim routes to colleagues.
Know the various ways one can promote choral evensong and increase attendance

Workshop title: Open Space

Workshop leader(s): Eve Poole

Location: Gold Room, Vermont Hotel

Timing: 2 hours 14.30-16.30, Wednesday 18 May 2022

Description:
This session creates space for topics that are not otherwise on the formal agenda. The space can hold up to 6 discussions in each half of the afternoon, and two of the sessions which have already been offered are outlined below. Please let Eve Poole or Sarah King know if you would like to take one of the other spaces with a topic of your own. (evepoole@gmail.com sarah.king@englishcathedrals.co.uk)

Three cathedrals: one Diocese
Currently in the Church of England (as opposed to the worldwide Anglican communion) there is only one diocese with more than one cathedral – Leeds, which has three cathedrals: Bradford, Wakefield and Ripon. This was the result of the dissolution of their three historic dioceses and the creation of the Diocese of Leeds in 2014, the youngest in England.

A senior bishop in 2019 was heard to say that Leeds must have failed as it still had three cathedrals but nothing could be further from the truth!

Given that the Church IS looking at other diocesan mergers why not come along to a myth-busting session from the Deans and Council Chairs from all three? It could be you next!!

Visitor interpretation in your cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral updated its visitor interpretation during lockdown, following a year working on an interpretation strategy.

Explore how visitor interpretation can contribute to more enjoyable visits for a wider range of people while highlighting your cathedral as a living place of worship. Discuss examples of practical steps to ensure your interpretation is accessible, tells a coherent story and helps visitors feel that your cathedral is a place for them.