Celebration of Mindfulness
Saturday 12th September 2026
9.30am – 4.00pm
Showcasing, Inspiring, Connecting and Sharing
Created for Wales’ Mindful Communities
The Celebration of Mindfulness 2026 was created to honour the people, projects and partnerships that have shaped Nurturing Mindful Communities (NMC) across Wales. NMC has supported grassroots initiatives that bring mindfulness into everyday life strengthening connection, kindness and belonging in local communities.
Celebration of Mindfulness 2026 was born from a simple intention: to bring everyone together. To share what has grown. To celebrate the creativity and courage behind the work. And to imagine what mindful, compassionate communities across Wales could become in the years ahead.
It is a day for practitioners, partners, volunteers, community members and anyone curious about mindfulness in real-world settings. A day to reconnect, to be inspired, and to feel part of something bigger.
What to Expect
Throughout the day, you will experience a rich blend of inspiration, creativity and gentle restoration:
- Inspiring project stories from across Wales
- Creative and engaging mindfulness workshops suitable for all levels
- Guided mindfulness practices rooted in accessibility and inclusion
- Spaces to pause, reconnect and refresh
- Opportunities to collaborate with others passionate about community wellbeing
- A shared commitment to shaping a kinder, more mindful Wales
Lunch and refreshments are included, and everyone is warmly welcome.
This special day is guided by practitioners whose wisdom comes not only from years of teaching, facilitation, research and creativity, but from their own lived journeys making every session rich, authentic and deeply supportive.
Keynote Speaker: Christoph Spiessens
Christoph brings deep lived and professional insight into how mindfulness can be adapted across different neurotypes, backgrounds and contexts. His mission—whether organising the award-winning Manchester Mindfulness Festival, teaching, or speaking is to make mindfulness accessible and inclusive. Belgian-born and a UK resident for over 20 years, Christoph holds an MA in Teaching Mindfulness from Bangor University, has trained with Oxford Mindfulness, and is a mindfulness supervisor. He is a proud Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) with trauma-acquired neurodivergence, viewing his sensitivity as his greatest strength.
Mindful Movement Workshop with Sarah Silverton
Sarah has a lifelong passion for movement practices, including Pilates, Yoga and QiGong. Her workshop offers gentle, accessible movement that invites friendly, playful awareness of the body. Sarah spent 10 years on the CMRP training team at Bangor and co-authored Paws b, .b Foundations, The Present for Schools and Living in The Present.
Hands-On Mindfulness with Svetlana Lilley & Natalie Snuggs
Svetlana teaches traditional Ukrainian wool and silk crafts, highlighting the mindful qualities of working with raw materials. Natalie has taught mindfulness for 35 years and researches mindful approaches to long-term health conditions. Together, they guide participants through preparing raw wool and creating felt art offering a powerful, tactile experience of inner transformation through creative making.
Seeing Differently: Mindful Photography Workshop with Ruth Davey
This 45-minute experiential session introduces mindful photography as an accessible practice combining creativity, movement, sensory awareness and smartphone use. Drawing on the award-winning Look Again methodology, participants explore how photography can deepen presence, support neurodivergent learners, and broaden access to mindfulness.
Ruth Davey the Founder and Director of Look Again, Ruth has developed her mindful photography approach through lived experience of anxiety, depression, burnout and recovery. Her work is now used in more than 30 countries by teachers, therapists, coaches and leaders. Her training programme Working with Mindful Photography received the 2024 Innovations in Mindfulness Award.
Workshop: What is the Perfect Distance? with Iwan Brioc
Iwan Brioc is a Welsh experimental theatre director, mindfulness teacher and founder of Coming to Our Senses a creative mindfulness programme blending applied theatre, embodied enquiry, dialogue and reflective journalling. Piloted with NHS staff across Wales, the programme has supported greater calm, resilience and connection.
In this workshop, Iwan offers a playful, experiential taste of the course, inviting participants to explore the koan “What is the perfect distance?” through movement, group interaction and embodied presence. Expect gentle physical activity, walking, running and moments with eyes closed.
Workshop: Cultivating Compassion: Understanding Ourselves with Liz Williams, Jo Roffrey and Matt Jones
Explore compassion, self-understanding and kinder ways of responding to life with Liz Williams, Jo Roffey and Matt Jones, expect the workshop to be experiential. Together, they will explore how we can develop greater compassion towards ourselves, understand how our minds, bodies and emotions influence our responses, and discover practical approaches for meeting life’s challenges with greater kindness, curiosity and understanding.
Liz is the Chair of Mindfulness Wales and a mindfulness teacher working with adults and children. She also teaches Compassionate Mind Training to adults and children aged 10–11. Jo Roffey is a primary school teacher and mindfulness and compassion practitioner, working with children, adults, schools, workplaces and communities. She teaches Compassionate Mind Training alongside mindfulness and mindful movement and is interested in how our minds, bodies and emotions shape the way we experience and respond to life. Matt Jones is a former primary school teacher who became interested in mindfulness and compassion through his work supporting the wellbeing of pupils and staff. As a school wellbeing lead, he introduced mindfulness and compassion practices into his school.
To join us on this amazing day of celebration, connection and community book your tickets now so you do not miss out.
Standard price is £65, with the option of a sponsor’s ticket at £85 to support others on low income. We’re keen to be as inclusive as possible so there will be a limited number of tickets at a supported rate of £45 for those on a lower income. We welcome donations to Mindfulness Wales too. Please book your place to attend Celebration of Mindfulness on Eventbrite.
The Celebration of Mindfulness 2026 is shaping up to be a beautiful, inspiring day, and places are already being booked. Please secure your ticket soon to make sure you can join us in honouring Wales’ mindful communities.
Book your place today. We can’t wait to celebrate with you.
There is space for a small number of tables to display aspects of mindfulness so please contact us if you’re interested info@mindfulness-wales.org
HOW TO FIND US
By Train
Llanhilleth Miners’ Institute NP13 2JT is next door to the train station with regular direct trains from Newport and Cardiff.
By Car
It’s just off the A467 and easily reached from the M4, A470 or A465. Parking is available close to the venue.
WHERE TO STAY
If you need accommodation, there are hotels close the the stations at Newport and Cardiff, and a Premier Inn near Ebbw Vale station, the next stop after Llanhilleth.
Join us to enjoy a day of nurturing mindful communities through networking, workshops and uplifting speakers.
Spaces are limited, so be sure to book your place.