Venue: Stableside, Tadcaster Road, York   YO24 1QG

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Coaching York member bookings only until 17 April

Programme

Community - a group of people who are considered as a unit because of their shared interests or background – Cambridge Dictionary

 

• Perhaps you are interested the impact of coaching and how it can bring people together?
• Do you want to know more about how coaching could support your organisation, business or community?

Our 2026 celebration of coaching in advance of ICW 2026  is for anyone who interested in coaching, be that as a coachee, coach or just out of interest in building a community socially, at work and wider.

Following an introduction of who we are as a community, there will be presentations, discussion, learning, listening and asking. In the morning we will focus on two aspects of community building through reflection and in response to the wider environment.  In the afternoon, we explore how storytelling can build new ideas and links and then some real life examples across a range of settings.

You are welcome to attend a session or two, or stay with us the whole day - whatever suits you. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.  Stableside is easily accessible by bus (Dringhouses Church or Slingsby Grove stop for Coastliner 840/843 and 13) and by car with free parking.

 

Find out more about our session leaders by clicking their names.

 

09:30am Doors Open - Refreshments

 

10.00am Welcome and overview of day and CY developments.

Tom Wright is our conference facilitator.  He will guide us through the developments of the day.

As an ethical leadership coach, I ask powerful questions to enable leaders to find ways to achieve their goals that are true to their values. Specifically, we look at how your choices and behaviour impact your employees, society and the planet.

For twenty years I was a theatre director, and I learnt that by valuing and supporting each member of my team I could make the work better and have happier, more engaged colleagues. Now I want to help you unlock the power that comes from value-driven leadership.  Along-side my coaching I also run communication skills training for teams.

 

10.15am  Pause, Reflect, Grow: Strengthening Your Coaching Practice

Reflection is one of the most powerful tools for professional growth. In this interactive session, we will work together to explore different ways to reflect on our coaching conversations, examine what is happening beneath the surface, and identify insights that lead to better coaching. Drawing on established reflective frameworks and practical questioning strategies, this session offers simple approaches to embed reflection into everyday coaching practice.

Sue Webb is a Leadership Coach, Team Coach, Coach Trainer and Assessor (and almost Supervisor)
I’m a lifelong educator and qualified as a coach a decade ago. I’m deeply interested in people, leadership and what helps individuals and teams flourish. I’m especially drawn to the realities of leadership — the moments that feel complex, demanding or uncertain — where space to think, reflect and talk things through can make all the difference.
My coaching style is warm, relational and supportively challenging. I aim to create a calm, trusted space where leaders can pause, explore what really matters and reconnect with the values that guide them. I love working alongside leaders as they gain clarity, strengthen their sense of purpose and make courageous decisions that benefit both themselves and the communities they serve.

 

11.15am   Break

 

11:30 Building community in response to our world

Modern life is grounded in separation and rationalisation. Today’s society believes we can understand the whole by understanding the parts and that only logic has value.

Our society is now deeply based around individualism, not recognising our innate deep interdependencies. Our modern view of reality is strongly based in industrialisation, seeing living systems through the prism of a mechanical metaphor.

However, we are gradually awakening to the realisation that this way of living has consequences, that have not been costed into our understanding of how we live life.

Fay Andrews-Hodgson is a Creator, Coach, Organisational Development Practitioner, Meditator and Artist. She has spent most of her career in the public sector including the NHS and Civil Service in the area of Organisational Development, learning & Development, Leadership and Coaching, but has always had a keen interest in philosophy, art, complex systems and what makes a good life. She has lived in York for the last 20 years.

She co-founded the Collective for Climate Action a Cross Government Hub to elevate the voice of climate in 2018, which continues to this day through other committed community creators.

She founded Poesis following meeting Zoe Blacker, Director of Kairos London. After learning about Kairos she really wanted to see something similar in the north, and has been working since to bring that idea to life.

 

12:15 Lunch and community building

 

13:15 Using Story Telling in individual and group coaching

Storytelling is one of the most potent tools in a coach's kit because it bypasses the analytical "defense" mind and speaks directly to the emotional and imaginative brain. In coaching, stories aren't just entertainment; they are mirrors (for reflection) and windows (for new perspectives).

Storytelling is a powerful - and often underused - tool in coaching and business development.

In this practical, hands-on session, we’ll explore how you can use storytelling to:

• clearly explain the value of coaching to potential clients
• create insight and shift within coaching conversations
• work more effectively with teams

This is not a theory session!  You’ll be actively involved throughout - working in small groups, practicing with others, and experimenting with different approaches.

Kay Thompson Barker is a  highly experienced leader and people development expert; Kay has a natural talent for connecting with people and unlocking their potential. Kay’s coaching will help you set your direction and make positive decisions informed by a clear awareness of your strengths, values and motivations. She will support you to navigate challenges and make a positive impact as you achieve your goals.

Kay is a respected People and Culture leader with many years’ experience in private and public sectors. She has extensive experience in leadership and performance coaching. Kay is a Fellow of CIPD, British Psychological Society and a qualified psychometric test user.

 

14:20pm Break

 

14:30pm Building community in an academic setting (Dmat), building community in a healthcare setting/context.

Building a sense of belonging in these two environments requires different approaches because their goals—and their stressors—are distinct. In academia, the focus is often on intellectual synergy and shared discovery; in healthcare, it’s about psychological safety, resilience, and collaborative care.

I'll explore the challenges, insights and learnings we have found.

Chris Morton is Director of Lived Experience at Esk Valley NHS Trust.

I lead on coproduction, personalised care, and lived experience governance across mental health, learning disabilities, and autism services. I chair the Co-Creation Board, drive Trust Board-level strategy, and strive to ensure that people with direct experience of services shape how those services are led, not just how they are delivered.

My focus is on the things hardest to change: culture, power, and the relational conditions that determine whether coproduction is genuine or performative.

 

15:30pm What's next - reflections and evaluation - Tom Wright

Tom will help us draw insights and actions to carry forward into our everyday practices

 

16:00pm Close