On 4 March, we were proud to see co-production in action at the Learning Disability England Annual Conference in Birmingham. This year’s theme, “Being Seen, Being Heard”, reflected the importance of empowering people with lived experience to have their voices heard and valued.
Paul, from our Larchfield Community, and Simon, from Botton Village, attended the event alongside Camphill Village Trust team members Amy Dixon and Phil Gibson, representing Camphill Village Trust and sharing what co-production truly means in practice.
Co-production at the heart of everything we do
Co-production is central to how we work at Camphill Village Trust. It means that people we support, with lived experience, are actively involved in decision-making and in shaping the support and opportunities offered across the organisation.
At the conference, Paul and Simon spoke about who we are, what we do, and how co-production is embedded throughout the Trust; not as a one-off initiative, but as an everyday way of working. Their voices and experiences brought our values to life, helping others understand the impact of genuine partnership.
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- Simon
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- Paul
A day full of connection, ideas, and fun
The conference featured a full programme of speakers, workshops, and opportunities to connect with others from across the sector. Attendees were able to share ideas, pick up practical tools, and explore ways to put co-production and empowerment into action in their own organisations.
The Team prepare videos and interactive games to test attendees on “Is it co-production or not?” – a fun, engaging way to help people think about co-production in real life. We also handed out recycled seed cards, created in our arts and crafts programme, as a thoughtful giveaway for people to plant and grow, a small, sustainable reminder of the Trust’s creativity, care, and commitment to nature.
Paul shared, “I think it went great yesterday. We spoke to lots of people and they were very interested in what we do.”
Simon, “The interactive activity went really well and lots of people came to have a go. It was a good conversation starter.”
Amy, “It was a brilliant day with lots of opportunities to share the amazing work we do at Camphill Village Trust. Paul and Simon were absolutely fantastic at engaging people in conversations around co-production, Camphill Village Trust and our fantastic Nature Based Skills and Therapies programmes. I want to also say a huge thank you to the people we support in Larchfield [Community] Nature Based Arts and Crafts programme who worked so hard to make the beautiful plantable seed cards from recycled paper. These were so popular and a fantastic conversation starter.”
A day to be proud of
Attending the conference was another powerful example of co-production in action, showing how people we support are not only involved, but leading conversations, representing the Trust, and influencing wider thinking across the sector.
It was a brilliant day for everyone involved. A huge well done to all who took part!
