Transitioning Together – Bristol Gathering

This latest post is by Ellie Meredith from our Youth Circle, who also holds many other key roles across the Wales & England Working Group (WEWG). This is her account of our recent in-person gathering in Bristol, folding in reflections from across the working group, and exploring some bold new plans for 2026 – including the birth of a Transition Together Hub.

Reflections – and New Directions

At the tail end of November, members of the Wales & England Working Group came together in Bristol for a two-day in-person gathering – a time to ground, reflect, vision, and prepare for the next phase of our shared journey. Held at The Spark Space, the weekend wove together relational practices, exploring our governance, embodiment, collective imagination, and the joyful messiness of movement-building.

A whole ecology of people held this gathering: facilitators, thread holders, notetakers, keepers of the heart, timekeepers, and space holders. Their attention helped the group think, feel, and settle us into the weekend. And we were nourished by the Coexist team, whose food was unbelievably delicious. Big ups and massive thank you!

I’ve been involved with TT since February 2025, and it’s been such a joy to reconnect with fellow WEWG-ers in person. I’m 20, and knowing that this movement is the same age as me feels really special – like TT itself is stepping into a new chapter of its life, just as I am. I’m absolutely loving it – the energy, the love, and the sense of community in this movement are truly beautiful. Being together in person was incredibly special; it almost feels like an even bigger treat because we’re so used to connecting online.

Core Threads We Traced Together

1. Good Enough for Now, Safe Enough to Try

GEFNSET was our recurring drumbeat – a principle that reminds us that provisional, living processes can be both brave and held with care. This principle shaped our conversations, our decision-making, and the courage with which we experimented.

2. Vision, Mission & Collective Why

We held vision not as a fixed destination but as a spark – alive, evolving, and co-shaped by every voice in the room. Together we explored –

• How our vision aligns and lives in practice
• Which elements are ready to complete their cycle
• How we make decisions that reflect our shared direction

3. Culture & Relationships

We explored the lifecycle of our shared work – what elements are seeding, sprouting, leafing, and fruiting, and what’s ready to compost. We took the shared agreements we made when we first began working together and put them on post-its across a Culture Board, guided by Rakesh. Seeing them laid out like that helped us check in on how we’re doing with each one, and whether anything needs refreshing now that our culture has shifted and grown. We tuned up a few, named what still feels alive, and agreed to come back to this again as we move toward 2026.

4. Governance in Motion

We revisited sociocratic principles, Quaker-inspired consensus, and our own evolving governance.
Key insights included –

• Clearer distinction between circles and working groups
• Honouring double-linking and cross-pollination between circles to mitigate fragmentation
• Collective accountability for funding, budgeting, and initiative design
• Consent thresholds for decision-making

5. Naming Risks & Tensions

Guided by Mama D we held space for honest acknowledgement of systemic and historic patterns impacting our work – including patriarchy, scarcity, whiteness, and other structural harms. Tensions were welcomed as gifts – catalysts for growth rather than barriers.

Weekend Flow

Saturday Highlights

• The Income Generation Circle shared where we’re currently at and set up boards around the room for us to add ideas about how we might generate our own income, separate from grants. It opened up a shared curiosity about the kinds of projects we want to see resourced in the movement, and what could become possible if we had the means to back our own work.
• Rakesh ran a sociocracy session to deepen our practice, alignment on circles, roles, and vision.
• We physically put ourselves in circles by moving around the room and forming the constellation of the movement with those in the room to map our circles, roles & commitments. The newly emerged Circle of Restoration was consented to. 
• Youth Circle ran a closing session featuring In The Making film, followed by a Milling workshop inspired by The Work That Reconnects by Joanna Macy.

Sunday Highlights

• Mama D & The Circle of Restoration ran a session on systemic patterns & embodied trauma with us, followed by small-group reflections with the Just Transition Cards.
• We held a ceremonial closure of WEWG, opening the next phase toward a shared hub. 
• This led to a visioning session for the hub, milestones and next steps. Rakesh invited us to dream 5 years into the future about the work that would make our hearts sing. Rich collated this vision on paper for us all to see what our collective vision could be, and how we can go there together.
• We closed the day with a round of gratitude and reflection on our circle board.

Agreements, Anchors & Shared Ways of Working

We revisited our 2025 group agreements – commitments to care, curiosity, active listening, inclusivity, courage, and trusting the pace of relational work. We emphasised –

• Joy and movement
• Rest as necessary infrastructure
• Imagination as a tool for emergence
• Mutual empowerment
• Rehearsing togetherness for the futures we are building

These agreements remain living documents, meant to grow with us.

A Ceremonial Transition

One of the weekend’s most significant moments was our collective shift toward a new hub structure, now that we’re no longer a working group. With care and gratitude, we honoured the work of the Bridging Circle and the wider WEWG, and then gently released it to make space for what wants to form next – a volunteer led Transition Together Hub. 

We envisioned the Hub as a confluence of cultures and intersection of different people, groups and ideas – coming together to support the shared needs of our organisations. 2026 will be about animating the Hub and opening our WEWG circles up, so others with energy and capacity can help contribute to its evolution.

Together we explored – 

• What is the collective vision for the hub?
• What are the next clear steps?
• How do we invite, engage with and support the wider movement, now that we are a hub?

The transition was held with warmth, ceremony, and intention.

Closing Gratitude and Reflections

This gathering was a testament to what becomes possible when we move at the speed of trust, honour our complexity, and centre love, play, and relational aliveness. It was so lovely to connect in person – a new kind of vibration of interconnectedness. 

I really appreciate how considered, well organised and productive this meeting was. By productive I mean developing respect, understanding, sharing priorities, learning about and from each other. Creating roots of connection which will help to give us a solid base to create and grow from.

Leonie Harmsworth, WEWG

 I remember the wave of happiness arriving in the space on Saturday morning and seeing people I had worked with over the year in-person – the first time for many since February. I loved celebrating our work together when we stood in our circles on the Saturday and closing that section centring our values – the Just Transition Circle, the Youth Circle and the newly consented Circle of Restoration. That felt like a foundation stone for our work in 2026.

Richard Couldrey, Bridging Circle and WEWG

Looking forward to for 2026: New beginnings and adventures. Exploring how to create money and resources to make all of our ideas a reality.

John Bell, WEWG

Beautiful reflections, I was overjoyed to be with you all in person. Following our mutual decisions which led to a nurturing weekend was wonderful. It has given me energy and the Just Transition cards are being accepted well locally as a result.

Amanda Jones, WEWG

Thank you to Gina Umney for these wonderful photos!

We come as we are – and we build what’s next together.