Big Way Of Life

It's that time of year again and the Way of Life conference will be taking place on 10th February from 10am until 4pm. This year we are kindly being hosted by one of you – Valleys Kids – at their base in Penygraig.

Alongside showing off to one another what you've been doing (not least through filtering the next round of Most Significant Change stories), the conference this year will also include wider learning from beyond the programme. Speakers include:

• Mike Ponton – Mike will talk about Making the big picture local – what the future holds. He has worked in and around the NHS for almost 48 years. His work has included top management posts at hospitals, health authorities, Health Promotion Wales, and as a senior civil servant in the Welsh Assembly's Health and Social Care Department. Mike is now working as a part-time Senior Fellow with the University of Glamorgan's Welsh Institute of Health and Social Care
• Elaine Cooper – Elaine is a senior consultant with Hall Aitken and joined the company after completing a doctorate on children and health. She worked as a journalist for many years before joining the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow where she conducted research into policies which sought to redress health inequalities. Elaine will talk about the difficulties of Demonstrating Value in health intervention – and ask what works and why?
• Garether Stratton – Gareth will give talk on From Fatness to Fitness and back again: The NICE Way. Gareth is a Professor of Paediatric Exercise Science at the Research Institute for Sports and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University. In 2001 Gareth formed REACH (Research into Exercise Activity and Children's Health) which continues to pursue research aimed at improving knowledge of children's physical activity, health and fitness. Gareth has chaired the Programme Development Group that wrote Public Health Guidance for Children's Physical Activity on behalf of NICE in January 2009 and currently chairs the group that is writing the physical activity guidance for children and young people for UK CMOs.
• And finally, a representative from the BIG Lottery will also talk about Healthy Living and the future from their perspective.

We know that projects really value the opportunity to meet, discuss progress and pick up ideas from each other. Valleys Kids will be giving you a short tour and demonstration of some of their work. There will also be the option for you to put up a display stand to let people know what you are doing, and there will be opportunities through the day to visit other people's stalls and to discuss your project. If you wish to bring a stand, please let us know as soon as possible and please arrive at 8.30 on the morning of the event to set up. Your stand should be quick and easy to prepare, nothing too elaborate.

We look forward to seeing you on 10th February.