This conference will be 24 hours away with women training for ordained ministry, focusing on the theme of "Welcome and Belonging".

Tickets are £80 for the full conference, or £65 for Saturday only. Available until 18.5.22

If you would like to pay £40 now and pay £40 at the end of April this will secure your place, and help us to get everything ready on time :-)

The full ticket cost includes the whole conference, lunch, dinner, bed and breakfast. The accommodation is dorms, so you may want to let us know if there are a group of you who want to share a room; room sizes vary but we will do our best to match you up.

(Day tickets include meals on Saturday - it is just no accommodation or breakfast).

There is parking nearby which is approximately £2 per day. Accessible parking that is very close is also available.

** We will have the whole venue to ourselves :-D **

The website to look at is here:

https://groups.yha.org.uk/hostels/yha-ilam-hall/

And, the accessibility statement is here: https://hub.yha.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-07/YHA%20Ilam%20Hall%20Access%20Statement_3.pdf

Outline of the Event

Saturday

10am - 11am : Arrivals

11:30 am - Worship

12:30pm Lunch

1:30pm Guest Speaker

2:30pm Refreshments

3pm Guest Speaker

4pm Comfort Break

4:15pm Speaker - outdoors

5:30pm Dinner

7pm Drinks in the lounge / outside if possible

Sunday

8am Breakfast

9am Worship

10am - 11am Depart

** Please let us know of any accessibility requirements, and any dietary needs ASAP.

*** National and local covid guidelines (if any are in place at the time) will be observed.

Speakers Announced!

Revd. Sonia Hicks and Revd. Liz Shercliff

President of the Methodist Conference, Revd. Sonia Hicks

The Revd Sonia Hicks was born and brought up in South East London by parents who came from the Caribbean in the 1950s. After taking A Levels, she worked as a bank clerk before candidating for the Methodist ministry. Sonia trained at Queen’s College, Birmingham for three years and then stationed in the High Wycombe and Watford Circuits. She was accepted as a Mission Partner and was stationed in the Jamaica District of the MCCA. After five years, Sonia applied to work with the Irish Methodist Church and was stationed to the Dublin North Circuit for nine years before returning to the British mainland. Sonia served in the Thames Valley Circuit before taking up her appointment as Superintendent of the Wembley Circuit. Sonia was inducted as President of the Methodist Church in Britain in June 2021.

Sonia is married to Conrad, who is also a Methodist Presbyter in the Connexional Team. She enjoys historic buildings, reading, meeting people and finding out new things.

Revd. Liz Shercliff

Liz Shercliff is a writer, researcher and speaker on preaching. She founded Women's Voices, a conference for women preachers that takes place annually. She has been Director of Studies in the Diocese of Chester for 12 years.

Her most recent book can be found here: https://scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780334060697/out-of-the-shadows