Our annual Get Active event is returning to Croyde Bay for 2025! This year's theme is "unity in action - uniting around trade union values: organising; equality; collectivism" and we'll be be at UNISON Croyde Bay, north Devon from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 May.

Over three days of inspirational talks, training and networking, attendees will learn new tools and methods to help tackle issues and campaign for change.

Our aim with our Get Active 2025 event is to inspire members to start their journey with UNISON, build their confidence and to learn and develop new skills to tackle issues and effect change. It is broadly aimed at encouraging members to get involved who haven't been active in their union yet.

You will experience a wide range of workshops and speakers, alongside opportunities to chat to colleagues from across UNISON South West, to meet your regional convenor team and NEC (national executive council) members, and to see for yourselves some of the great organisations who work with us. The Get Active programme includes our South West regional council meeting on the Saturday afternoon, and all Get Active participants will take part either as branch delegates or observers, to find out how our regional democracy works. The event closes on the Sunday with lunch.

Workshops

This year, the three workshops will all run three times, so there is no need to make a choice as everyone will get to join all of them. Your lanyard will tell you which room to go to for each workshop session.

For full workshop descriptions please see: Get Active Workshops

Awards Dinner - Friday night

On Friday evening our famous Awards dinner will again be open to all participants attending Get Active. There will be a fun photobooth as well as a DJ & disco. For more details on the awards and to make a nomination, please see: Get Active Awards

Please make your meal choices when you register to save us having to chase for this information nearer the time.

Saturday night

There will be entertainment on Saturday night as well - more details will be confirmed later.

Dependants

Get Active is an important training event aimed at developing new UNISON activists. Capacity for participants and accommodation is limited and we aim to make these available for as many activists as possible by careful management of the numbers of people who need to attend.

In order to maximise the capacity for Get Active participants, there will be no provision for participants' family members to attend unless they are dependants of the participant, or the participant has a disability access need for a facilitator.

We aim to make this an inclusive event by providing the following support for members with caring responsibilities for dependants.

Childcare

Childcare is available for members who need to bring dependant children with them (up to the age of 16). Arrangements have been made with a registered childcare company that provides childcare facilities for other UNISON South West events. There is a strict deadline for registering for childcare - this is the same as the cut-off date for registration: 12 noon on Friday 4 April.

We may also be able to provide limited crèche and/or babysitting facilities for young children on the Friday night – you can let us know in the booking form if you would require this.

If you need support meeting the needs of dependants for whom childcare is not appropriate please contact us: getactive@unison.co.uk

While not requesting detailed personal information, UNISON will require sufficient information in order to understand the barriers faced to get the right resources to the right people for this event. This will assist us in making adjustments that are meaningful and appropriate to the individual.

You will have the opportunity to give details when booking your ticket here through the EventBrite platform.

Accessibility

UNISON's resort at Croyde Bay is an accessible venue, with all the workshop rooms and catering on the ground floor, and free parking is available. There is a lift to the upper floor of the hotel. If you require an accessible room or reserved parking, please let us know when booking your ticket through the EventBrite platform.

You can read Croyde's access statement here.

Travel

The venue is located in the village of Croyde in North Devon, which is around 10 miles from Barnstaple which is the nearest large town (postcode EX33 1QB).

The nearest train station is Barnstaple which is about 25 minutes away by car. Barnstaple is at the end of a branch line (The Tarka Line) from Exeter St David's and the journey time from Exeter is a little over an hour.

A taxi from Barnstaple station to Croyde takes around half an hour and costs around £30.

Please let us know when booking your ticket if you would be interested in shared travel from the train station to Croyde Bay. The 0919 departure from Exeter arrives at Barnstaple train station at 1028, and the 1019 arrives at 1125, so please indicate which train you intend to take.

There is a bus service from Barnstaple to Croyde, but it doesn't go from the train station: you would need to walk across the river bridge (or take a taxi) to the bus station which is about 15 minutes' walk from the train station and take the 21C bus (at the time of writing, the 1145 departure from Barnstaple bus station arrive sat Croyde 1226 but do check nearer the time as routes are subject to change).

Click here for the Stagecoach bus timetable and click here for their journey planner.

If you are driving, there are several route options:

from the north, exit the M5 at junction 27 (Tiverton), take the North Devon link road A361 through Barnstaple to Braunton, then take the B3231 through Saunton to get to Croyde
from Exeter, take the A377 through Crediton and on to Barnstaple, then A361 / B3231
from Plymouth, take the A386 to Bideford, then A39 to Barnstaple, then A361 / B3231
from Cornwall, take the A39 through Bideford to Barnstaple, then A361 / B3231

Once you have registered you will receive confirmation and reminder e-mails from our Eventbrite account. Please do not unsubscribe to notifications from the organiser as we may use these for surveys and further information about the event.

A note for branch Leaders:

Please do encourage new activists from your branch to sign up.

If you are registering on behalf of someone else, you must provide that member’s details to ensure they can access the event.

Participation at Get Active is free for UNISON SW members, but fees are charged to branches.

Participant fee: branches are responsible for paying the delegate fee for members who are attending. The fee this year, to cover the three-day event is £322. This fee is set by Croyde Bay and covers all accommodation and meals from lunch on Friday through to lunch on Sunday. Branches will also be responsible for supporting members with travel expenses. When booking, members are asked to confirm that they have the permission of their branch to register. Regional staff will be making contact on a regular basis with branch leaders to ensure that branches are aware of members from their branch who have booked, and will be asked to approve their attendance.

Dependants and facilitators: dependants will be charged at the rate that Croyde sets depending on room sharing, up to maximum of £322. Facilitators will be charged at £322. If there are multiple facilitators needed for one branch, a discussion can be had to support branches with the cost. This will be on a case by case basis.

If branches are in financial difficulties, there is a regional fund available to help, and again this will be on case by case basis. Please get in touch by emailing: getactive@unison.co.uk

Delegates must have the approval of their branch to attend Get Active. Branches are responsible for all costs associated with attending the event including travel and accommodation (subsistence isn't applicable because the event is fully-catered) - the participant fees will be invoiced to branches after the event.

Please note: priority will be given to those members who have not attended a Get Active event before. We may need to amend the list of participants after the booking deadline in order to accommodate this.

Get Active 2025: unity in action - uniting around trade union values