The St Vincent de Paul Society (England and Wales) has unveiled a fantastic line up of keynote speakers for its annual National Meeting this June.
The 2024 SVP National Meeting will bring together experts and thought leaders from across the faith, poverty, social justice, asylum, academic and environmental sectors for a three-day event at Yarnfield Park in Stone, Staffordshire (27-29 June). This year’s National Meeting comes as the SVP celebrates its 180th anniversary.
Children’s Commissioner for England Wales, Dame Rachel de Souza, the Chief Executive of the Trussell Trust, Emma Revie, and Chair of the Institute of Global Homelessness and cross bench peer in the House of Lords, Baroness Casey, will all address the 2024 National Meeting.
Renowned motivational speaker, David Wells, Head of Environment for Salford Diocese, Dr Emma Gardner, Co-Director of the School of Synodality, Avril Baigent, National President for SVP India, Jude Mangalraj, and Afghan refugee, author and TEDx speaker, Gulwali Passarlay, will also address the event.
Completing the line-up is Gareth Rowe, a research fellow with CAFOD and Durham University, and Chief Executive of DePaul International, Matthew Carter. In addition to keynote addresses there will be various breakout sessions with opportunities to network as well as a celebratory Mass led by Bishop Tom Williams.
National President of the SVP, Elaine Heyworth, is already looking forward to the National Meeting, which will reflect on the SVP’s journey over the past 180 years while examining current challenges and looking ahead to the future.
She said: “As we celebrate our 180th anniversary this meeting has never been more important. We remain in the midst of a cost of living crisis, as we have continue to see from the number of requests for help we have received recently.
“People need our help more than ever; that is the heartbreaking reality of today. We will use the National Meeting to once again shine a light on the problems facing communities but also to ensure that the SVP continues to play its part in ensuring that no one is left behind.
“That is our goal, so please join us at the 2024 SVP National Meeting.”
The 2024 SVP National Meeting is open to everyone who is committed to the fight against poverty and tackling injustice. SVP members can book via the members section of the SVP website, while non-members should contact johnm@svp.org.uk or 0207 703 3030 for booking details.