Theme: Unity: Elevating Every Voice

This year, we are bringing together speakers, performers, and attendees from Teesside and around the world to explore the theme of Elevating Every Voice.

From the moment you walk through the doors, you will be immersed in a ‘glocal’ atmosphere that celebrates collaboration, community, and connection. You'll feel the energy of like-minded individuals who share a passion for innovation, creativity, and personal growth.

Middlesbrough Town Hall
Albert Road
Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough, TS1 2QJ
United Kingdom

Chloe Laws

Writer, Journalist, Poet

Chloe Laws is a journalist, poet and gender-equality campaigner, she has written about misogyny and male violence against women and girls for publications like GLAMOUR, Grazia, Marie-Claire, Cosmopolitan, Dazed and many more. Chloe's thought-provoking articles and essays have earned her a reputation as a leading voice in contemporary feminist discourse. Her ability to blend personal experience with broader social commentary makes her work both relatable and deeply influential.

Drew Dalton

Founder and CEO

Drew Dalton brings twenty years' experience in the NGO and education sectors, working in human rights, international development, and being a former Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sunderland where he specialised in global queer human rights and geo-politics, activism and social movements, and global health. He is the Founder and CEO of ReportOUT, a global human rights organisation for sexual and gender minorities, proudly based in the North East of England and working with over 80+ volunteers from over 40 nation states to report, inform, and defend against the human rights abuses of queer people globally. He is also the current Chair of the UK Alliance for Global Equality (UKAGE), lobbying on behalf of 14 civil society organisations, all with an international LGBTQ+ remit, to work with MPs, Ministers and queer activists from across the globe, to attain equity for all.

Liz Atkin

Author & Founder of Refreshing Comms Ltd

Liz is founding director of Refreshing Comms Ltd, helping organisations bridge communication gaps for increased employee buy-in and team collaboration. She's also a best-selling author and winner of the 2023 Redcar and Cleveland Inspiring Women in Business Awards. Born and bred in Teesside, Liz has spent her career using the power of words to positively influence people and inspire action. Her background in business, culture change and communication has given her a rich, personal insight into the power of creating real human connections in every aspect of life.

Millie Gooch

Founder & Journalist

Millie Gooch is the founder of the Sober Girl Society and is one of the voices leading the sobriety movement in the UK. As a journalist, she has written for a range of publications and has been featured everywhere from Elle and Stylist to the BBC and British Vogue. Her debut book, The Sober Girl Society Handbook, was released in 2021, and in 2022 she received the Media Award from the Research Society on Alcoholism for her contributions in helping disseminate empirical research on alcohol and creating a safe space for people to explore alcohol-free living. Millie is a proud ambassador for Alcohol Change UK and holds a master’s degree in Addiction and Mental Health. Her second book Booze Less was released in November 2024.

Ruby Dhal

Content creator, Poet, Author

Ruby Dhal is a self-love content creator, poet and bestselling author of 6 books, with a social media following of 1 million. Ruby moved to the UK at the age of three and, within a year, lost her mom. This started Ruby's lifelong healing journey and inspired her to create art to heal hearts all over the world. Ruby currently writes and creates content on mental health, love, heartbreak, grief, loss, moving on, self-love and healing journeys via various social media platforms, with her work garnering millions of impressions each week. In 2017, Ruby was only one of 7 South Asian women in the world to be featured in the Harper’s Bazaar India Writer Hotlist that year. Ruby's latest book, 'The Path To Self-Love' dives deeper into self-love using a mixture of nurturing prose poetry, personal stories and hard-won insight, exercises and journaling.

Sharon Sinclair-Williams

Digital Sustainability Trainer & Tech Biz Female Founder

Sharon is a Digital Wellness Expert and Carbon Literacy Trainer working to create awareness for a greener internet and a more sustainable and healthy future for us all. She is making a splash by training businesses and organisations how to ‘Decarbonise and Declutter' their Digital Assets and consider their Dark Data Footprint with a range of workshops and Carbon Literacy certification. Alongside this, Sharon is the award winning blogger aka Best Before End Date writing midlife musings and opinions on Substack to a global audience, using her voice to advocate for positive ageing. She also writes the Shout Louder newsletter as her CSR give back project. She created it to raise awareness on a breadth of social and wellness issues including the profile of loving where she lives - Teesside and the wider North East. Older & Bolder at 61. Her mantra is ‘I'm Definitely Not Past My Expiry Date.’

Sophia Ufy Ukor

Founder & Storyteller

Sophia Ufy Ukor is the founder of Violet Simon, a media company that amplifies women's voices through storytelling, fostering inclusion and representation, equitable equality and a safe space where women's voices are heard. She has a 15-year entrepreneurial journey and a background in English, Law, Fashion and PR, and professionally qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Through her work and collaborations recognised by global platforms like BBC, UN Women UK, Global Citizen, We Are The City, Forbes among others, Sophia pioneers safe and inclusive spaces for women. Her collaborations bridge gaps, amplify women’s voices and drive positive change. Her impactful work has garnered awards and accolades for excellence in media and has seen her recognised in Powerlists as one of the influential changemakers and inclusion champions making a significant impact across the UK.

Tamma Carel

Environmental Consultant

Tamma Carel (PIEMA, FIIRSM, MSc, BSc) is a Senior Environmental Consultant specialising in Sustainability, Environmental Management & Legislation. She is the founder of Imvelo Ltd. and co-founder of iCOR Systems. She is also an Associate Lecturer at Northumbria University, delivering sessions on Sustainability, whilst simultaneously completing a part-time Executive MBA at Newcastle University. She is an active advocate for addressing the gender gap and promoting the role of women in STEM through multiple partnerships. With most of her clients coming from the Manufacturing, Construction, Renewables, and Waste Industries, she is one woman on a mission to help the environment and use her position to demonstrate that women can be powerful agents of change. She has an unrelenting drive to protect the planet and deliver verifiable compliance and demonstrable progress for organisations to help meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.