Over 150 delegates gathered in Edinburgh on Tuesday 29 September at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre for a symposium on the theme ‘These Islands: Cultivating Communities and Tackling Inequalities’, an event split across four overarching sessions showcasing the breadth of the BIC’s work.

The event was opened by the Scottish Government Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Jenny Gilruth MSP, and Shona Riach, Director General Exchequer, Performance and Strategy.

Reshaping Communities Through Place

The first formal session of the symposium considered the story of Belfast Grand Central Station through a range of different lenses , viewed here as a case study in reshaping communities through place-based infrastructure and regeneration.

The session began with a keynote address from John Glass, Director of Infrastructure & Projects at Translink. John’s address was called ‘Connecting People, Places and Opportunity: The Belfast Grand Central Story.’

This address was followed by parallel workshops on Traffic Management from James Redmond, Director of Transport Planning, Modelling and Data Analytics within the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland; and Accessibility and Place, presented by Louise Doyle, Station Manager, Belfast Grand Central Station, and disability advocate Michael Lorimer head of the Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC) Secretariat.

The session concluded with a panel discussion that explored the wider community, planning, and accessibility considerations linked to the project. This discussion brought all previous panellists together, where they were joined by Katheryn McFerran, Director of Regional Planning Policy and Casework at the NIE Department for Infrastructure, and Gary Marshall, Senior Infrastructure Stakeholder Engagement Manager with Translink Major Projects. The panel was chaired by Sian Kerr, co-chair of the BIC Transport Work Sector.

Circularity and Sustainability

The session explored place-based and community approaches to achieving the energy transition through a renewable energy and circular economy lens.

Chris Stark, Head of the UK Government’s Clean Power Mission in DESNZ, opened with his keynote address ‘Bringing the Energy Transition Home’. Chris spoke about the importance of shifting discourse away from public energy deployment to public participation, the work of GB Energy in supporting communities and local authorities in taking ownership of energy projects, as well as the symbolic importance of GB Energy’s HQ being based in Aberdeen.

A panel session then followed exploring ‘Achieving Circularity and Sustainability at the Local Level’, led by Nicola Hopley, Chair of the Environment Work Sector. Chris was joined on stage by Dr. Rachel Lombardi, Chief Executive of International Synergies, an industry leading organisation on industrial symbiosis and the circular economy in action; Calum MacDonald, founder of the Point and Sandwick Trust – the UK’s largest community-owned onshore wind farm situated on the Isle of Lewis; and Elaine Brown, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Remakery – an award-winning charity based in Leith which specialises in repair and reuse, in addition to delivering several community outreach initiatives.

Panellists reflected on the value of involving communities, both individuals and businesses, in circular and sustainable initiatives and the importance of communities seeing and feeling the tangible benefits.

Supporting a Healthy Society

During the third session the Symposium turned its focus to both the early years sector, and health, wellbeing, and certain support pathways within communities.

The opening panel discussion explored how perinatal and family supports can be strengthened for women with substance use challenges where we were joined by leading health experts and those with lived experience. Featured on the panel were Ellen Crushell, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health, Ireland; Dr Aisling Sheehan, National Lead of Alcohol and Mental Health and Wellbeing Programmes at the Irish Health Service Executive; Professor Maeve Eogan, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; and Sharon Graham, Research Assistant and the Lead for Lived Experience at Glasgow University within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health team.

This was followed by parallel workshops focusing on screen time and post custody recovery supports respectively:

Dr Katie Daubney, developmental psychologist and neuroscientist at the Institute for the Science of Early Years (ISEY), University of East London, led a workshop exploring healthy digital experiences in the early years titled: Not All Screen Time is Equal: The Importance of Supporting Healthy Digital Experiences in the Early Years. Dr. Daubney spoke about ISEY’s research on the neurological impacts of screen time on young children, as well as a range of different scenarios where screen time can have a negative and positive impact on child learning and brain development.

Alongside this, leading academics from Ireland and Scotland participated in a panel exploring recovery and reintegration support for individuals leaving custody. The discussion raised the many complex challenges individuals face in this context, and emphasised the importance of joined-up, evidence-informed and person-centred approaches that respond to the needs of those leaving custody. Chaired by Professor Diarmuid O’Donovan, Director of National Health Improvement with the Irish Health Service Executive, the panel included Elaine Dunne, Healthy Prisons Lead for the Irish Prison Service; Lisa Miller, operational lead of Scottish Recovery Consortium’s (SRC) Prison Recovery Development Team who drew on her lived experience, and Dr John McGhee, a researcher from both the University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh, whose work focuses on the intersections of health, inequality, and the criminal justice system.

Culture and Heritage

The final session of the symposium explored the role of culture, heritage, language and the creative industries in supporting identity, community and inclusion.

It commenced with two parallel workshops.

In one room was a panel discussing ‘Pride in Place’, focussing on the impacts of Bergerac in Jersey and An t-Eilean in the Isle of Lewis, featuring Ben Bickerton and Phil Trethowan of BlackLight TV, Bill MacLeod of MG Alba and Arabella Page Croft of Black Camel. The panel, which was chaired by Chris Kelleher, Chair of the Creative Industries Work Sector, discussed how the productions had provided employment and career opportunities in Jersey and the Isle of Lewis, the response from local residents, the importance of embedding the production teams in Jersey and the Isle of Lewis, as well as the wider economic benefits provided by the productions, including increased tourism.

In parallel, a panel took place exploring the role of ‘Minority Languages in the Age of AI’, featuring Professor Will Lamb of the University of Edinburgh, Gruff Prys of Bangor University, Dr Brian Ó Raghallaigh of Dublin City University. Chaired by Niall Bartlett, this discussion considered the associated opportunities and challenges Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-used (IML) languages face amid rapidly developing large language models, and its impacts on translation, education and minority language.

Freelance Director and Producer, Liz MacBain, then addressed delegates on the BIC’s Celtic Exchange Programme, which – with the support of the Welsh Government – has been running the past two years, with programmes taking place in the Outer Hebrides in 2025 and Belfast in 2026. Liz spoke about the positive feedback given by young participants from across the island of Ireland, Cornwall, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, and the value of breaking down silos and supporting a network for young, language creatives from across these islands.

The symposium programme formally concluded with the final panel exploring ‘Breathing Life Into Third Places: Language and Intangible Cultural Heritage Policy’, featuring Wyn Roberts, Chair of Tyn’ Llan, a community-owned pub in Llandwrog, North Wales, Dr Esbjörn Wettermark of the University of Sheffield’s School of Languages, Arts and Societies, Bláithín Mhic Cana, an award-winning singer, educator and language activist from South Armagh, and Steve Byrne, Scottish singer, folklorist and cultural advocate as Chief Executive of TRACS (Traditional Arts & Culture Scotland). The panel was led by Llŷr Gwyn Lewis, Chair of the IML Languages Work Sector.

Following the Symposium, the Consulate General of Ireland in Edinburgh hosted a networking event with additional attendees joining from the Network of Academics for Irish and Scottish Engagement (NAOISE).

On 16 and 17 April 2026, the Government of Ireland hosted the British-Irish Council (BIC) Environment Work Sector in Dublin.  The busy two-day programme was an opportunity for officials from across these islands to build relationships and learn about the Government of Ireland’s implementation of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

The occasion began with a visit to Re-turn in the Liffey Valley. BIC officials were welcomed by Gillian McCann and Ciaran Hope form Re-turn’s senior leadership team and were briefed on the operation of the DRS to date. Officials were also given Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) demonstrations at Tesco (Liffey Valley) and Lidl (Maynooth).

The following day, at a work sector meeting, officials were given a presentation by the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment on the Government of Ireland’s new Circular Economy Strategy (2026-2028).

On Monday 8 December, the British-Irish Council Environment (Circular Economy) Work Sector held a Webinar attended by over 60 people, including industry practitioners and policymakers, exploring the topic: ‘Circular Economy Strategies’. The occasion was chaired by the UK Government (UKG), the Work Sector’s lead administration, and featured four fascinating presentations exploring efforts being pursued across these island to support the transitioning to a Circular Economy.

The first presentation was given jointly by Laila Kituyi, from the UKG’s Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and Andrew Morlet, Chair of the UK’s Circular Economy Taskforce. Laila talked about the UKG’s plans to drive the transition to a Circular Economy looking at the barriers (e.g. societal buy-in and complex supply chains) and priority sectors (e.g. Agrifood). Andrew highlighted examples of success (e.g. the SUEZ Renew Hub in Greater Manchester) and learnings from the Dutch Government’s approach.

Next was a presentation from Niall McLoughlin, Head of the Circular Economy – Strategic Policy Section in the Government of Ireland. Niall spoke about the development of government’s second Circular Economy Strategy, which builds on the findings of Ireland’s Circularity Gap Report. He highlighted the public consultation and steps being taken in advance of the strategy’s publication in early 2026. In his presentation, Niall emphasised the importance of joint ownership right across the Government of Ireland.

Following Niall was a joint presentation from Gareth Heavisides, Scottish Government’s (SG) Circular Economy Strategy Unit, and Jamie Fry, Head of Policy at Zero Waste Scotland. Gareth gave an overview of the Scottish Government’s Draft Circular Economy Strategy, highlighting the vision, intended outcomes, policy mechanisms, as well as some of the priority sectors identified. Jamie highlight examples of Zero Waste Scotland’s specific sector roadmaps and the approaches being undertaken, including the built environment, food systems, textiles and construction.

Finishing the Webinar was a joint presentation from Martin Thompson from the Northern Ireland Executive’s (NIE) Department for the Economy, and Dr Rachel Lombardi, Chief Executive of International Synergies (IS). Martin gave an overview of the NIE’s progress towards a Circular Economy Strategy, while Rachel spoke of IS’ expertise in industrial symbiosis, showcasing examples of their resource matching workshops which are helping their clients transition to a more circular economy, and thereby achieving greater financial efficiencies. She spoke of IS’ work with organisations across Northern Ireland, Ireland and the UK, including with organisations such as the National Trust.