On 5 November 2026, Interlink RCT was delighted to welcome colleagues, partners and community leaders to our Community and Voluntary Sector Conference and Annual General Meeting at Maerdy Community Centre.

The event brought together 84 participants from across the community, voluntary and public sectors, creating a vibrant space to connect, share learning and help shape the future of the sector in Rhondda Cynon Taf. The energy, openness and commitment in the room were evident throughout the day.

A day focused on collaboration, prevention and impact

Through keynote speeches, workshops and conversations, the conference explored some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing our sector, including:

• Tackling poverty and inequality

• Building resilience through prevention

• Fair and sustainable funding

• Empowering and supporting volunteers

• Digital innovation, including the use of AI

• Strengthening partnerships between communities, the voluntary sector and public services

The workshops highlighted a strong shared ambition to work more collaboratively, reduce duplication, improve data sharing, and ensure community voices genuinely shape decisions that affect them.

What did people think?

Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, with the event scoring 3.7 out of 4 stars.

• 100% said it was a strong networking opportunity

• 96% gained new knowledge useful to their organisation

• 93% made connections they intend to follow up

• 85% felt the event contributed to shaping the future of the local voluntary sector

Networking was consistently highlighted as the biggest benefit of the day, alongside the quality of speakers, practical workshops and the welcoming, collaborative atmosphere.

Read the full report and presentations

We have now published the full Conference & AGM Report, along with the presentations from the day, capturing the discussions, insights and agreed next steps in detail.

Thank you to everyone who attended, contributed and helped make the day such a success. We look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to work together to support strong, resilient communities across RCT.