Towards a Radical Centre: What does it mean to be together now? | Jo Berry, Elizabeth Oldfield, Ali Alma, Sean Ryan

In a UK where 84% of the public say the country feels divided, fresh calls for national unity are echoing across civic platforms and public squares around the country. Large-scale rallies, counter-mobilisations, and new coalitions are all seeking to define what Britain should stand for in a moment of heightened tension around themes of identity, land and belonging.

But what does togetherness really mean in a time of protest, mistrust and culture war — and how do we move beyond competing slogans toward relationships strong enough to hold deep difference?

Join leading UK voices in depolarisation and peacemaking Jo Berry, Ali Alma, Sean Ryan, Clare Martin and moderator Elizabeth Oldfield as they explore how we can build a form of unity that does not require uniformity — and how we might step away from outrage, censorship and echo chambers to cultivate the skills needed to remain in relationship across profound disagreement.

Moderator

Elizabeth Oldfield 

Elizabeth Oldfield is an experienced leader, writer, consultant and podcast host with a passion for intelligent public engagement on issues of reconciliation, identity, and healing our common life. She is currently working with a range of organisations and individuals as a coach and consultant focused on building clarity, courage and connection. She also hosts The Sacred, a podcast, events and visual content brand which creates space for a wide range of guests to reflect on their deepest values, and writes the Substack bestseller (in philosophy) More Fully Alive.

Elizabeth appears regularly in the media, including the New York Times, BBC One, Sky News, the World Service, and writing in Prospect Magazine, UnHerd and The Financial Times. For ten years she was Director of Theos, the UK’s leading religion and society think tank, where she was repeatedly accredited by Best Companies as a 3* (world class) manager, reflecting her commitment to building and leading flourishing, high performing teams. She spent the first part of her career working at the BBC in television and radio, contributing to programmes including Beyond Belief and the Moral Maze, as well as Radio 3 and 4 documentaries. She is motivated by the dearth of real wisdom in public life, by a desire to increase empathy across our deep differences and the way spirituality can help individuals and societies flourish. She has a masters in Theology and the Arts and lives in an intentional community in south london.

Speakers

Jo Berry

Jo Berry CBE is a UK-based international speaker, peacebuilder, and founder of Building Bridges for Peace. Her work emerged from a deeply personal tragedy: in 1984, her father, Sir Anthony Berry MP, was killed in the IRA bombing of the Brighton hotel. Out of this loss, Jo embarked on an extraordinary journey of reconciliation that has become globally recognised for its depth, courage, and humanity. Jo is internationally recognised as an expert in restorative justice and in preventing violence and building understanding across divides, bringing lived experience alongside professional practice to some of the most challenging issues of our time. She regularly contributes to global discussions on peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and the prevention of violence, with her work widely used in academic, policy, and practitioner training contexts.

Ali Alma

Mohammed Ali Amla is the Public Affairs Director at SNS, where he leads on public affairs, crisis communication, and strategic partnerships. He heads the organisation’s training and development programmes, specialising in anti-racism and countering antisemitism and Islamophobia. Ali works to amplify the organisation’s influence across policy, media, and civil society, while driving youth leadership programmes that equip young people with the skills, knowledge and networks to become bridge builders and changemakers. A multipotentialite, researcher, educator, and practitioner, Ali has over two decades of experience working with communities at the intersection of faith and policy. He is the founder of Lita'arafu and Christian Muslim Encounters, and has advised on interfaith , community cohesion, Equality & Diversity, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, active citizenship, and community leadership. His work consistently centres on empowering communities to innovate for social change.

Sean Ryan

Sean Ryan MBE is CEO of UK Welcomes Refugees. His career spans refugee resettlement, education, palliative care, community organising and work with vulnerable groups, including young offenders and people experiencing mental ill health. Sean has been widely recognised for his work supporting refugees and community sponsorship initiatives across the UK, including receiving an MBE for services to refugees.

Clare Martin

Clare is Co-Director of St Ethelburga’s. Previously Development Director, Clare created and led on the Radical Resilience programme and went on to be the strategic lead on our viewpoint diversity work, before stepping up to co-lead the centre alongside Tarot Couzyn. She brings more than 20 years’ experience facilitating groups for the sake of inner enquiry and outer change, and is interested in how contemplative practices can play a role in cultural repair. She has has worked on numerous interfaith projects, most notably for Nisa Nashim, the Jewish Muslim Women’s Network. Prior to this, Clare worked as a communications consultant in the corporate and charitable sector. Currently she runs a community garden on her Hackney housing estate, where she lives with her husband and 9-year old daughter. Raised a Christian, Clare has also studied Buddhism and Sufism.