Tuesday 14^th October 2025 will see Chester Residents’ Associations Group (CRAG) holding its third annual conference ‘CRAG25’ at Chester Racecourse, with a theme of “What makes Chester tick?”

The event is free for Chester residents who register to attend in advance via the CRAG website. CRAG25 follows on from the highly successful second conference last year, organised and delivered by residents for residents that had some 150 attendees. The dialogue will continue this year about how residents, together with other local stakeholders, can help to shape Chester’s future, whilst making sure that the city of now is the best it can be. Keynote presentations, interactive panel discussions and residents’ roundtables will explore topics such as “What makes a city tick?”; Building our future today (Young Citizens’ perceptions & views), City Heartbeat (how social connection & well-being shape cities & tackle urban issues), together with an update on the One City Plan (OCP).

A diverse list of speakers and panellists includes: Louise Stewart CEO of Chester Race Company Ltd.;  Jamie Christon DL, CEO of Chester Zoo;  Cllr Richard Beacham, Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) Deputy Chair – along-with the OCP Team leads;  Sal Thirlway, Director of Education and Inclusion, CWaC; Summer Ainscough, immediate past Vice-President, University of Chester Students’ Union; Young Citizen delegates from local Chester schools;  Cllr Katrina Kerr, Heritage Champion for CWaC; Robert Whittall, CEO Chester Aid to the Homeless;  Rachel Lewis, Chair of Trustees Chester Women’s Aid;  Justin Caroe, Director of Income Generation Hospice of the Good Shepherd; Dee Denton, CEO Kidsbank and Gemma Davies, Director Economy, Housing and Planning CWaC.

The cost of the conference (including lunch for the students) is being supported by a range of sponsors and contributors including, Chester Business Club, Chester Race Company, The University of Chester and local councillors from CWaC. Prizes for the lunchtime quiz are being provided by the Rooftop Social Club.

Mike Hogg, chair of CRAG commented: “As with previous CRAG conferences, the objective of CRAG25 is to open up the conversation to a wider Chester audience, extending and advancing knowledge and to understand what is being done to grasp new exciting opportunities as well as to find remedies to some of our more challenging and complex issues. So, whether you’re a new or returning delegate, I’d urge you to attend, have your voice heard and make a difference.”  

To find out more, or to book your place, visit: https://www.crag.uk/conference/