South Yorkshire Women in Sustainability: May Breakfast Networking

Following our sellout launch event, we're delighted to be back - with a slightly bigger venue! We'll be welcoming you all for a breakfast buffet, connecting women working across sustainability, retrofit and the built environment in South Yorkshire.

We'll be at The Refinery on Ecclesall Road - a fantastic cafe space run by Golddigger Trust - and we're delighted to be joined by Beth Stout, one of the founders, who'll tell us a little more about the amazing work they do for young people across the city.

The session will create a supportive space for discussion around:

• skills development and career pathways

• leadership and progression in the sector

• lived experience of working in sustainability and retrofit

We're looking forward to hosting a diverse group of people at South Yorkshire Women in Sustainability, an inclusive space for peer-to-peer support and growth.

This event is supported by the South Yorkshire Retrofit Skills Task Force. The session will help inform the Task Force’s understanding of barriers, opportunities and support needs for women within the retrofit workforce, contributing to a more inclusive and resilient retrofit ecosystem.

The South Yorkshire retrofit and sustainability sector is growing yet women remain underrepresented across many roles, particularly within technical and leadership positions.

This breakfast event creates a space for women working across sustainability, retrofit and the built environment to:

• connect with peers

• share experiences and insights

• discuss skills development and career pathways

• explore how the sector can become more inclusive and accessible

Since 2015, Lorna’s been looking into phytomining as a way to restore the environmental and economic value of retired mines, focusing on recovering leftover metals and protecting historic landscapes. Her work led to the creation of Phyona, a company that uses local, non-GMO plants to pull metals out of soil and water, with the harvested plants processed on-site to release valuable nanoparticles.

The process doesn’t stop there - the remaining plant material has lots of potential to decarbonise cross-sector systems. The goal is to generate hyper‑local supply chains linking soil regeneration, improved biodiversity, agriculture, and construction, providing models of circular economy and industrial resilience with low or even negative carbon footprints.

Lorna will present the concept, the process and its application in Sheffield to create the first hyper-local supply chain from contamination to wellbeing.

Chandana's passion is preparing students for the world of construction with a core focus on sustainability, through hands-on practical approaches combined with in-depth research. She'll be talking to us about how a grounding in a range of practical skills, access to real-world learning opportunities, and industry support are helping prepare our next generation of construction specialists, including architects, designers and engineers, and skilled trades such as electricians, joiners and bricklayers.

Chandana will also discuss how we might better support women and girls into choosing vocational courses as the need for green skills grows amid continued underrepresentation in core industries.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Refinery, 197 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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