2025 was a year of momentum for us.
Much of what we’ve done hasn’t always been visible from the outside. It’s happened in conversations, shared documents, late-night messages, and a growing belief that Wales can do digital public services differently – and better.
This feels like the right moment to pause, reflect, and make that work visible.
Starting with community
The year began simply. We started meeting every fortnight to talk, think, and compare notes. Those conversations quickly made something clear: lots of people across Wales were grappling with the same challenges, often in isolation.
So we created the Cymru Ddigidol Slack community . Not as a platform to broadcast opinions, but as a space to connect practitioners, share learning, and support one another.
Since then, it’s become a place where people ask questions, share resources, and realise they’re not alone. That matters more than metrics ever could.
From conversations to a shared argument
Over the summer, our thinking deepened. We began writing what would eventually become Transforming public services for a modern Wales – now printed as a book.
The report didn’t come from a single insight or a grand strategy. It came from years of experience, countless conversations, and a shared frustration with short-term fixes that don’t address root causes.
We wrote it to make a constructive case for:
- starting with people, not solutions
- modern, multidisciplinary ways of working
- building long-term capability in Wales
Just as importantly, we wrote it to be usable. Something people could share, debate, and build on.
Alongside the report, we launched the Transform Wales newsletter to keep the conversation going in the open, and to share digital news from across Wales.
Showing up and sharing the work
This year was also about being present.
We ran sessions at GovCamp Cymru, where we officially launched the report. GovCamp has always been a space for generous, practitioner-led discussion, and it felt like the right place to share this work first.
We also met people across Wales who are already doing brilliant things in difficult conditions. A particular highlight was Ann’s talk at Digidol AI in north Wales - presenting to the cross-party Senedd group for Digital in Wales - which grounded big questions about technology in the realities of public service delivery.
Again and again, we were reminded of the depth of skill, care and commitment that already exists in Wales.
What this year really showed us
If 2025 has taught us anything, it’s this: there is an appetite for change and an acceptance that things must change.
There are small pockets of good practice happening across local government, the NHS, arm’s-length bodies, and the third sector. Often it’s under-resourced, under-recognised, and hard to sustain – but it’s there.
Our role is not to criticise from the sidelines. It’s to:
- champion practitioners
- support leadership
- connect people doing similar work
- help turn pockets of good practice into something more consistent and enduring
The report is one contribution to that. The community is another. Neither is an end point.
Looking ahead to 2026
The year ahead already feels busy.
We have a full set of meetings lined up for the new year, and a number of events in the pipeline to move from ideas to action.
Our focus will be on expanding the thinking in the report through our blog – especially to support execs and senior leaders across the Welsh public sector to put things into practice.
That means translating principles into decisions, structures and ways of working that can actually stick.
We’ll keep working in the open. We’ll keep listening. And we’ll keep backing the people already doing the hard work of change.
If you’ve found value in what we’ve shared so far:
- follow us on LinkedIn and Bluesky
- subscribe to the newsletter
- share the report with colleagues
- bring others into the conversation
This is collective work, and we’re only just getting started.