Blog – Noreen Blanluet

A red 3 inch floppy disk on a white background. The lable date reads 12/11/03.

What this is (start here)

June 1, 2024March 13, 2025
what this is

This is the little space on the World Wide Web where I keep my writing… Read More »What this is (start here)

A bunch of a dozen daffodils in a glass jar, on a wooden table, in front of a plain white wall. They are open and gloriously yellow, above straight stems of a deep green.

The 59 days of Janbruary

March 6, 2025March 15, 2025
new stuff

The first two months of this year have been so dark (weather-wise) and hectic (work-wise)… Read More »The 59 days of Janbruary

Case study: co-production masterclass

February 19, 2025March 2, 2025
case studies

Who: As an associate of the Co-production Lab Wales, I delivered three co-production training sessions… Read More »Case study: co-production masterclass

Photo of a sign in Stowbridge, showing within a horseshoe a windmills, an industrial wheel, a bridge, someone ploughing a field with horses, and a blacksmith at work.

Case study: learning sessions on co-production

December 4, 2024December 23, 2024
case studies

Who: As an associate for Platfform, I worked with Julian Support as part of the… Read More »Case study: learning sessions on co-production

A bumblebee sitting on top of a carrot flower type plant: a cluster of small white blooms densely packed in an umbrella shape.

Case study: community engagement

October 22, 2024March 17, 2025
case studies

Who: The Bumblebee Conservation Trust The brief: Engaging with under-represented communities along the Carmarthenshire coastline,… Read More »Case study: community engagement

A journal is open on a table, with coloured pens and a sprig of dried flowers beside it. The spread shows on the left hand page, "a year in pixels" with a grid of 365 days and a colour-coded key indicating a mood for the day (happy, excited angry, anxious, stressed, productive, sad). Two months and one day are coloured in. On the right hand page, the title reads "books to read 2022" above an illustration of bookshelves with books, decorations and plants. A small board in the picture reads "goals: read at least 20 books", some books are coloured in with a title, and many are blank, waiting to be completed.

Analog data visualisation

October 18, 2024October 19, 2024
new stuff

I’m finally settling into a bit of a regular rhythm as a full time freelancer… Read More »Analog data visualisation

On a vibrant orange background, a diary is open on the table, displaying the whole week on the page spread, with space for a to-do list and some additional notes. A pen rests in the fold. Near it, a cup of coffee stands on a wooden coaster.

Shifting my working day later

October 17, 2024March 13, 2025
new stuff

On Wednesday 21st August 2024, I started The Experiment: moving my working day from 8am-6pm… Read More »Shifting my working day later

A signpost in Welsh at a Welsh-language festival in Cardiff in July 2018, with 13 signs pointing in all different directions (kids' area, exits, toilets, yurt, and some other words I don't know yet!). In the background and out of focus, festival tents and people.

1 of a million Welsh speakers

September 21, 2024October 18, 2024
new stuff

I attended the first lesson of my first year of Welsh classes this week. It… Read More »1 of a million Welsh speakers

6 sheets of A3 paper with the same draft process flow printed on, scribbled over and annotated by various groups, and 2 copies of the A4 sheets of questions they were asked to consider in analysing and improving the draft model. All the comments are highlighted in grey or orange to indicate they've been transferred to the final document.

Case study: co-designing a workflow through a hybrid workshop

September 16, 2024December 24, 2024
case studies

Who: A Welsh Government policy team, who are setting up a co-production advisory group to… Read More »Case study: co-designing a workflow through a hybrid workshop

The visual recording of the event by Laura Sorvala, showing the different conversations we held and what themes were covered.

Case study: facilitating a strategy review

September 12, 2024September 25, 2024
case studies

Who: The Gwent Regional Partnership Board (RPB) In Wales, RPBs bring together health boards, local… Read More »Case study: facilitating a strategy review

Case study: young people’s engagement in policy consultation

September 2, 2024October 22, 2024
case studies

Who: Welsh Government policy team in the Health, Social Care and Early Years group. The… Read More »Case study: young people’s engagement in policy consultation

A photo of a young lime tree, taken looking upwards along the trunk towards the crown. The sun is shining through the leaves and producing dappled patterns of green.

An exercise in noticing

August 24, 2024March 13, 2025
new stuff

In a recent workshop on nature and mindfulness, I set the participants the task to… Read More »An exercise in noticing

A photo of the roundhouse: the walls are covered in a link pink render, and the living roof has grasses and plants growing out of it. There is a wooden veranda around the outside, with half a dozen steps leading up to it. It looks out across trees, fields and hills. From this angle, it seems like a rural setting - hidden behind the roundhouse is the sprawl of the city of Bristol.

Case study: nature and mindfulness workshop

August 23, 2024August 24, 2024
case studies

Who: WeCanMake, a neighbourhood test-space in Bristol for imagining and making new ways to create… Read More »Case study: nature and mindfulness workshop

A hand is resting on someone else's hand, which is resting on fabric. Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash.

How to visit a friend in hospice

July 21, 2024July 21, 2024
new stuff

Notes from an online conversation. Why am I writing this? Because I don’t offer advice… Read More »How to visit a friend in hospice

Summary graph from the 7 events, showing a cloud of red dots (captured at the start of the events) and green dots (captured at the end of the events), with a larger red dot showing the average of all events, and likewise for green. The axes of the graph are people's understanding of of the value lived experience in mental health, and their confidence in working with lived experience in mental health. The green dot (at the end) is higher and further along than the red dot (at the start), indicating a slighth increase in understanding and a large increase in confidence.

Case study: events design and facilitation

July 18, 2024September 24, 2024
case studies

Who: Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), the strategic workforce body for NHS Wales. The… Read More »Case study: events design and facilitation

A forest of mixed conifers and deciduous, with sunshine slanting through the trees and into the undergrowth. There are plants at ground level, bushes and saplings, and taller trees. Photo by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash.

Digital gardening

July 15, 2024March 15, 2025
new stuff

A long(er) read. Over the past few years I’ve been on a journey of disillusionment… Read More »Digital gardening

Presentation slide covering Values in action; on the left, co-production values, and on the right, what they look like in action. Value all participants, and build on their strengths. - Enable everyone to participate fully (equity); people must feel safe, valued, heard, understood. Develop networks across silos. - Work across boundaries and hierarchies. Pay attention to those outside of traditional systems. Do what matters for the people involved. - Listen to understand people’s context and experience first, before bringing your agenda. Build relationships of trust and share power. - Share ideas, make decisions together, test things, give (and take) honest constructive feedback. People can be change makers, and organisations become enablers. - Use positional power to remove barriers, and change the rules and permissions.

Case study: learning session on power and co-production

July 15, 2024August 27, 2024
case studies

Who: Platfform (the mental health and social change people), as part of the New System… Read More »Case study: learning session on power and co-production

Visual from the Relationships Project website representing layers of permissions and enabling factors, with people interacting at different levels.

Case study: facilitating a “kitchen table conversation”

July 15, 2024August 24, 2024
case studies

Who: The Relationships Project, for their event in Birmingham on 12th July 2024, about “Changing… Read More »Case study: facilitating a “kitchen table conversation”

A group of people sitting in various chairs and sofas (and some on the floor) in a colourful yard space, listening to a speaker who's off camera.

Relationship-centred practice

July 12, 2024October 24, 2024
new stuff

I had a fantastic day today at an event all about Relationship Centred Practice, the… Read More »Relationship-centred practice

White smoke on a black background. (Photo by Pascal Meier on Unsplash.com)

Making the important visible

June 27, 2024July 15, 2024
new stuff

I’m thinking about this today, prompted by the latest post on Seth’s Blog: “If it’s… Read More »Making the important visible

Example of alphabet, numerals and symboles in Inclusive Sans, a text typeface designed for accessibility and legibility in digital and print. By Olivia King, from her website.

Accessible typeface

June 25, 2024March 13, 2025
new stuff

My new obsession is the Inclusive Sans font by Olivia King. https://www.oliviaking.com/inclusive-sans (EDIT: ooh that… Read More »Accessible typeface

Case study: strategic board and team away day

June 21, 2024August 31, 2024
case studies

Who: Tai Pawb, who promote equality and social justice in the housing sector in Wales.… Read More »Case study: strategic board and team away day

The pack of cards on my desk, 7 are presented in their entirety and the rest are stacked beside them. The illustrations are colourful and made up of abstract shapes in primary colours.

An abstract icebreaker tool

June 17, 2024September 22, 2024
new stuff

An eternity ago, my uncle gifted me with a set of cards developed by a… Read More »An abstract icebreaker tool

Photo of street art on a public bench in Brighton. Above the bench, the wall is painted in abstract shapes that look like pebbles of different shapes and colours. White text overlaid reads: "Our differences don’t have to divide us."

Case study: learning session on conflict and dialogue

June 15, 2024September 22, 2024
case studies

Who: Cardiff and Vale Drug and Alcohol Service (CAVDAS) CAVDAS is an Alliance bringing together… Read More »Case study: learning session on conflict and dialogue

Photo of a whiteboard wall covered in post-it notes of various sizes and colours (photo by Hugo Rocha on Unsplash.com)

Sustainable facilitation

June 14, 2024July 15, 2024
new stuff

One of the feedback comments on a recent workshop was: “So much waste. Is there… Read More »Sustainable facilitation