The Pro Parent Hub in Ashwell House recently hosted the “Stick2gether” workshop, an event aimed at supporting and promoting marriage and family life in the UK. This initiative was led by supernumeraries from Pembridge House, in London. They saw a need to create a Catholic community among families who share their similar values and goals.
The workshop attracted a diverse group of families, including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Nigerian, and English participants, reflecting London's cosmopolitan nature. The event was part of a series of initiatives focused on dating, marriage, and family, which have been ongoing since 2017.
The “Stick2gether” workshop, held on February 8, 2025, at Ashwell House, featured Bernadette Pouw, a relationship coach from the Netherlands. Bernadette's approach focuses on providing practical tools and quality content to help healthy marriages grow and thrive. She emphasizes the importance of curiosity, communication, and effort in maintaining strong relationships.
The workshop covered essential topics such as communication, conflict, and intimacy in marriage. Bernadette highlighted the need for couples to remain curious about each other and to avoid assuming they know everything about their partner. She also addressed common myths about love and the importance of effort in sustaining a relationship.
During the event, couples participated in guided exercises designed to help them understand each other better and discuss often-overlooked topics. Bernadette also discussed conflict resolution, explaining the common personality types in arguments—the turtle and the chimpanzee—and the importance of learning how to argue well.
The workshop concluded with a focus on intimacy and its role in strengthening relationships. The event was well-received, with 87 people attending and benefiting from the insights and practical advice provided by Bernadette.
After the event, many couples shared their feedback, one said: “We absolutely loved it. We’ve realised that we spend years training for our careers—degrees, jobs, master's programmes—but when it comes to the most important thing, our family, we don’t invest nearly as much in learning and growth. Even if everything is going well, it’s valuable to have these ‘check-ups’ now and then, to bring up topics that might not come up in daily life. Thank you so much for organising this—we’d love to attend more events like this!”