Pro-life youth gather in record-breaking numbers for conference in England

(LifeSiteNews) — The annual pro-life youth conference run by Britain’s Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has broken its old attendance record.

The SPUC Youth Conference, held every year on the last weekend of February in Staffordshire, England, had its biggest year ever in 2026, with over 270 attendees aged between 16-35.

The conference began with dinner on Friday, February 27, followed by an introduction to the theme of the conference, “The Culture Awakens,” by the two young presenters who kept the whole weekend running smoothly.

“The culture awakens when we do,” one declared.

This prepared the room for the first talk of the conference: SPUC’s Alithea Williams spoke on the lessons the pro-life movement can learn from the abolition of slavery in Great Britain. Her talk was followed by a quiz which combined pop culture trivia and a variety of challenges. The winning team won an assortment of snacks and sweets.

Saturday began bright and early for many with the Traditional Latin Mass. It was followed by breakfast and the first item of the day: an introduction to SPUC’s outreach initiative, Project Truth. Every year SPUC organizes a roadshow through Scotland to raise awareness about pro-life issues, especially the development of the infant in the womb. The members are comprised of young volunteers aged 18-30.

Subsequently Professor Philip Booth, a British economist at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, gave a talk about the misuse of language by pro-abortion activists.

After a couple of inspirational stories, the first workshop session began. Participants were allowed to choose two of the five workshop options. These ranged from guidance for setting up a pro-life society at college, to using your creative abilities for the pro-life cause, to talking about and responding to difficult abortion stories.

READ: 108 babies left to die after failed abortions in Ireland since 2019 legalization

After the second workshop session, Father David Marsden spoke about “A Culture of Life vs. A Culture of Death.”

In the evening there was a ceilidh (pronounced KAY-lee), a traditional Scottish or Irish gathering including dancing, which is for many the highlight of the conference and a good opportunity to get to know one other better.

Sunday morning began with Mass for most and breakfast for all before a young woman shared her experience with abortion. She received a standing ovation for her testimony.

Afterwards the final talk of the weekend began. John Deigan, CEO of SPUC, gave a talk entitled “Leading Cultural Renewal,” in which he offered advice to the young people from his many years of experience fighting for pro-life causes. The conference concluded with a closing speech by Emmet Dooley, SPUC’s Education and Outreach manager, which included his experience taking a group of young people to the Washington. D.C., March for Life.

Although the conference is only three days long, it is for many of the attendees one of the highlights of their year. One student of nursing, who had been once before, said that the “SPUC Youth Conference is more than a weekend: it’s a gathering of courage.”

According to their website, “SPUC is the world’s first and UK’s largest campaigning and educational organization.” It was founded in 1967 in response to the Abortion Act passed that year in the United Kingdom. Since then, it has continued growing and expanding, focusing not only on abortion but also on euthanasia and other life issues.

SPUC Scotland’s Margaret Akers told LifeSiteNews that there has been some form of the SPUC Youth Conference for decades.

“We think it was revived as an annual event around 2009,” she added.