diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/README.md b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/README.md
index 850b42eb4..24e4edcf7 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/README.md
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/README.md
@@ -63,12 +63,9 @@ The global options are:
 | vf_event_past_title | [TEXT] |
 | vf_events_per_page | [NUMBER] |
 | vf_events_enable_chatbot | [BOOLEAN] |
-| vf_events_chatbot_routes_payload | [JSON TEXTAREA] |
 
 † If the date format is `custom` the custom text string is used.
 
-The chatbot routes payload is stored directly in the Events settings page, refreshed automatically once a day, refreshed whenever an event is saved, and can also be refreshed manually with the button on that screen.
-
 See the ACF JSON file for default values.
 
 ## Templates
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/assets/qa.json b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/assets/qa.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..45c3c7957
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/assets/qa.json
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+{
+  "predefinedQA": {
+    "How can I register?": {
+      "answer": "Answer 1 here"
+    },
+    "Who is the contact person for this event?": {
+      "answer": "Answer 2 here"
+    },
+    "Where is the event taking place?": {
+      "answer": "Answer 3 here",
+      "sources": [
+        {
+          "domain": "ebi.ac.uk",
+          "title": "EMBL-EBI Training",
+          "url": "https://www.ebi.ac.uk/training/",
+          "description": "Delivering world-class training in data-driven life sciences."
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  },
+  "fallbackResponses": [
+    {
+      "answer": "I'm sorry, I'm having trouble connecting to my knowledge base right now. Could you try again in a moment?",
+      "prompts": [
+        {
+          "action_text": "Contact support team",
+          "action_url": "tel:+44 1223 494 444"
+        },
+        {
+          "action_text": "Submit a support request",
+          "action_url": "https://www.ebi.ac.uk/about/contact/support/"
+        }
+      ]
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/assets/vf-events-chatbot.js b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/assets/vf-events-chatbot.js
index 87bdb8f3a..54b867bce 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/assets/vf-events-chatbot.js
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/assets/vf-events-chatbot.js
@@ -58,14 +58,6 @@
     return selector ? selector.getAttribute("data-routes-path") : "";
   }
 
-  function getRoutesPayloadElement() {
-    var selector = getSelectorElement();
-
-    return selector
-      ? selector.querySelector("[data-vf-js-events-chatbot-routes-payload]")
-      : null;
-  }
-
   function getSelectorEmptyLabel() {
     var selector = getSelectorElement();
 
@@ -189,40 +181,11 @@
 
   function loadEventRoutes() {
     var routesPath = getRoutesPath();
-    var routesPayloadElement = getRoutesPayloadElement();
 
     if (eventRoutesPromise) {
       return eventRoutesPromise;
     }
 
-    if (routesPayloadElement) {
-      eventRoutesPromise = Promise.resolve()
-        .then(function () {
-          var payloadText = routesPayloadElement.textContent || "";
-          var parsedPayload = payloadText ? JSON.parse(payloadText) : { routes: [] };
-          var routes = sortRoutesAlphabetically(
-            normalizeRoutesPayload(parsedPayload)
-          );
-
-          eventRoutesById = {};
-          routes.forEach(function (route) {
-            if (route && route.id) {
-              eventRoutesById[route.id] = route;
-            }
-          });
-
-          return routes;
-        })
-        .catch(function (error) {
-          console.error("Unable to parse inline event routes payload:", error);
-          eventRoutesById = {};
-          eventRoutesPromise = null;
-          return [];
-        });
-
-      return eventRoutesPromise;
-    }
-
     if (!routesPath) {
       return Promise.resolve([]);
     }
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/includes/acf.php b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/includes/acf.php
index 517754796..e5d6a4274 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/includes/acf.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/includes/acf.php
@@ -53,14 +53,6 @@ function __construct($file) {
       'acf/settings/load_json',
       array($this, 'acf_settings_load_json')
     );
-    add_filter(
-      'acf/prepare_field/name=vf_events_chatbot_routes_payload_actions',
-      array($this, 'acf_prepare_field_vf_events_chatbot_routes_payload_actions')
-    );
-    add_action(
-      'admin_post_vf_events_refresh_chatbot_routes',
-      array($this, 'handle_manual_chatbot_routes_refresh')
-    );
     add_action(
       VF_Events::chatbot_routes_refresh_hook(),
       array($this, 'refresh_chatbot_routes_payload')
@@ -209,35 +201,6 @@ public function acf_init() {
           'ui_on_text' => __('Enabled', 'vfwp'),
           'ui_off_text' => __('Disabled', 'vfwp'),
         ),
-        array(
-          'key' => 'field_vf_events_chatbot_routes_payload',
-          'label' => __('Chatbot routes payload', 'vfwp'),
-          'name' => 'vf_events_chatbot_routes_payload',
-          'type' => 'textarea',
-          'instructions' => __(
-            'Stored JSON payload used by the event chatbot selector. It is refreshed automatically once a day and whenever an event is saved.',
-            'vfwp'
-          ),
-          'required' => 0,
-          'conditional_logic' => 0,
-          'wrapper' => array(
-            'width' => '',
-            'class' => '',
-            'id' => '',
-          ),
-          'default_value' => '',
-          'rows' => 18,
-          'new_lines' => '',
-        ),
-        array(
-          'key' => 'field_vf_events_chatbot_routes_payload_actions',
-          'label' => __('Refresh chatbot routes payload', 'vfwp'),
-          'name' => 'vf_events_chatbot_routes_payload_actions',
-          'type' => 'message',
-          'message' => '',
-          'new_lines' => 'wpautop',
-          'esc_html' => 0,
-        ),
       ),
       'location' => array(
         array(
@@ -422,40 +385,6 @@ public function rest_api_init() {
     ));
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Prepare the actions field for chatbot routes payload refresh.
-   */
-  public function acf_prepare_field_vf_events_chatbot_routes_payload_actions($field) {
-    $refresh_url = wp_nonce_url(
-      admin_url('admin-post.php?action=vf_events_refresh_chatbot_routes'),
-      'vf_events_refresh_chatbot_routes'
-    );
-    $updated_at = VF_Events::get_chatbot_routes_updated_at();
-    $status_message = $updated_at
-      ? sprintf(
-          __('Last refreshed: %s', 'vfwp'),
-          wp_date(get_option('date_format') . ' ' . get_option('time_format'), $updated_at)
-        )
-      : __('The chatbot routes payload has not been generated yet.', 'vfwp');
-
-    if (isset($_GET['vf_events_chatbot_routes_refreshed'])) {
-      if ($_GET['vf_events_chatbot_routes_refreshed'] === '1') {
-        $status_message = __('The chatbot routes payload was refreshed successfully.', 'vfwp') . ' ' . $status_message;
-      } elseif ($_GET['vf_events_chatbot_routes_refreshed'] === '0') {
-        $status_message = __('The chatbot routes payload could not be refreshed.', 'vfwp') . ' ' . $status_message;
-      }
-    }
-
-    $field['message'] = sprintf(
-      '<p>%1$s</p><p><a class="button button-secondary" href="%2$s">%3$s</a></p>',
-      esc_html($status_message),
-      esc_url($refresh_url),
-      esc_html__('Refresh now', 'vfwp')
-    );
-
-    return $field;
-  }
-
   /**
    * Return the stored chatbot routes payload via REST.
    */
@@ -483,27 +412,6 @@ public function refresh_chatbot_routes_payload_on_save($post_id) {
     $this->refresh_chatbot_routes_payload();
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Handle manual chatbot routes refresh from the Events settings page.
-   */
-  public function handle_manual_chatbot_routes_refresh() {
-    if (!current_user_can('manage_options')) {
-      wp_die(__('You are not allowed to refresh chatbot routes.', 'vfwp'));
-    }
-
-    check_admin_referer('vf_events_refresh_chatbot_routes');
-
-    $refreshed = $this->refresh_chatbot_routes_payload();
-    $redirect_url = add_query_arg(
-      'vf_events_chatbot_routes_refreshed',
-      $refreshed ? '1' : '0',
-      VF_Events::get_settings_url()
-    );
-
-    wp_safe_redirect($redirect_url);
-    exit;
-  }
-
   /**
    * Filter: `acf/settings/load_json`
    */
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/templates/partials/chatbot.php b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/templates/partials/chatbot.php
index c433c6f9f..528e08b42 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/templates/partials/chatbot.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/templates/partials/chatbot.php
@@ -13,10 +13,7 @@
 $chatbot_event_id = get_post_field('post_name', $chatbot_event_post_id);
 $chatbot_plugin_base_url = plugin_dir_url(dirname(dirname(dirname(__FILE__))) . '/vf-events.php');
 $chatbot_asset_base = untrailingslashit(get_theme_file_uri('assets/assets/vf-chatbot/assets'));
-$chatbot_asset_base_custom = untrailingslashit(get_template_directory_uri() . '/assets/assets/chatbot');
-$chatbot_routes_payload = class_exists('VF_Events')
-  ? VF_Events::get_chatbot_routes_payload()
-  : array('routes' => array());
+$chatbot_qa_data_url = $chatbot_plugin_base_url . 'assets/qa.json';
 $chatbot_routes_url = class_exists('VF_Events')
   ? VF_Events::get_chatbot_routes_url()
   : rest_url('vf-events/v1/chatbot-routes');
@@ -103,7 +100,6 @@
     <div role="region" aria-label="Chatbot header" class="vf-chatbot-modal__header">
       <div role="region" aria-label="Chatbot title" class="vf-chatbot-modal__header-left">
         <div class="vf-chatbot-selector" data-vf-js-events-chatbot-selector data-routes-path="<?php echo esc_url($chatbot_routes_url); ?>" data-empty-label="Select other event" data-selected-route-id="<?php echo esc_attr($chatbot_event_id); ?>">
-          <script type="application/json" data-vf-js-events-chatbot-routes-payload><?php echo wp_json_encode($chatbot_routes_payload, JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES); ?></script>
           <button class="vf-chatbot-selector__title" data-vf-js-selector-toggle type="button">
             <img src="<?php echo esc_url($chatbot_asset_base . '/vf-chatbot--icon-24x24-dark-green.svg'); ?>" alt="AI Event Assistant">
             <div class="vf-chatbot-selector__title-content vf-u-margin__left--200">
@@ -148,7 +144,7 @@
             id="eventInfo"
             class="vf-events-chatbot-event-hero"
             <?php if (!empty($chatbot_hero_image)) { ?>
-             style="background: url('<?php echo esc_url($chatbot_hero_image); ?>') no-repeat 73% 46%; background-size: auto; margin: 1.5rem 1.5rem 2rem 1.5rem; border-radius: 2px;"
+             style="background: url('<?php echo esc_url($chatbot_hero_image); ?>') no-repeat 73% 46%; background-size: auto; margin: 0.5rem 0.5rem 2rem; border-radius: 2px;"
             <?php } ?>
           >
             <div class="vf-events-chatbot-event-card">
@@ -191,7 +187,7 @@ class="vf-chatbot-welcome"
           data-enable-qa-data-loading="true"
           data-enable-predefined-qa="true"
           data-enable-fallback-responses="true"
-          data-qa-data-url="<?php echo esc_url($chatbot_asset_base_custom . '/qa.json'); ?>"
+          data-qa-data-url="<?php echo esc_url($chatbot_qa_data_url); ?>"
         >
 
 
@@ -373,7 +369,7 @@ class="vf-chatbot-welcome"
 <script>
   (function () {
     var assetBase = "<?php echo esc_js($chatbot_asset_base); ?>";
-    var assetBaseCustom = "<?php echo esc_js($chatbot_asset_base_custom); ?>";
+    var qaDataUrl = "<?php echo esc_js($chatbot_qa_data_url); ?>";
 
     window.vfEventChatbotConfig = {
       type: "modal",
@@ -395,7 +391,7 @@ class="vf-chatbot-welcome"
       api: {
         chat_endpoint: "https://8jtt848211.execute-api.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/message",
         feedback_endpoint: false,
-        qa_data_url: assetBaseCustom + "/qa.json",
+        qa_data_url: qaDataUrl,
         headers: {
           "Content-Type": "application/json"
         },
diff --git a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/vf-events.php b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/vf-events.php
index 358cdcef5..292510c9a 100644
--- a/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/vf-events.php
+++ b/wp-content/plugins/vf-events/vf-events.php
@@ -266,13 +266,6 @@ static public function chatbot_routes_option_name() {
     return 'options_vf_events_chatbot_routes_payload';
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Option name for chatbot routes refresh timestamp.
-   */
-  static public function chatbot_routes_updated_at_option_name() {
-    return 'options_vf_events_chatbot_routes_updated_at';
-  }
-
   /**
    * Cron hook for refreshing chatbot routes.
    */
@@ -294,22 +287,6 @@ static public function get_chatbot_routes_url() {
     return rest_url(self::chatbot_routes_rest_path());
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Admin URL for the Events settings page.
-   */
-  static public function get_settings_url() {
-    return admin_url(
-      'edit.php?post_type=' . self::type() . '&page=vf-events-settings'
-    );
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Last refresh timestamp for stored routes payload.
-   */
-  static public function get_chatbot_routes_updated_at() {
-    return (int) get_option(self::chatbot_routes_updated_at_option_name(), 0);
-  }
-
   /**
    * Schedule the daily chatbot routes refresh if it is not already scheduled.
    */
@@ -397,7 +374,6 @@ static public function refresh_chatbot_routes_payload($posts_per_page = 100) {
     }
 
     update_option(self::chatbot_routes_option_name(), $json, false);
-    update_option(self::chatbot_routes_updated_at_option_name(), time(), false);
 
     return $payload;
   }
diff --git a/wp-content/themes/vf-wp-groups/functions/groups-customize.php b/wp-content/themes/vf-wp-groups/functions/groups-customize.php
index 63fd74511..53a156d4f 100644
--- a/wp-content/themes/vf-wp-groups/functions/groups-customize.php
+++ b/wp-content/themes/vf-wp-groups/functions/groups-customize.php
@@ -52,22 +52,35 @@ public function __construct() {
       array($this, 'wp_head')
     );
     */
-    // Setup defaults
-    $this->themes = VF_Theme::apply_filters(
-      'vf/admin/customize/themes',
-      array()
-    );
-    $this->theme_layouts = VF_Theme::apply_filters(
-      'vf/admin/customize/theme_layouts',
-      array()
-    );
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Build customize choices lazily so translations run after init.
+   */
+  private function setup_defaults() {
+    if ($this->themes === null) {
+      $this->themes = VF_Theme::apply_filters(
+        'vf/admin/customize/themes',
+        array()
+      );
+    }
+
+    if ($this->theme_layouts === null) {
+      $this->theme_layouts = VF_Theme::apply_filters(
+        'vf/admin/customize/theme_layouts',
+        array()
+      );
+    }
+
     /**
      * @deprecated https://github.com/visual-framework/vf-wp/issues/141
      *
-    $this->theme_colors = VF_Theme::apply_filters(
-      'vf/admin/customize/theme_colors',
-      array()
-    );
+    if ($this->theme_colors === null) {
+      $this->theme_colors = VF_Theme::apply_filters(
+        'vf/admin/customize/theme_colors',
+        array()
+      );
+    }
     */
   }
 
@@ -119,6 +132,8 @@ public function customize_theme_colors($colors) {
    * Action: `vf/admin/customize`
    */
   public function admin_customize($wp_customize) {
+    $this->setup_defaults();
+
     // Global theme
     $wp_customize->add_setting('vf_theme', array(
       'default'           => array_keys($this->themes)[0],
diff --git a/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/functions.php b/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/functions.php
index 360021ec1..c90a8360a 100644
--- a/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/functions.php
+++ b/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/functions.php
@@ -429,11 +429,6 @@ function custom_gutenberg_editor_styles() {
           'callback' => 'get_events_posts',
           'permission_callback' => '__return_true',
       ));
-      register_rest_route('custom/v1', '/event-routes', array(
-          'methods' => 'GET',
-          'callback' => 'get_events_selector_routes',
-          'permission_callback' => '__return_true',
-      ));
   });
 
   function custom_get_event_hero_image_url($hero_image) {
@@ -577,64 +572,6 @@ function custom_get_events_posts_data($posts_per_page = -1) {
       return $posts_data;
   }
 
-  function custom_get_event_chatbot_routes_payload($posts_per_page = 100) {
-      $events = custom_get_events_posts_data($posts_per_page);
-      $routes = custom_get_event_chatbot_routes_from_events($events);
-
-      return array(
-          'routes' => $routes,
-      );
-  }
-
-  function custom_get_event_chatbot_routes_from_events($events) {
-      $routes = array();
-
-      foreach ($events as $event) {
-          $routes[] = array(
-              'id' => $event['id'],
-              'title' => $event['title'],
-              'start_date' => $event['start_date'],
-              'end_date' => $event['end_date'],
-              'date_label' => $event['date_label'],
-              'event_type' => $event['event_type'],
-              'event_type_value' => $event['event_type_value'],
-              'hero_image' => $event['hero_image'],
-              'post_id' => $event['post_id'],
-          );
-      }
-
-      return $routes;
-  }
-
-  function custom_get_event_chatbot_routes_payload_from_api($posts_per_page = 100) {
-      $endpoint = add_query_arg(
-          'per_page',
-          (string) $posts_per_page,
-          rest_url('custom/v1/events')
-      );
-      $response = wp_remote_get($endpoint, array(
-          'timeout' => 20,
-      ));
-
-      if (is_wp_error($response)) {
-          return false;
-      }
-
-      if ((int) wp_remote_retrieve_response_code($response) !== 200) {
-          return false;
-      }
-
-      $events = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response), true);
-
-      if (!is_array($events)) {
-          return false;
-      }
-
-      return array(
-          'routes' => custom_get_event_chatbot_routes_from_events($events),
-      );
-  }
-
   // Callback function to handle the custom endpoint
   function get_events_posts($request) {
       $per_page = $request->get_param('per_page');
@@ -642,17 +579,6 @@ function get_events_posts($request) {
 
       return rest_ensure_response(custom_get_events_posts_data($posts_per_page));
   }
-
-  function get_events_selector_routes($request) {
-      if (class_exists('VF_Events')) {
-          return rest_ensure_response(VF_Events::get_chatbot_routes_payload(true));
-      }
-
-      $per_page = $request->get_param('per_page');
-      $posts_per_page = !empty($per_page) && is_numeric($per_page) && $per_page > 0 ? intval($per_page) : 100;
-
-      return rest_ensure_response(custom_get_event_chatbot_routes_payload($posts_per_page));
-  }
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/functions/theme.php b/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/functions/theme.php
index 43cb63183..a9bde6360 100644
--- a/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/functions/theme.php
+++ b/wp-content/themes/vf-wp/functions/theme.php
@@ -66,6 +66,11 @@ public function __construct() {
       'after_setup_theme',
       array($this, 'after_setup_theme')
     );
+    add_action(
+      'init',
+      array($this, 'init_textdomain'),
+      0
+    );
     add_action(
       'wp_head',
       array($this, 'wp_head'),
@@ -97,6 +102,17 @@ public function __construct() {
     VF_Theme::do_action('vf/theme/init');
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Action: `init`
+   * Load translations once WordPress has initialized.
+   */
+  public function init_textdomain() {
+    $theme = wp_get_theme();
+    $this->domain = $theme->get('TextDomain');
+    $dir = untrailingslashit(get_template_directory());
+    load_theme_textdomain($this->domain, "{$dir}/languages");
+  }
+
   /**
    * Filter the excerpt
    */
@@ -193,14 +209,11 @@ public function is_last_post() {
    * Setup theme
    */
   public function after_setup_theme() {
-    // Setup theme translation domain
     $theme = wp_get_theme();
     $this->domain = $theme->get('TextDomain');
-    $dir = untrailingslashit(get_template_directory());
-    load_theme_textdomain($this->domain, "{$dir}/languages");
 
-    register_nav_menu('primary', __('Primary', $this->domain));
-    register_nav_menu('secondary', __('Secondary', $this->domain));
+    register_nav_menu('primary', 'Primary');
+    register_nav_menu('secondary', 'Secondary');
 
     /**
      * Setup default theme supports
@@ -268,19 +281,19 @@ public function after_setup_theme() {
   public function editor_color_palette($supports) {
     $theme = wp_get_theme();
     if ( 'VF-WP SIS' == $theme->name) {
-    $color_palette = array(
+      $color_palette = array(
       array(
-        'name' => __('SiS Green', $this->domain),
+        'name' => 'SiS Green',
         'slug' => 'sis_green',
         'color' => '#748f2e',
       ),
       array(
-        'name' => __('SiS Orange', $this->domain),
+        'name' => 'SiS Orange',
         'slug' => 'sis_orange',
         'color' => '#eb9d28',
       ),
       array(
-        'name' => __('SiS Blue', $this->domain),
+        'name' => 'SiS Blue',
         'slug' => 'sis_blue',
         'color' => '#256ec1',
       ),
@@ -289,22 +302,22 @@ public function editor_color_palette($supports) {
     else {
       $color_palette = array(
         array(
-          'name' => __('EMBL Grey', $this->domain),
+          'name' => 'EMBL Grey',
           'slug' => 'grey',
           'color' => '#707372',
         ),
         array(
-          'name' => __('EMBL Green', $this->domain),
+          'name' => 'EMBL Green',
           'slug' => 'green',
           'color' => '#009f4d',
         ),
         array(
-          'name' => __('EMBL Blue', $this->domain),
+          'name' => 'EMBL Blue',
           'slug' => 'blue',
           'color' => '#307fe2',
         ),
         array(
-          'name' => __('EMBL Red', $this->domain),
+          'name' => 'EMBL Red',
           'slug' => 'red',
           'color' => '#e40046',
         ),
@@ -341,32 +354,32 @@ public function editor_color_palette($supports) {
   public function editor_font_sizes($supports) {
     $font_sizes = array(
       array(
-        'name' => __('Extra Small', $this->domain),
-        'shortName' => __('XS', $this->domain),
+        'name' => 'Extra Small',
+        'shortName' => 'XS',
         'size' => 13.99,
         'slug' => 'extra-small'
       ),
       array(
-        'name' => __('Small', $this->domain),
-        'shortName' => __('S', $this->domain),
+        'name' => 'Small',
+        'shortName' => 'S',
         'size' => 14,
         'slug' => 'small'
       ),
       array(
-        'name' => __('Regular', $this->domain),
-        'shortName' => __('R', $this->domain),
+        'name' => 'Regular',
+        'shortName' => 'R',
         'size' => 16,
         'slug' => 'regular'
       ),
       array(
-        'name' => __('Large', $this->domain),
-        'shortName' => __('L', $this->domain),
+        'name' => 'Large',
+        'shortName' => 'L',
         'size' => 19,
         'slug' => 'large'
       ),
       array(
-        'name' => __('Extra Large', $this->domain),
-        'shortName' => __('XL', $this->domain),
+        'name' => 'Extra Large',
+        'shortName' => 'XL',
         'size' => 32,
         'slug' => 'extra-large'
       ),