The 4theRegion Podcast

In this episode of the 4theRegion podcast, Dawn is joined by Mary Sherwood for a frank, eye-opening conversation about poverty, inequality and the urgent need for a wellbeing economy. Mary brings deep expertise from her work with Swansea Council for Voluntary Service, Fairer Future, Gower Power, and years of experience amplifying the voices of people with lived experience of poverty. Together, Daw...

In this episode of the 4theRegion podcast, Dawn brings together a powerful conversation on one of the biggest, least-talked-about questions shaping Wales’ future: who controls our land, and how can communities reclaim it? Fresh from the Wellbeing Economy Festival of Ideas, Dawn is joined by: Ken Moon from Tir Pontypridd Leanne Wood from Community Energy Wales James Hitchcock from Rewilding Britain...

This week on the 4theRegion podcast, Dawn Lyle speaks with friend and collaborator Jon Franklin, founder of The Swansea Positive — the beautiful, print-only newspaper dedicated to uplifting stories from across the city. What starts as a chat about a volunteer-run local paper becomes a powerful conversation about hope, community, and why sharing positive stories is actually a radical act. Jon talks...

In this episode, Dawn sits down with co-founder and long-time collaborator, Zoe Antrobus, for an honest and uplifting conversation about the mission behind 4theRegion and the work they’ve been doing for the last eight years.  Together, they reflect on why 4theRegion exists, how it started, and what it means to bring people, businesses and organisations together across Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, C...

Fresh from hosting the Wellbeing Economy Festival of Ideas and the Green Economy Conference in Swansea, Dawn Lyle opens a new season of the 4theRegion Podcast. In this intro episode, Dawn reflects on two powerful days that brought together organisations, businesses and community leaders to explore the wellbeing economy, the green economy and the future of South West Wales. She talks about connecti...

Dawn Lyle from 4theRegion sits down with experts in environmental assessments and sustainability, to discuss how businesses can get the advice and support they need to decarbonise their operations.  We talk about why this is important from the perspective of supplying into large businesses and public sector organisations, and some of the risks and pitfalls associated with not taking your green cre...

Welcome to the first of our Round Table discussions leading up to the regional Green Economy Conference on the 19th November at Swansea Arena. In this episode, we dive into community-led housing initiatives that are paving the way for a sustainable and inclusive future in South West Wales. Our Panel: Sarah Foster: Pembrokeshire Community Led Housing Development Officer at PLANED; Jonathan Hughes:...

Today we're talking about the circular economy. The transition away from the consumer economy and towards an economy that actually serves our wellbeing is going to take many forms, and it is happening across Wales as a whole and across the world. We discuss opportunities that exist, and what people, businesses and organisations are doing to strengthen our circular economy: What do we think is need...

Community resilience is a subject that is really close to our hearts at 4theregion. A big part of our work is to enable the kind of collaboration and empowerment and place-based activities that are essential for building resilient connected local places, cohesive and connected communities and empowering people within communities to step up and play their part, and do all the amazing, wonderful thi...

The sustainable food movement is gaining ground across South West Wales, with a raft of projects and initiatives underway. Transforming the way we produce and procure our food requires a whole system approach. In this discussion, hear from all four of South West Wales' local food partnerships, for an update on what's happening in Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire. From...

Hear from a wide range of projects and organisations, about their work to support young people in our region. From employment skills to apprenticeships to life coaching, colleagues from across South West Wales shared their updates on initiatives to ensure young people in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire have the opportunity to flourish. This is part of a series of mont...

4theRegion brought together people with an interest in construction, from Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, to share perspectives on the challenges faced by the sector, and the opportunities it presents for businesses and people in our region. This conversation is part of a series of cross-sector discussions convened monthly by 4theRegion, which is an alliance of busin...

4theRegion convened an open discussion about the opportunities in South West Wales' creative economy - part of our series of monthly meetups to explore opportunities across different sectors in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. Listen in, as people, businesses and organisations share updates, announcements and perspectives on our creative sector!

Edward Morgan from Castell Howell Foods reflects on the real challenges for regional farmers, a sense of despondency among farming families, and the vital importance of supporting local farmers - especially given the vulnerability of our global food supply chains.  Ed also describes some of the more complex barriers to local food procurement by public bodies in Wales, and some chinks of light happ...

In the first of our Monthly Meetups in 2024, Dawn launches 4theRegion's Year of Opportunities, with a call for partners and organisations across South West Wales to share their opportunities through our inclusive cross-sector network. In this facilitated conversation, participants shared their thoughts about some of our region's diverse opportunities for people, businesses and communities to thriv...

It's time for all businesses to take seriously the need to reduce their carbon emissions - and that starts with measuring your footprint and tracking the change over time.  BIC Innovation has partnered with Greener Edge to offer a new commercial solution: Trac-C - a package of support and expertise to help organisations move forward in tackling scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.  This is clearly importan...

This discussion is part of a series of conversations focused on the region's green economy. The Green Economy Conference, happening in November, aims to bring together businesses and organizations to discuss the growth of the green economy in South West Wales. This episode features discussions focusing on the efforts of promoting food resilience in the region. Register to attend the Green Economy...

This discussion is part of a series of conversations focused on the region's green economy.  The Green Economy Conference, happening in November, aims to bring together businesses and organizations to discuss the growth of the green economy in South West Wales. This episode features discussions focusing on the efforts of promoting biodiversity and nature within the region. Register to attend the G...

Dawn Lyle speaks to Gary Walpole from CEIC (Circular Economy Innovation Communities) about the success of the project in inspiring behaviour change within public sector organisations in Wales. Now, businesses and third sector organisations can enrol in this game-changing training programme, which is co-hosted by Swansea & Cardiff Universities.

This discussion is part of a series of conversations focused on the region's green economy. The Green Economy Conference, happening in November, aims to bring together businesses and organizations to discuss the growth of the green economy in South West Wales. This episode features discussions focusing on innovations in the green economy. Register to attend the Green Economy Conference here: https...

This discussion is part of a series of conversations focused on the region's green economy. The Green Economy Conference, happening in November, aims to bring together businesses and organizations to discuss the growth of the green economy in South West Wales. The episode features discussions focusing on sustainable methods of transport such as rail, community transport, and innovations in the mov...

This discussion is part of a series of conversations focused on the region's green economy. The Green Economy Conference, happening in November, aims to bring together businesses and organizations to discuss the growth of the green economy in South West Wales. The episode features discussions on related to materials, waste and the new Workplace Recycling Wales laws coming into effect next year. Th...

In this roundtable discussion, we delve deep into the realm of sustainable energy in South West Wales, shedding light on the inspiring work of renewable champions in the region. Hosted jointly by Low Carbon Swansea Bay and 4theRegion, this episode brings together experts and advocates to explore both the opportunities and barriers in the path to a greener, more sustainable future for Wales. Short...

In this interview, Dawn Lyle discusses with Jane Davidson, Chair of the Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group for Wales, the ambitious project to accelerate Wales’ Net Zero target from 2050 to 2035. Jane explains that the project, titled ‘Wales Net Zero Challenge, 2035’, was initiated from an agreement between the Welsh Labour Government and Plaid Cymru in 2021. The group aims to provide independent advic...