The 4theRegion Podcast

We need greener, cleaner, healthier and better connected travel and transport for South West Wales, for transport that meets the needs of businesses, serves communities, and improves well-being across the region.  In today's roundtable discussion, we are talking about future of transport in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea: What should the government be investing in, w...

Young people aged 16+ will be able to vote in Wales for the first time in the Senedd Elections this year. So we spoke to young people from across Wales about politics, what's important to them, and what they value most. We heard from a passionate and inspiring group of young people from a range of backgrounds, who shared their own opinions and talked about what they're already doing to make a diff...

Collaboration and connection with all of the amazing organisations that are working across our region is a key theme at 4theRegion and we believe that the power of working together can benefit all. Another organisation focusing on collaborative power is the Rhwydwaith, a resilience network based across Pembrokeshire. Today, director Vicky Moller shares the impact the network has had across communi...

We're delighted that DVLA has come on board as a partner of our alliance. We speak to the DVLA's Senior Sustainability and Travel Services Manager, Rhian Thomas, about the organisations commitments to reducing carbon emissions, increasing on-site biodiversity, sustainable transport methods (such as electric vehicles) and the success of the DVLA's performance against the Greening Government Commitm...

Next year in 2021, the Senedd Elections will mark the first time people aged 16 will be able to vote. That means in May, approximately 200,000 people will be voting for the first time. We need to consider what this means for election campaigns, manifestos and what this means for the future of wales. Today we're speaking to Bethany Roberts, an inspiring young woman and the Learner Voice Coordinator...

As a region we need to do what we can to support start ups and entrepreneurs and encourage them to stay within South West Wales.  We speak to one of many entrepreneurs based in our region, creator of Dill delivery service and Swansea University student, Alex-Ioan Coldea. With the support of Swansea University and Young Business Dragons, Alex created Dill, a food ordering platform designed to cut q...

This week we speak to Joanna Clarke, Design Manager of Swansea University's SPECIFIC project. SPECIFIC focuses on energy technologies and systems, from the fundamental science of materials and products to full-scale demonstration on buildings. These principles link together in one design concept called Active Buildings, in which buildings are designed to generate, store and release their own renew...

If there's one sector that may have been resilient throughout the pandemic, it would be the digital sector. For other sectors, those who quickly embraced technology, digital skills and remote working have been in a better position compared to those who haven't. Digital skills are a key growth sector for our region and there are many opportunities for people to find a career in the digital sector....

Rachael Flanagan founded Mrs Buckét Cleaning Services at the age of 18, starting with a mop and £20 of promotional flyers. Rachael has worked hard over 15 years to grow her business and today Mrs Buckét employs over 250 people across Wales and the South West of England. Rachael is passionate about helping others and positive collaboration, mentoring other entrepreneurs and small business owners. I...

Taking care of our physical and mental wellbeing are even more important than ever. In this episode, we're having an interesting conversation about how organisations across South West Wales have managed the challenges of maintaining staff health and wellbeing during the pandemic,  whether working at home or in the office, shop, or teaching environment. We discuss different structures put in place...

With less than 200 days to go until the Senedd Election, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales Sophie Howe is proud to have launched her ‘Manifesto for the Future’, providing key recommendations that Sophie believes political parties should consider within their manifesto work.  In this episode, we speak to Sophie about her role and her prorities as Future Generations Commissioner for Wales du...

Renewable energy is a key growth sector for our region, with ideal locations across Wales, such as the coastline and mountains allowing for tidal and wind to generate our power. We speak to a number of key businesses and organisations within the renewable energy sector about what is currently happening and what needs to happen in order to enable growth within the sector and allow wider access to c...

With lockdown giving people with a lot more free time, some have dedicated themselves towards growing fresh fruits and vegetables. Ange Bettany, who runs Hoogah café in the Uplands, Swansea, saw this time as an opportunity to transform unused spaces around her community, turning them into vibrant growing spaces and encouraging engagement with her local community. Room to Grow is a permaculture pro...

This week, we speak to 4theRegion member Julie Jones, co-director of Gower Gas & Oil, about how businesses can benefit community cohesion in order to create a positive relationship between businesses and local well-being.  Julie shares her experience with projects that Gower Gas & Oil have supported, such as the 'Don't Dance Alone' campaign hosted by The Wave to highlight some of the difficulties...

South West Wales Connected is a new Community Rail Partnership established by Transport for Wales and hosted by 4theRegion. We speak to Jennifer Barfoot, who was appointed as Community Rail Officer earlier this year, about how she has been progressing in the role and the connections she has made during socially distanced meetings. We also speak to Becky Lloyd about her Community Bunting Challenge...

Dawn speaks to Wyndham Williams about the Connect to Kindness campaign, set up to encourage kindness in the workplace, at home and throughout the community. Wyndham also shares his Tinman Tuesdays project, which supports the community food bank in Narberth by safely collecting tins from people's driveway. Connect to Kindness website: https://connecttokindness.wales/ Tinman Tuesday: https://www.fac...

We speak to various businesses and organisations from across South West Wales about regional #Procurement. If businesses and organisations in this region buy more from each other, we can keep more wealth here in South West Wales, develop our supply chain, and create more opportunities for people and local businesses. How can we encourage reorganisation of local economies, post-COVID, in order to m...

In this episode, we speak to Swansea Bay City Deal Programme Director, Dr. Jonathan Burnes about his new role and what's currently happening in the City Deal office, including the Swansea Waterfront Digital District and the Yr Egin creative and digital cluster in Carmarthen, as well as future plans for the deal. We discuss with Jonathan his hopes for the future of South West Wales, what he'd love...

We spoke to different educational providers throughout the region about how we can help school and college leavers to maximise their experience through work experience, further education and apprenticeships and explore what is currently offered, as well as future plans on how to further support young people in learning. Furthermore, there's a strong importance to retaining skilled young people wit...

Dawn speaks to Jeremy Miles MS, Counsel General for Wales and Brexit Minister and Member of the Senedd for Neath, about actions that the Welsh government have been taking during lockdown in order to reconstruct the Welsh economy.   We face huge, unprecedented challenges in the near future and that journey should not rely heavily on a 'back to normal' approach. As the government works through the c...

Anyone who wants to see a greener, more prosperous, lower carbon, more equal and healthier future for Wales, and for the planet, owes a debt of gratitude to Jane Davidson, former Welsh Government Minister and erstwhile Pro VC of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, for her pioneering work to embed sustainable development and one-planet principles at the heart of decision making in Wales. ...

Swansea High Street has been the focus of redevelopment efforts by many creative businesses and organisations. What has been the effect on the High Street as a result of lockdown and how can we re-encourage people to safely visit once again? In this roundtable discussion, we invited High Street-based businesses to share their thoughts on transforming the area described as the gateway to the city.

What has been the effect on our shopping habits, priorities and values surrounding food as a result of the lockdown? How do we scale up community growing and local food initiatives, and what does the sector need to achieve these goals? In this roundtable discussion, we explore how we can make locally produced food more accessible to communities in rural and urban areas alike, along with the wellbe...

Pembrokeshire-based PLANED is one of the organisations committed to making a difference across our region, by improving the quality of life of communities through focusing on their opportunities, potential and helping them to achieve their aspirations. We spoke to the CEO of PLANED, Iwan Thomas, about the communities they work with, projects they are running and what he sees as the priorities for...

As we begin to reopen the economy, we discussed with businesses and major employers about how we’re going to return to work, and what work looks like now. We explored the possibility of these changes remaining and the longer term impacts for commercial property, transport planning, jobs, and wellbeing. Has the novelty of “working from home” worn off, or could we see more remote working even when o...