Supporting Small Changes to make big change happen

4theRegion is bringing together people and organisations that want to make good things happen for South West Wales.  We connect people, run events, facilitate conversations and lead projects in six priority areas:

Buy Regional

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.

Destination & Transport

Tourism is a key economic driver for the region.  An integrated, sustainable travel network is essential to prosperity and well-being.  We want to help partners collaborate better across the region to develop both.

Development & Investment

Regeneration is something we should all do together.  How can we ensure that major regional projects are designed and delivered in a way that provides economic and social benefits for the region over the long term?

Well-being Region

In a fast changing world, we think the well-being economy will be the battleground of the next 10 years, and successful places will be those that build prosperity by prioritising people, health, quality of life, the environment and equality.

Circular Economy

A circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design. We must move away from our linear economy (make, use, dispose), closing the loop to conserve resources and ensure long term sustainability.

Creative Economy

The creative economy is everything that relates to human creativity and ideas, IP, knowledge and technology. How can we support more creativity and innovation across our economy?

OUR APPROACH

We subscribe to the vision of Wales set out by the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (2015), and summarised by the seven Well-being Goals.  When we talk about making positive change happen, we mean changes that move us towards these goals – or what we like to call Universal Flourishing.

SUPPORTING CHANGEMAKERS

For us, it’s all about the changemakers.  The amazing individuals who are committed to doing things differently, who are standing up to Be the change they want to see.  We’re here to activate, support and champion changemakers, creating a collective movement to turn small changes into big ones, for the well-being of future generations.

BREAKING DOWN SILOS

It’s hard to make change happen when no-one’s talking to each other.  In our region, silo-working has reached chronic proportions.  It means effort is wasted with duplication, learning and ideas aren’t being shared, and the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.  It’s vital that we break down silos and enable real collaboration and knowledge-sharing, if we want to see progress and find new solutions.

A SHARED SENSE OF PURPOSE

We’re on a mission to transform the economy and society of our region, by supporting small changes that make big change possible.  We believe in the “the region” as an economic bloc, because it’s both big enough and local enough to mean something – emotionally, economically and environmentally.  And because we think we’re stronger together, pooling our strengths, sharing knowledge, and building resilience across counties.

Who We Are

4theRegion is a membership organisation representing regional businesses, community groups and change-makers across South West Wales.  4theRegion is funded by membership subscriptions and sponsorship of the events we run.  We are not publicly funded or contracted to any public organisation. The company was founded independently by local entrepreneurs to take over from Swansea Bay Futures which closed in December 2017.

Zoe Antrobus

Zoe Antrobus

Founder & Managing Director

Zoe worked for Swansea Bay Futures for 6 years prior to launching 4theRegion as an independent venture.  Previously, Zoe has worked in marketing and business development at Swansea University and Morgan Cole Solicitors.  She has extensive experience of planning and running large events and exhibitions across the UK.  Zoe’s super power is connecting people and building relationships.

Dawn Lyle

Dawn Lyle

Founder & Chair

Dawn runs Swansea-based iCreate, a 3D flythrough and visual communications company working with many of the region’s major partners and developers.  She sat on the board of Swansea Bay Futures for 10 years, as well as serving on the board of Swansea Bay Business Club and the Swansea Foundation.  Dawn is a certified Appreciative Enquiry facilitator with the Flourishing Leadership Institute.