Considering self-employment? Want to grow an existing business? Did you know there’s a range of support available for you?
So far ninety five grants have been awarded to pre-starts and new businesses (Pic: RODNAE Productions)
It’s not always easy to know what support is available for businesses. But if you’re in the Swansea area, Business Swansea could help you. Business Swansea is the new name for business support within Swansea Council.
Got a new business? Looking to start one? Business Swansea manages Start Up Grants. So far ninety five grants have been awarded to pre-starts and new businesses. You can get financial support of up to £1,000, with no requirement for match funding. This scheme is designed for you if your business is under two years old. And you can be in any sector, from dog grooming to high end manufacturing, and anything in between! The funding can be used for the equipment, as well as the training and consultancy, you may need when starting your new business.
And what if you’ve got a more established business? The Growth Grant came online earlier this year. This is the grant for you if you’re an established business that wants to grow. Funding is available up to £1,500, with a match funding requirement. There’s also a Green Innovation Grant, if your business is working towards net zero, and a Digital Development Grant if you want, for example, to improve your online visibility or undertake a digital marketing campaign.
Both the grant schemes will require you to produce a business plan and a cashflow forecast. Not sure how to do this? Don’t worry! Where appropriate, you can be signposted to support from Business Wales and/or Business in focus to help produce the documents you need.
And it’s not just grant schemes! Business Swansea also offers business support workshops, including a Start-Up Enterprise Club, which has engaged with over two hundred people. They also run “Power Hour” workshops, which have attracted around a hundred and fifty attendees. You can watch all the previous workshops here. The facilitators for the workshops come from local businesses, including Peter Lynn & Partners, Alan Brayley from AB Glass, Bevan Buckland, Urban Foundry, Purple Dog, DJM Solicitors, Real Inbound, and Copper Bay Digital.
And what if you’re unemployed? Business Swansea run an Introduction to Self Employment Course, which covers all elements of self-employment, including what the impact would be on your unemployment entitlements. The next course is coming up in November.
A key priority for Business Swansea is to collaborate with local stakeholders and partner organisations, to assist local businesses navigating the business support available. Part of this includes quarterly meetings with around twenty four business support organisations operating in Swansea. This means all partners know what other organisations are doing. It avoids duplication and ensures everyone is working together to signpost businesses to the right support.
Want to receive regular updates on the all various support and events for businesses across the country? You can sign up to the Business Swansea e-newsletter here!
Want further information on the grants? Please visit the Swansea Council website, or contact:
South West Wales is home to lots of creative people and businesses. We are a region of poets, artists and performers.
The creative economy is everything that relates to human creativity and ideas, IP, knowledge and technology. So how do we support creativity and innovation in the region? What shall we create? (Pic: cottonbro)
Just look at Gwen John, Dylan Thomas, Richard Burton, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Bonnie Tyler, Michael Sheen, Catherine Zeta Jones, Rob Brydon, and Rhod Gilbert (and five of them are from the same town!).
It’s these strengths we need to build on as we set out to develop our creative economy. The creative industries are one of Wales’ top performing sectors. They have the potential to provide exciting, rewarding and attractive career opportunities, and contribute significant wealth into our regional economy.
So what do we mean by the creative economy? We mean everything that relates to human creativity and ideas, IP, knowledge and technology.
Our own membership reflects the diversity of the sector, from pianist and composer Ify Iwobi and arts and events venue the Queens Hall Narberth, through to multi-media production company Telesgop and 3D visualisation specialists iCreate, to name but a few!
Places with a strong creative economy are also more exciting places to be. Creativity makes life more beautiful and more interesting. By investing in creativity we can breathe new life into our high streets and town centres. Access to creative expression is also a great tool for improving our wellbeing, making us happier and connecting us with others.
So how can we support more creativity and innovation across our economy?
Storyteller Carl Gough believes we are the stories we tell to ourselves about ourselves. So what stories shall we tell? What shall we create?
There’s lots of creative opportunity in the region, but we don’t always shout about what we have. How do we increase apprenticeship opportunities? How do we ensure young people have the opportunity to develop their skills in a working environment? How do we ensure people looking for creative talent are target local creatives? What are the gaps that companies are experiencing? What innovators do they need? How do they find them?
Probably one of the most exciting things to happen to Swansea this year was the opening of the new Arena, the most significant element of the wider Copr Bay Phase One development. Swansea Arena will have up to two hundred performances a year, covering music, comedy, theatre and e-sports. And it’s a flexible and multi-purpose venue. 4theRegion are very proud to have hosted the first major conference there in March.
Swansea’s creative quarter is arguably centred around High Street. As late as 2019 The Sun was claiming it was one of the worst high streets in Britain. But brick by brick, it’s become one of Swansea’s smartest streets. Swansea Station has been enhanced with new benches and planters in a project led by renowned Swansea artist Owen Griffiths.The iconic Palace Theatre, which once played host to Charlie Chaplin, Anthony Hopkins and an elephant that was winched on stage, is being restored and will become a digital centre for for tech start-ups and creative businesses. Walk along the street and you’ll find the Elysium Gallery, a contemporary arts space that is the biggest studio provider in Wales, Galerie Simpson Artists, a project supporting and promoting young artists, Volcano Theatre, an innovative theatre company based in a disused supermarket, live music venues such as Jam Jar, and a host of (mostly independent) bars, restaurants and shops. Close by you’ll find the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Cinema & Co, Swansea’s only independent cinema, and Swansea College of Art, which was founded in 1853 and is part of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Narberth is also a flourishing creative town with many independent businesses, having been transformed by an influx of creative people in the seventies. It’s now a distinctive and vibrant place but it’s not well connected and many people don’t know what’s on offer.
Elsewhere in the region you’ll find venues such as Torch Theatre, the only theatre producing venue in West Wales, Theatr na nOg, which for thirty years has been letting young people experience the magic of live theatre, and Theatr Gwaun, an independent theatre rescued from closure by the local community.
The region also has an important role in film and TV production. Da Vinci’s Demons, and Michael Sheen’s film Last Train to Christmas were filmed at Swansea Bay Studios. You may not have heard of Tinopolis, but you’ve probably heard of Question Time, Hell’s Kitchen, Robot Wars, and RuPaul’s Drag Race? Tinopolis Group founded, and is still based, in Llanelli in 1990, produces 4,500 hours of content each year, owns thirteen production companies and a distribution company, has production bases in Cardiff, London, Glasgow and LA, and has won twenty six BAFTAs and eight Emmys.
We also have a vibrant music scene ranging from post-punk from Adwaith to traditional folk from VRï. At a time when many regional radio stations are scaling back their operations, it’s good to see XL:UK Radio’s commitment to Swansea. What sets them apart from other radio stations is the diverse programming schedule hosted by diverse and talented presenters.
In terms of festivals, Fishguard Music Festival is taking place right now. The Swansea Fringe returns in November, although for now that’s all we know about it! Next year you’ll be able to experience Westival, an underground music and arts festival deep in the Pembrokeshire National Park, rub shoulders with the artists and performers at the Laugharne Weekend, feel good in every way at the Big Retreat Festival in Lawrenny, or celebrate the expansion of consciousness and unearth something that lies deep within us at the Unearthed Festival in Solva.
Art doesn’t have to involve expensive buildings, especially when you can paint something on the outside! On frosty morning, just before Christmas in 2018, a new artwork appeared on a garage wall in Port Talbot. It showed a boy sticking his tongue out to catch what appeared to be snowflakes, but were actually flakes of ash. Banksy’s “Season’s Greetings” would quickly became a tourist attraction. Sadly, four years later, it was taken away to “a temporary highly secured undisclosed storage unit” and it’s not yet known what will happen to it.
But the artwork inspired Port Talbot’s community, thanks to their determination the subways, houses and walls of the town are more colourful than ever before! In the six months after construction workers came to take the Banksy away, sixty murals were painted in the town, some of which form part of ARTwalk Port Talbot, a street art trail app. Some of the most influential graffiti artists in the UK have been commissioned to paint murals of Port Talbot icons such as Michael Sheen and Richard Burton. Other works are by local artists such as Tassia Haines, who has inoperable breast cancer. Despite not having painted before, she covered the side of a local house with a huge neon pink dragon to raise awareness of breast cancer. She was inspired to paint the mural so that it can live on and remind people of what she was capable of doing.
The creative economy is everything that relates to human creativity and ideas, IP, knowledge and technology. So how do we support creativity and innovation in the region? What shall we create?
At 4theRegion, we really believe the creative sector has a big role to play in creating opportunities for young people, making the region a vibrant place to live, and pooling skills and talent for the benefit of local communities!
On September 6th, join us to hear from a number of experts in the industry from around South Wales, including Helen Bowden, Ffion Rees from Telesgop and Rachel Wheatley from Waters Creative. Book here
Summer’s here! For some people there’s nothing better than to lie on the beach. Maybe you’d like something a bit more active? Or maybe you just want to cool off? Either way, everything’s better with water!
Three Cliffs Bay (Pic: Rhiannon Elliott/Unsplash)
Did you know being near water is great for our health and wellbeing? Over a decade of research shows being close to the water, especially the sea, has measurable benefits for our physical and mental health, benefiting everything from our Vitamin D levels to our social interaction. Maybe it’s the quality of light, the soundscape, or the ebb and flow of the tides? Being around water puts us in tune with natural forces, whether it’s understanding the movement of wind and water as you swim, surf or sail, or simply thinking outwards to your natural environment as you walk along the beach.
We’re spoilt for choice with beaches. Whether it’s the breathtaking Bracelet Bay with its rocky shore, cave and fossilised coral reef to explore, the eight miles of sand and shipwrecks at Cefn Sidan, the seclusion, pristine sands and crystal clear waters of Barafundle Bay, Rhossili Bay’s dramatic views and beautiful sunsets, or having a great family day out along the promenade at Aberavon.
There are some amazing places for beach yoga. Take advantage of the sheer mass of water to channel its energy to meditate and reconnect with nature. Adopt the majestic tree pose while surrounded by a lost and submerged Bronze Age forest, which surfaces at Freshwater West when the tide is at its lowest point. The UK’s largest beach yoga class, Womankind Yoga, takes place on Swansea Beach. Discover inner peace, balance and true relaxation, even in the city.
And our coasts can feed us! Learn how to find clams, cockles and oysters and sea vegetables (edible seaweed) on a foraging course. Your guide will show you what to eat (or not), how to harvest it sustainably and, if you’re lucky cook you a meal from the food you’ve foraged.
If you’d prefer to get your local seafood a bit more quickly there are plenty of options available. For amazing street food check out Cafe Môr and Gower Seafood Hut. If you’d like the chance to forage for your food and then have a chef serve it to you in a restaurant, check out Annwn.
Our coasts offer great places for walks. Follow in the footsteps of medieval saints around St David’s Peninsula, or pass bone filled caves and a winding river to watch the sun set over Three Cliffs Bay. Have you ever wanted to tame a dragon? Walk out to Worm’s Head (the name comes from the Old English wyrm, meaning serpent or dragon), but be careful you don’t get stuck there! Worm’s Head is a tidal island and you’ll only have about two and a half hours to get there and back.
The region is perfect for surfing. Freshwater West has the best waves in Wales, although its strong rip currents means it’s only suitable for experienced surfers who are strong swimmers. For beginners and children, check out Caswell Bay and Newgale. Llangennith and Manorbier are great for surfers of all abilities, with enough space for everyone.
And what about swimming? Wild or open swimming offers a sensory experience like no other, and there are some amazing places to swim. Please be aware of the hidden risks such as cold water, waves and undercurrents, even in places that look ideal for swimming. Beginners are best sticking to lifeguarded beaches such as the amazing sandy beaches at Caswell Bay and Whitesands. More experienced swimmers can try out beautiful, quiet beaches like Tor Bay or Blue Pool Bay.
How about land yachting? Imagine a buggy with a huge sail that can be propelled by winds of less than 10mph and reach speeds of over 60mph. Try them out on Pendine Sands, where many land speed records were broken. You’ll be so close to the sand you’ll feel like you’re racing too!
Want to do a sport invented right here in the region? Coasteering was created by TYF Adventure and Coasteering in St Davids in 1986. Basically it’s where the foreshore becomes your eco-adventure playground. Scramble across the shore, climb rocks, jump from cliffs, and swim in rock gullies, ride waves and explore caves. The North Pembrokeshire coast is perfect for coasteering. The most popular spot is the Blue Lagoon, a flooded former quarry, where the slate turns the water a brilliant sapphire blue.
Lighthouse view from Bracelet Bay
And what about wildlife?
Seals love Pembrokeshire! Its nutrient rich waters make it one of the best places to see all kinds of marine wildlife. There are about 5,000 Atlantic grey seals in the waters in Pembrokeshire. Seals can be seen all year round, and you may be able to see their fluffy white pups on undisturbed beaches between August and November.
The best way to see marine wildlife is by boat. In fact this is only way to see a whale. Dolphins are easier to find because they’re inquisitive and usually come to find you. Pods of 500 are common, and if they choose to follow your boat you’ll only be a few inches away from them. You may also see porpoises and even sharks. If you go on a boat trip, your guides will know where the seals are snoozing, the porpoises are feeding, and the seabirds nesting. They’ll also be able tell you about the rich history of the coast, from prehistoric caves to smugglers coves.
Skomer Island is particularly famous for its large breeding population of seabirds. It’s home to half the world’s population of Manx shearwaters, and the largest Atlantic Puffin colony in southern Britain. You’ll also find guillemots, razorbills, great cormorants, black legged kittiwakes, European storm petrels, common shags, Eurasian oystercatchers and gulls, birds of prey such as short-eared owls, common kestrels and peregrine falcons, and a unique mammal, the Skomer vole.
Our wild coastline, rivers, lakes, and even canals are perfect for canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned expert. If you’re going out in open water it’s best if you go with an experienced guide, particularly if you go any distance from the shoreline. You’re also more likely to see more wildlife this way.
The Afon Tywi is the longest river flowing solely through Wales. It has a thriving population of otters, and grey seals can be found in pursuit of sewin and salmon. Paddling along the river takes you through some of Carmarthenshire’s most stunning attractions, including the National Botanic Garden of Wales, Aberglasney Gardens and Dinefwr Park.
For a magical family paddle, get out onto the Afon Teifi. Start in the deeply wooded valley and look out for otters, herons, buzzards and kites. You’ll glide past Cilgerran Castle, through a gorge and then into wetlands where water buffalo graze.
Llys-y-Frân is a very special place in the foothills of the Preseli Mountains. The reservoir was opened in 1972 to supply clean water to Pembrokeshire. The dam is a feat of engineering, but it has also preserved the landscape as a haven for nature and wildlife. It offers a whole range of activities on land and water, including stand up paddleboarding, an offshoot of surfing where you stand up on the board and use a large paddle to propel yourself. It offers a fantastic all over body workout, especially the core muscle groups, and provides improved agility, co-ordination and an enhanced lifestyle. Or how about stand up pedal boards? They combine the fun of paddle boarding, with the comfort of handlebars. You step on two pedal pads on the board, so you can literally walk on water.
Have you heard of ‘the waterfall effect’? When water bashes against itself it releases zillions of negative oxygen ions into the air. Breathing them in makes you happier and more alert.
Discover our very own ‘Waterfall country’, where natural forces have combined here to create a highly concentrated area of waterfalls, gorges and caves. At Sgwd Gwladus ten metres of water gush into an idyllic forest pool. Splashing about or swimming under the waterfall is great way to cool off on a hot day! The waterfall is named after Gwladus, who fell in love with a man called Einion. Her father wouldn’t allow them to be together, so Gwladus’ sadness became so overwhelming she transformed into a waterfall. Einion threw himself into the river and became a waterfall too, Sgwd Einion Gam, one of Wales’ most spectacular but least accessible waterfalls (which means you’ll probably have the place to yourself). Now their spirits flow together as one.
4theRegion is a movement to create a happier and healthier South West Wales. Our amazing natural environment is a big part of that.
What are your favourite places to be by the water in South West Wales? We’d love to hear and see what they are! Don’t forget to tag us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Regency Project, National Botanic Garden of Wales (Pic: Tim Jones Photography)
Our TEDx Talk about Shared Vision Meetings is now live on TED.com and we are excited to share our intentional approach to conversational design with the world! At 4theRegion, we believe that “the conversation is the action” – that holding genuinely inclusive, empowering meetings is the first proactive step to creating change. And our Shared Vision Meetings are how we do that, designed around 4 generative questions that unlock the potential of group conversations, so that people emerge with a sense of purpose and a shared vision of what they want.
Check out Dawn’s TED talk, and if you are interested in learning more, check out our upcoming October workshop on Eventbrite.
At 4theRegion we’ve been very excited about the construction of Copr Bay. Phase one of this £135m project has brought Swansea an amazing new arena (where we hosted its first major conference!), a stunning new bridge, the first new park in the city centre since Victorian times, new apartments, and spaces for food and drink businesses.
Swansea Arena lit up for our Swansea City Centre Conference on March 17th 2022 (Pic: Adam Davies)
A report by Swansea Council and main contractor Buckingham Group found Copr Bay Phase One supported 8,000 person weeks of employment, apprenticeships and trainee placements. And it was good to see that 41.5% of supply chain spend stayed in the region, with 64% staying in Wales.
The development and construction sectors offer fantastic career opportunities, and we need to think about how we get more young people into the industry.
Why is that important?
A report by the Construction Industry Training Board has found, if Wales is to meet our projected growth prospects, we’ll need to recruit an extra 11,500 construction workers by 2026. If you, or someone you know, is interested in a career, the most in demand roles will be in bricklaying, the electrical trades, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Regeneration is something we should all do together. So how do we ensure major projects are designed and delivered in a way that will provide long-term economic, social and environmental benefits for our region?
And last week, Urban Splash announced a joint venture with real estate developer Milligan to transform a 5.5 acre site in the area of St Mary’s Church. Early proposals include new office buildings, shared workspaces, apartments and an area for small creative businesses to make and sell their products.
Other ideas could include transforming the Civic Centre site into a mixed use destination, anchored by the beach, with new homes and a leisure and hospitality focus, and the residential led regeneration of a site in St Thomas featuring a new terraced walk providing direct access to the river for the first time in over 150 years.
And what other development projects could be coming to the region? We’ve taken a look at just a few of them.
Could a building feed us?
Bouygues UK have now started work on 71/72 Kingsway, which will include an urban farm style greenhouse set over four floors. Plants and vegetables will be grown in water and fed by waste pumped from fish tanks at the bottom of the building! This ‘living building’ will include green walls and green roofs, an educational facility, retail, offices, a landscaped courtyard, rooftop solar panels, battery storage and gardens. Set to accommodate 600 workers, 71/72 Kingsway will be made up of the former Woolworths and a new 13 storey structure. Pobl Group will manage 50 affordable apartments forming part of the scheme.
What about somewhere to spend quality time and relax?
Swansea’s Castle Square was once much greener than it is now, and is set to return to its former glory. There will be more plants, lawned areas and trees, as well two green roofed commercial units, and a water jet feature which can be switched on or off for different events at different times.
How can old buildings be put back into use?
Old theatres and cinemas, which are have lain empty for years, are being given new life as spaces for local businesses and communities. Swansea’s Albert Hall and Port Talbot’s iconic Plaza building will also once again be entertainment venues, while Swansea’s Palace Theatre will become a home for tech, start-up and creative businesses, with workspaces for over 130 people.
How Swansea’s new city centre community hub could look (Pic: Austin-Smith:Lord Ltd)
Oxford Street’s former BHS/What! building will become the new central location for Swansea’s main library and key council services, such as housing, benefits, employability, lifelong learning, and archives. Designers say the appearance of the structure, built in the 1950s, will have an impact appropriate to a public building, with translucent cladding backlit as a beacon to attract visitors.
It’s hoped Carmarthen’s former Debenhams will also be transformed into a hub to deliver a range of health, wellbeing, learning and cultural services. It could also become home for some of Carmarthenshire’s museum collections, an exhibition space, and a welcome point for visitors to the town.
How can a building generate its own power?
That’s happening with the Bay Technology Centre! The 25,000 square foot office and laboratory space in Baglan Energy Park uses innovative design and materials, including specialist photovoltaic panels made to look like cladding, to provide a sustainable building that’s energy positive. The design also means the ‘thermal mass’ of exposed precast floor slabs can store and transfer heat from the building, providing a cost effective heating solution. The plan is to convert excess energy into hydrogen at the Hydrogen Centre nearby.
The Blue Eden project will go even further than that! A 9.5km tidal lagoon will provide the energy for a manufacturing plant, a battery facility, a floating solar array, a data centre, residential waterfront homes for 5,000 people, and approximately 150 floating eco-homes in Swansea waterfront. Blue Eden will create over 2,500 permanent jobs, support a further 16,000 jobs across the UK, and create additional jobs during its construction.
The pandemic has changed the way people think about their living space, community areas, and the importance of work-life balance. So how could we be living differently?
St Modwen wants to expand the Coed Darcy neighbourhood in Llandarcy, Neath. The huge site, a former oil refinery, is set to be home to more than 1,800 new homes, a school and shops. It will be an ‘innovative and sustainable new 15 minute neighbourhood’, where everything that’s important would be within a 15 minute walk or bike ride.
What about our health and wellbeing?
The first phase of the £199m wellness and life science village in Llanelli has been given the go ahead. Based at Delta Lakes, this will feature a new leisure centre, hydrotherapy pool, clinical and research space, and education and business space. The project will eventually feature four zones, including assisted living accommodation and clinical recovery space, spread over 83 acres. The contract with Bouygues UK included ‘the highest level of community benefits ever prescribed’, including targets for sourcing through local suppliers. It’s hoped Pentre Awel will create just over 1,800 jobs when completed.
What about innovation?
University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s £9.3m Innovation Matrix will be home to small but growing businesses. It’ll be a digital space, but with a manufacturing centre, testing laboratories and 3D printing facilities in UWSTD’s IQ building next door. The roof would feature solar panels, and the environmentally friendly building wouldn’t require any gas.
What about transport?
The Welsh Government’s flagship £200m Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) will create a hub for rolling stock and infrastructure testing, innovation, storage and maintenance at the site of the former Nant Helen opencast mine and Onllwyn coal washery at the head of the Dulais and Tawe Valleys, straddling the border between Neath Port Talbot and Powys.
It’s expected to create over 100 direct jobs, and could create many more as academic and industrial partners are attracted to the site. Featuring the UK’s first net zero railway, GCRE will include the first comprehensive rail testing and innovation facility of its kind in the world, with capacity and capabilities for rigorous testing of rolling stock, infrastructure, and integrated systems from prototype to implementation.
And what about tourism?
The steel framework of the new Hafod-Morfa Copperworks clock tower is put in place (Pic: Swansea Council)
The Hafod-Morfa Copperworks were once the largest copperworks in the world. After lying derelict for years, work started to transform it into a new visitor attraction for Penderyn Whisky. Much of the new visitor centre is now up. The roof of the powerhouse, which will include an on-site distillery, is well advanced. And contractors John Weaver will recreate the powerhouse’s original clock tower. Plans also include a shop, tasting bar, exhibition space, offices and VIP bar in the fully refurbished grade two listed building.
Regeneration is something we should all do together. We need to ensure major projects are designed and delivered in a way that will provide long-term economic, social and environmental benefits for our region.
4theRegion are hosting our next Construction & Development Sector Forum on July 12th. Meet businesses and organisations from your sector to talk about opportunities to collaborate for the greater good in South West Wales. Hear from 4theRegion members and partners about their work in the region, their social purpose, and their ambitions for the future, emerging opportunities to collaborate and support each other across South West Wales! You can register your free place here.
A new app has been created to promote local sourcing, and businesses are being encouraged to sign up ahead of its official launch later this month.
4theRegion has created the app to promote “buying regional”, which is one of our six impact areas.
“Our members know that procurement and local sourcing are at the heart of our mission at 4theRegion, which is why we are excited to be able to release this new tool for businesses and buyers in South West Wales. We really want to see major organisations spending their money with regional businesses, in order to maximise the social, economic and environmental benefits of that spend,” said Dawn Lyle, 4theRegion cofounder.
Businesses are now being encouraged to sign up to the app and list their products and services. It’s free to register, and the aim is to raise awareness of the wealth of local suppliers that exist across the region, becoming a useful directory for organisations committed to relocalising more of their spending.
“Local businesses are embedded in their communities, they create jobs and give back to local places in a whole range of positive ways – and by supporting local firms we can create a thriving regional economy that benefits everyone in South West Wales,” said Julie Jones, Local Sourcing Champion at 4theRegion.
The app has been in development for some time, and will be formally launched in Swansea at a meeting with major regional organisations on 28th June, involving the big housing associations, local authorities, and major anchor institutions such as the Universities, the DVLA and others.
The initial roll out is supported through a partnership project with Swansea Council, funded through the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, aimed at “creating opportunities for local sourcing” among major employers across the county. It is hoped that the other three local authorities in South West Wales will get involved as the initiative moves forward, along with major buyers from across Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.
