Swansea City Centre Conference 2022

by 4theManagement | Mar 30, 2022 | Past, Reports

EVENTS > SWANSEA CITY CENTRE CONFERENCE 2022

Swansea City Centre Conference 2022

Thank you to everyone who attended, exhibited or spoke at the Swansea City Centre Conference on 17th March in the brand new Swansea Arena!

It was an amazing day, showcasing and celebrating all the good stuff, sharing passion and ideas for our city and showing everyone how much there is to be positive about here in Swansea and across our region.

Our mission is to create a sense of positivity, collaboration and empowerment across Swansea and South West Wales!

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Regional Food Conference 2021

by 4theManagement | Oct 12, 2021 | Past, Reports

PROJECTS > FOOD FOR THE REGION PROJECT PAGE > FOOD FOR THE REGION

FOOD FOR THE REGION

5th & 6th October 2021

A Major Conversation about our Regional Food System, brought to you by Swansea Environmental Forum, Grwp Resilience and 4theRegion.

Hosted over Zoom over two consecutive days, the Regional Food System Conference brought together over 100 people to discuss the issues and opportunities relating to our food system in South West Wales.

The goal was to share perspectives and co-produce priorities for regional collaboration, by creating space for a wide diversity of people to participate in conversations about what’s important, what they’d love to see, and how we can make change happen.

Click here to download the full event report.

Click here to view the follow up event report.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAID

Prior to the conference, we invited thought-leaders and experts to discuss their perspectives on key issues and opportunities relating to our regional food system, including Patrick Holden from Sustainable Food Trust, Katie Palmer from Food Sense Wales and Jane Powell from Food Society Wales.

EVENT RECORDING

Catch up on everything that happened over the two-day conference by tuning in to the event recordings below.

ARISING ACTIONS & THEMES

Click Here to Read the Full Conference Report

In the face of climate change, worsening wealth and health inequality, and other multi-dimensional crises, food can be a powerful force for good, reconnecting us with our natural world, with our local places, and with each other – and making us more resilient, as people and communities. Given this immense potential, the truth is that none of us is doing enough, to support and scale the healthy, fair and regenerative food system we want to see.

This report sets out what can be done, and what needs to be done, by us all. We hope you feel inspired to be part of the solution, and to be part of the change you want to see in the world. Keep in touch! There is lots to do!

NEXT STEPS

None of us can transform the regional food system on our own, but by working together with the right vision and level of ambition, our region can lead the way in Wales and the World. This is just the beginning of an ongoing change process that will involve us all working together over time. We plan to reconvene at approximately 6 monthly intervals to keep things moving forward.

Following the conference, we now have a number of emerging projects for which we are seeking support and involvement. In Swansea, Bywd Abertawe is a new collaboration seeking to establish Swansea as a “Sustainable Food Place” – please connect with the Bywd Abertawe team. 4theRegion is now talking to a number of food producers, outlets and distributors to explore opportunities for collaboration and scaling-up – a conversation we would welcome you to be part of if you would like to be involved. And we are planning a programme of work to engage with hospitality businesses in 2022, to explore opportunities for more local sourcing.

Our full Event Report covers more of the emerging projects, next steps, and ideas for how YOU can support regional food in your community or organisation. All partners are requested to put the subject of transforming our regional food system onto their upcoming meeting agendas. We invite you to present this report to your colleagues and agree actions appropriate to the scale and influence of your organisation. If you would like us to come and speak at an upcoming meeting, please ask!

We have agreed to keep in touch by means of a regional email list for all those interested in and/or active in transforming our food system. If you have updates or information to share, or if you would like to join the list, please email zoe@4theregion.org.uk.

And if you are working in this space, have a project in mind, or would like to fund or support regional initiatives relating to food, please reach out to us so we can connect, amplify and collaborate!

Regional Food Conference April April Banner

Swansea Start Up & Business Owners Forum

by 4theManagement | Apr 15, 2021 | News, Reports

SWANSEA START UP & BUSINESS OWNERS FORUM

13th April 2021

This major conversation shared ideas and perspectives on how we can make sure Swansea is a an entrepreneurial city with a flourishing independent economy.

Thank you to Swansea Council, Indycube, Urban Foundry, FR8PK, Swansea University, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Young Dragons, Swansea BID, Business Wales and many others for working in collaboration with 4theRegion.

STARTING A BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE

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 invited entrepreneurs prior to the event to discuss the opportunities in our region.

What can we do?

READ THE EVENT REPORT

Tell a More Positive Story

Promotion website for small local business
A community magazine to promote what’s going on in the city and to share our stories.
Celebrate and focus on the people and the vibe
Have a plan to differentiate ourselves from Cardiff and Bristol and be ‘us’.
A campaign to encourage students to stay in Swansea over the summer and engage with what’s going on in the city.
Media coverage and promotion of activities in the city.
Showcase our community and what projects are going on.
Using the large screen in Castle Square to showcase more of the city.
A storytelling project promoting communities and their stories.
Move away from social media for promotion of events and businesses.

Affordable / Accessible Space

More affordable spaces and flexible planning laws for businesses to encourage use of disused spaces in the city
A permanent home for young people to showcase their business ideas/products/services.
A home for start-ups to go to get advice, working space, guidance, network
More Industrial Premises – currently no private investment. There are no grants available for speculative building, although evidence shows they would be filled if they were built.

Events & Networking

Annual creative & marketing conference. Spaces for independent businesses to network.
Hub for user generated micro content promoting the area’s history and opportunities.
Celebration event each year for businesses that have started in business
4theRegion Business Awards – Creativity, Sustainability, Health & Well being etc to acknowledge the contribution of existing businesses and encourage others
A collaborative event with us, WG, local Universities, local authority and business mentors who wanted to support those who had ideas and wanted to pitch them and take them forward.
More open studio type events for creative businesses. Opportunities to springboard small, independent businesses.
To get the city on the map as a place for concerts/shows – Loads of international acts in the new arena.
Service jams – which bring people together to implement innovative ideas and work on what needs to be done.
A big red business bus moving around the city promoting different businesses!

Focus on Food As A Key Strength

Tourism and Artisan Food promotion – Swansea city centre to have really good artisan food shops – local sourced produce.
Moving pop-up events in all areas of the city
A space for food producers to promote themselves
A strategy for Swansea to become a healthy foodie location
Running a street market is really expensive, stall fees are high – so the goods sold are “high end” and not affordable for people on low incomes. Enable more affordable market spaces and stalls.
A space for start-ups focused on street food would be huge draw

Wellbeing As A Differentiator

Joined up strategy for participatory leisure activities which are based on our outstanding natural environment
Health, wellbeing event in Swansea with different events going on for a week – with different zones throughout the city
More activities for the younger generations, such as a play park on the seafront car park between the Marriott and County Hall.
We need the Tidal Lagoon to happen.

Young People

Increased support for young people who aren’t graduates or may not want to pursue higher education.
Research – ask young people what they want in order to get them to stay and what they would like to see happen in Swansea.

Accessibility, Transport & Infrastructure

Improved public transport services in Swansea. Increased services and improved facilities and links to the rest of the region.
We need a solid travel strategy with a strong focus on Active travel and sustainable transport.
Better signage and way making around the city. An improved sense of direction.
Accessibility – Improved space for wheelchair users and for people who need more time to develop their ideas who need a more inclusive space.

NEXT STEPS

After this event, we need to design a set of priorities for various stakeholders and a plan or manifesto of what needs to happen.

Starting Up in the Region is open to any student, who can join for as little as £5 a month.

If you would like to stay involved with on-going developments and events surrounding Swansea, it’s businesses and the wider region, one way you can do this is to reach out to us (email zoe@4theregion.org.uk)

Regional Transport Conference 2021

by admin | Mar 31, 2021 | Reports, Travel Transport Tourism

MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER

9th & 10th February 2021

A Major Regional Conversation About Transport, brought to you by Swansea Environmental Forum and 4theRegion, sponsored by Natural Resources Wales and South West Wales Connected.

Hosted over two consecutive days via Zoom, the Regional Transport Conference brought together around 150 people to discuss the issues and opportunities relating to transport in South West Wales. A detailed report of the Event Aims, the format of the event, and feedback from participants is available as a PDF here: EVENT REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

TRANSPORT ROUNDTABLE

Regional transport thoughtleaders were invited to discuss their perspectives on key issues relating to transport, two weeks prior to the conference, in a roundtable discussion, recorded and released as part of our podcast and Youtube series, Build Back Better.

PRESENTATIONS

READ OUR MANIFESTO

Capturing the key messages from this two-day co-production event, here are some of the recommendations and responsibilities for communities, businesses, organisations and individuals at every level.

What Local Authorities Can Do

Co-production – talk to communities about sustainable transport
Prioritise investment in active travel routes
Support active travel with street lights, secure bike parks…
Create bus lanes!
Lead the way by switching to EV fleet (as in Swansea)
Provide staff with access to pool cars, e-bikes and e-scooters
Re-establish the waterways – use local canals
20mph zones to improve cycling safety and deter cars
The biggest deterrent to cycling is safety!

Planning Policy

The planning system needs to catch up with WBFGA goals
Town Centre First – no more out of town developments
Develop supplementary planning guidance
Insist on active travel and public transport strategies
Don’t permit new homes to be built that require car ownership
Encourage community car-share schemes and renewable EV charging
Insist on bike storage for every home
Secure bike storage for every business / destination
Stop allowing low density out-of-town developments
Offer workshops and support for developers to promote best practice
Promote the vision of the 5-minute town/city
Encourage resources back into communities to reduce need to travel
Stop building hospitals that can only be reached by car!
Revise Local Development Plans to reflect the WBFGA

Communities

Create mobility hubs with shared ebikes, e-scooters, bike storage
Crowdfund for EV charging and EV car share co-ops (dan@awel.coop)
Set up a Bike Library, provide road cycle training in the community
Establish local groups (eg Living Streets) to create change locally
Keep it local: buy local and use local services
Promote and coordinate lift sharing (eg local Whatsapp groups)
Withdraw mileage reimbursements for local councillors/officers
Refund transport fares instead!
Make cycling or walking to school the norm – work with schools
Promote/support community transport options that already exist
Establish a community transport and taxi company
Recruit local volunteers as community drivers – provide shared vehicles
Help people become confident public transport travellers
Invite Transport for Wales to come and talk to your community
Encourage stories and visible representation in active travel

Bus and Train Operators

Treat service users as the experts! We need to involve people who use public transport and those from seldom heard groups, at the start of transport design and ongoing. People who use the transport systems have got the answers, and sometimes these are cheap and simple things to implement.

We must enable bikes on buses and trains as a priority
Empower communities to design their own networks
Involve young people in designing campaigns to promote public transport
Involve disabled communities in designing support for accessible travel
Accessible timetables and information – colour coding can help.
Promote Traveline Cymru – collaborate to offer the best user experience!
Use technology to enable personalised travel plans
Collaborate and integrate with community transport organisations
Connect up transport modes – every bus should go to the train station!
Increase the number of bus stops around town
Plan a mix of express/direct and stopping / “round the houses” buses
More more space for wheelchairs on buses
Proactively address isolation, depression and health inequality
NPT, Swansea, LLanelli & Carmarthen are ideal regional hydrogen electric bus routes
Improve the profile and promotion of public transport
Make transport interchanges more welcoming and safer
Safe waiting rooms at all stations – safety concerns deter travel
Waiting rooms and toilets need to be open outside of ticket office hours
Recruit local volunteers to support people with additional needs
Involve communities around stations – eg community gardens, social enterprises
Promote discounts such as My Travel Pass – https://mytravelpass.gov.wales/
Public transport needs to be cheaper. Or free.

VIEW THE EVENT REPORT

Employers & Businesses

Talk to staff about how they could reduce car use
Make reducing car use / decarbonisation a KPI
Choose office locations in town centres / public transport hubs
Ensure staff have other options – then charge for car parking
Promote, coordinate and incentivise car sharing for staff
Reward / incentivise active travel and public transport use
Provide showers and changing facilities to support active travel
Ditch the dress code – accept people in bike gear at work
Support staff to buy bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters (eg Wheels to Work)
Consider setting up a bike library
Be flexible about start/finish times to enable public transport use
Enable a mix of home working to reduce commuting
Provide staff buses to and from nearby communities (eg DVLA, Amazon)
Employers could collaborate and pool resources
Get support to install EV charging points
Set up an EV pool car scheme so staff access to cars only when needed
Stop reimbursing car mileage – pay for public transport fares instead
“40p per mile for cycling, not petrol!”
Meet clients at sustainable travel hubs eg train stations / town centre
Recommend sustainable travel options to clients and visitors
Make international travel a rare exception – meet online
Join the Swansea Bay Sustainable Travel Planning Forum (j.cornelius@swansea.ac.uk)
Talk to local bus operators to make the case for new services

General Comments

Transport should be regarded as a universal basic service – like healthcare and education. Plus decarbonising transport is a priority to avert climate disaster. Lobby your politicians to make it so! Demand that governments stop spending money on new roads, and put that money into public transport services instead. Public transport needs to be cheaper. Or free.

Investment in rail is welcomed, but buses carry more people and reach more communities, so we will get much more ‘bang for the buck’ by investing in bus services. If governments are going to bail out transport operators in hard times, and subsidise their operations (ie socialising the losses), it should be possible to make greater demands and re-regulate the transport industry to provide universal access to decent services.

We need much more infrastructure for electric vehicle charging across the region, but private EV cars are not the answer and won’t address the climate crisis or transport inequality. EV Car Share projects should be supported in communities and by employers – so that people can have access to a car without needing to own one.

In towns and cities where sustainable travel options exist, and once governments have invested significantly in those options, we should support new legislation that makes car users pay the true cost of car use (eg congestion charging, parking charges, tolls). In rural areas, those same policies would be unfair and would worsen travel inequality.

Planning policy is a key lever. We must stop allowing low density out-of-town development which makes people car-dependent, and embrace a “town centre first” approach for residential, commercial, leisure and health developments. Locating jobs, services and facilities in local communities will help make sustainable places where people don’t need to own a car.

Fair pay and conditions for delivery drivers and cyclists – which is a growing sector thanks to the growth of online ordering. Van delivery drivers are paid per parcel thereby incentivising drivers to drive fast and unsafely. We need a real living wage paid to all workers.

REGIONAL TRANSPORT MANIFESTO

Capturing the wisdom and insights shared during the 8 hours of discussion over the two days of the conference, we made extensive notes and recordings, which were later analysed and summarised into a concise list of recommendations. These recommendations not just for politicians and council executives, but for businesses, employers, transport operators, communities and individuals – because we all have a part to play in creating a more environmentally sustainable, and more equal and accessible, regional transport system. The recommendations that were co-produced by 150 conference participants have now been published as a clear and easy-to-read Regional Transport Manifesto.

Click through the slides below, or view the PDF here: SWWCo Regional Transport Manifesto 2021.

PARTICIPANTS & FEEDBACK

“What did you like about the event?”

Ability to have a say
Opportunity for everyone to share concerns and put forward ideas – a good mix of people from different places and, organisations and interests
The breakout sessions were full of interesting information and ideas
Wealth of ideas, appreciated and facilitated by the organisers
The cross section of professions/perspectives represented at the forum
Good level of discussion via break out rooms
Plenty of positive interaction
It was virtual and didn’t involve lots of people driving to the venue
The efficiency of break-out rooms, discussion and back into the main room was seamless
That participants were able to contribute freely and there were lots of good ideas.
The opportunity to exchange ideas with a wide range of individuals and organisations
Lots of different representatives….. not just the usual suspects! Also very well run.
Very well organised, with a good structure over the 2 days.
I would like to be involved in helping with a car share group.
Everyone was encouraged to contribute. Breakout rooms efficiently handled.
Great atmosphere.
Positive conversation amongst a wide range of people. Space for creativity.

The chart shows the mix of sectors that conference participants represented, which was an unusually good mix of public, private and community perspectives. The event was intended to be an inclusive online event for car users, transport users, cyclists and pedestrians, even those who had never been involved in conversations about transport before.

“Overall, how would you rate the event?”

To capture the wisdom and insights shared during the 8 hours of discussion over the two days of the conference, we made extensive notes and recordings, which were later analysed and summarised into a concise list of recommendations, which we have published as a Regional Manifesto.

SWWCo Regional Transport Manifesto 2021

A key point to note is that our manifesto includes recommendations for all of us – not just for the politicians and council executives, but for businesses, employers, transport operators, communities and individuals. Everyone has a part to play in the transition to a greener, healthier, more equal, more integrated, more accessible and more affordable transport system for South West Wales.

EVENT REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

NEXT STEPS

Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend and contribute to the wide ranging discussion. This regional transport conference was the biggest and most inclusive conversation about travel and transport that South West Wales has ever seen, and tapped into the huge desire people have to discuss the issues and get their voices heard.

This is just the start of what we hope will be an ongoing conversation leading to real change for good. There was a consensus that we should keep this conversation going, with a regular regional community-led transport forum through which people can engage meaningfully with decision-makers, transport operators and each other.

If you are a regional organisation that recognises the need to involve communities more in your service design, strategy or policy development, or if we can support your upcoming consultations or community engagement objectives, please get in touch. We welcome the support of regional partners and look forward to hearing how you intend to address the recommendations of this conference.

And if you are someone who would like to stay involved with conversations and activities relating to travel and transport in our region, one way you can do this is to reach out to us (email zoe@4theregion.com) and ask to join the Community Rail Partnership. We will also be emailing all conference attendees with future events that we think you will be interested in – and we invite you to keep us posted about your transport related projects and initiatives so that we can share, connect and support!

4theRegion Members Conversation

by 4theManagement | Mar 19, 2020 | Reports, Well-being Region

4theRegion Members Conversation

Thursday 19TH March 2020

4theRegion held an engaging online conversation exploring how we can enhance community resilience and how current events will impact our future.

Event report

On Thursday 19th March, 4theRegion hosted an online conversation on Zoom for members across South West Wales, providing them with a platform to discuss how their businesses and communities are adapting according to current events. This event report aims to capture key themes that arose during this meeting.

We are finding ourselves in uncertain times and there is no doubt that businesses across the region are going to need to adapt and innovate to survive. This conversation focused on empowering people, crowd-sourcing wisdom and actionable ideas and exploring ways we can develop stronger community networks.

Appreciated enquiry was a key theme through this discussion, focusing on asking positive questions in order to focus on our strengths. When we focus on our strengths, we are more empowered than if we were to dwell on fear. What would we like to see emerging from the current situation? Where do we see opportunities, causes for hope and approaches to future action?

EMERGING THEMES

We need to keep calm and support one another. We should continue to support each other, remain positive, happy and allow leadership to shine through, especially during uncertain times.
There’s a natural inclination to return to our personal experiences to guide us. There is an importance to retain perseverance and determination. Reflection helps to identify resolutions.
We need to remember our purpose, why we are here and who we are here for. We all have our struggles and whether it’s personal or business we need to be there for one another.
Those with leadership responsibilities need to allow for time and space to reflect. Well-being is vital and it’s important to avoid becoming sucked into the mentality of “we have to solve everything”. Let’s be curious about what will emerge and trust the process.
An acceptance of the current situation becoming a new way of life. Maintaining effective communication and relationships are vital. There is an importance of nourishing ourselves through networks and drawing on the wisdom and experience of others.

Future Hopes

We have the opportunity to become more environmentally sustainable. The environment is experiencing a positive impact through less travel.
Stronger community ethos to continue. Communities are rapidly mobilising and breaking down barriers, ensuring the well-being of our peers is seen to. We want to see a world where we’re living in a fairier, happier and more localised world, where scarce resources see more efficient use.
Embracing of IT and the digital age. More organisations are being forced to learn more about trading and working online. Increased confidence in our own abilities and more efficiency and purpose around what we do.
Finding solutions for those who are experiencing loss of income. We want a shift in priorities for funding and resources. We want to see communities transformed by grassroots.
We may become more comfortable with uncertainty. We have a shifting paradigm and have been mobilised by fear. Leaders in our communities are stepping up and replacing fear with love.

NEXT STEPS

Despite the uncertain times, conversations like these showcase the resilience and positive mindset that remains in our community networks. Technology has allowed us to mobilise support groups for those in need across the region as well as allowing many businesses to adapt and continue operating. The success of this conversation allows for continued discussion regarding future plans and ambitions, whether it be personally or virtually.

If you would like to be a part of future conversations, please contact dawn@4theregion.com and zoe@4theregion.com or follow us on our Eventbrite page.

Event Report – Community Rail Partnership

by 4theManagement | Feb 12, 2020 | Community Rail Partnership, Features, Projects, Reports

South West Wales Community Rail Partnership Event

Friday 24TH January 2020

Swansea Train Station

On Friday 24th January, 4theRegion held a launch event for the community rail partnership. This is our write up of the event, intended to capture the key discussion points and themes.

Event report

In partnership with Transport for Wales (Rail), 4theRegion is now host to a new Community Rail Partnership for South West Wales, covering the four counties of Neath Port Talbot, Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

Held at the Grand Hotel opposite Swansea Train Station, the Community Rail Partnership launch event brought together people and organisations from across the region, to discuss the potential to make change happen for the region, by working together under the banner of the new CRP.

The Community Rail Partnership seeks to connect a team of organisations, businesses and individuals who want to see the region flourish in alignment with the 7 well-being goals outlined in the Well-being of Future Generations Act. By maximising the beneficial impact of the rail networks and existing services, we can aim to generate more footfall, spending and activity within the heart of communities across the South West Wales region.

The new CRP will aim to engage with communities, businesses and organisations along the South West Wales rail network in order to champion all of the unique identities of each location, create a shared sense of place and facilitate collaboration towards achieving greater social, environmental and economic value in the region.

emerging themes

The creation of a South West Wales Community Rail Partnership a benefit to local communities – The CRP can be utilised as a voice to improve transportation in the region, providing a beneficial effect on local economy.
Cycling, leisure and transport – Better joined up working between different modes of transport. Opportunities for better cycle storage on Transport for Wales. Promotion of accessible information regarding cycle routes to encourage leisure and tourism in the region.
Local economical and environmental benefits – Using sustainable transport to reduce the carbon footprint of individuals in the region. How would we encourage commuters to leave their car and use the rail network?
Disused spaces along rail networks could be used as hubs for business and social enterprise. Transport for Wales want to see train stations developed into hubs for business and community use. Vacant station buildings could be adopted and repurposed. Train stations could play a bigger role in local communities, bringing people together, addressing social exclusion and community cohesion.
Inter-connectivity and identity – Aim to bridge the four regions of South West Wales. Celebrating the unique identities of local destinations would benefit a wide range of businesses and individuals.

challenges

Timetables don’t always align to local events – Improved travel synchronisation with major events such as sport and festivals could be beneficial to the regional economy.
Community transport connectivity – Public transport services require improved connectivity and delivery of travel information in order to encourage commuting via public transport.
Accessibility – Promotion of South West Wales as a region. People may not be aware of what’s on their doorstep due to lack of communication and distribution of information.
Transport, travel and the environment – Key challenges in a world needed to reduce carbon emissions whilst promoting access to the natural environment. How can we encourage people to consider public transport as the first option?
Frustrations over limited / unreliable services. While the CRP can build a business case for continued investment in more trains and services, the purpose of the new CRP for South West Wales is not just to talk about the trains, but to leverage the benefit of the services we already have, to connect the regional offer and encourage more joint working.

NEXT STEPS

During this first conversation about the new Community Rail Partnership, we heard from diverse organisations and individuals, about their priorities and ideas. 4theRegion has subsequently drafted a document outlining the purpose of the new CRP, its proposed structure, and a job description for the new Community Rail Officer. These documents are will be published during March 2020, but you can review the drafts at the following link. Please get in touch with your thoughts and with any questions!

Community Rail Partnership for South West Wales – Mission & Structure

All questions and comments should be directed to dawn@4theregion.com and zoe@4theregion.com

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