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News & Projects

Catch up with 4theRegion’s activities across all our impact areas, from local food, to procurement, and from community changemakers to business start-ups – in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea & Neath Port Talbot.  Simply browse or search our news, events, projects, reports and podcasts!

Appeal to Boris to Green Light Tidal Lagoon Project

Appeal to Boris to Green Light Tidal Lagoon Project

Boris Johnson is today urged to give the go-ahead for Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, a pioneering green energy project that will create thousands of jobs and power Britain’s recovery from ...
Swansea firm DRS rolls out return-to-work safety audit on premises

Swansea firm DRS rolls out return-to-work safety audit on premises

A company that specialises in facilities management has warned of the potential dangers that companies face when reopening workplaces that have been unused for many months because of COVID-19 ...
Graduate Training Academy to provide real world opportunities as the economic bounce back gets underway.

Graduate Training Academy to provide real world opportunities as the economic bounce back gets underway.

Established accountancy practice Bevan Buckland LLP is pleased to announce the launch of its 2020 Graduate Training Academy.  The launch comes after years of successful apprenticeships and ...
Green light for £60 million Pembrokeshire marine energy project

Green light for £60 million Pembrokeshire marine energy project

A £60 million marine energy project that will help tackle climate change while reviving Pembrokeshire’s economy in the wake of Covid-19 has been given the green light. The UK Government and ...
Multi-Million-Pound Welsh IT Merger

Multi-Million-Pound Welsh IT Merger

Two of Swansea’s leading IT companies have joined forces in a seven-figure acquisition. COMCEN, the Fforestfach headquartered IT company that services blue-chip, public and third sector ...
Recovering from Coronavirus: New ventilator can save lives and create jobs

Recovering from Coronavirus: New ventilator can save lives and create jobs

UWTSD’s Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre (ATiC) together with a team of Swansea University doctors and engineers have designed a new ventilator that can be built quickly from local parts ...
Port of Milford Haven signs new global business drive to tackle COVID 19  crisis

Port of Milford Haven signs new global business drive to tackle COVID 19 crisis

The Port of Milford Haven has joined hundreds of other businesses in a global initiative to help the most vulnerable people in our communities to pull through the coronavirus crisis, by ...
College supports NHS and local communities during Coronavirus crisis

College supports NHS and local communities during Coronavirus crisis

Gower College Swansea has been working closely with Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) as well as employing other initiatives in support of the fight against Covid-19. Over the past ...
College strengthens business focus by joining the South Wales Chamber of Commerce

College strengthens business focus by joining the South Wales Chamber of Commerce

Gower College Swansea have announced that they have become a member of the South Wales Chamber of Commerce.   Over the last five years the College’s work based learning programmes have gone ...
The Return to Work

The Return to Work

As we begin to reopen the economy, perhaps it’s time for a conversation with businesses and major employers about how we’re going to return to work, and what work looks like now.  Is there an ...
South West Wales CRP – May Temporary Steering Group Meeting

South West Wales CRP – May Temporary Steering Group Meeting

South West Wales Community Rail Partnership TEMPORARY STEERING GROUP - 28th MAY 2020 Since the previous meeting, the temporary steering group have finalised the identity and brand of the ...
Fly 2 Wales launch brand new website

Fly 2 Wales launch brand new website

You’re using your device at this very moment aren’t you! Please take a moment to point your browser to fly2wales.co.uk You won’t be disappointed!   Today we’re pleased to launch our ...
COVID-19 business impact survey – we need your views!

COVID-19 business impact survey – we need your views!

Neath Port Talbot Council is inviting business owners and the self employed across the county borough to take part in a Wales-wide survey aimed at measuring the impact on them of the coronavirus ...
A New Website for Regional Food Producers

A New Website for Regional Food Producers

Please check that the regional food and drink producers you know are listed in this new online index for South Wales. In a new initiative led by Dr Ben Reynolds at Urban Foundry, food and drink ...
UWTSD collaborates with industry partners to develop respiratory support system to help the NHS fight Covid-19

UWTSD collaborates with industry partners to develop respiratory support system to help the NHS fight Covid-19

Engineers at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) have been involved in the rapid development of a highly efficient 3D printed jet Venturi based respiratory support system. The ...
Medical School wins major boost to nanomedicine research

Medical School wins major boost to nanomedicine research

Swansea University Medical School has secured a prestigious funding boost to accelerate the transition from discovery research to development projects in the field of nanomedicine. Building on ...
Local experts welcome Total’s investment off Pembrokeshire’s coast

Local experts welcome Total’s investment off Pembrokeshire’s coast

The consortium behind Pembroke Dock Marine welcome the recent news that Total, one of the world’s largest energy companies, alongside Simply Blue Energy, a pioneering Celtic Sea energy ...
Ministry of Furniture launches recruitment business with social aims at its heart

Ministry of Furniture launches recruitment business with social aims at its heart

The business has partnered with an experienced recruitment executive on the venture. Ministry of Furniture, which specialises in designing and creating inspirational workplaces and educational ...
A Regional CRP – But Who Are We?

A Regional CRP – But Who Are We?

The first challenge for the new Community Rail Partnership is to agree on a name/identity for the partnership, something which all partners across the four counties of our region will feel part ...
Nursing students say they are ready to play their part during pandemic

Nursing students say they are ready to play their part during pandemic

Swansea nursing students say they are proud to be able to face the challenge of joining the NHS during the pandemic. More than 700 nursing students from Swansea University opted to take on ...
South West Wales CRP – April Temporary Steering Group Meeting

South West Wales CRP – April Temporary Steering Group Meeting

South West Wales Community Rail Partnership TEMPORARY STEERING GROUP - 30th April 2020 4theRegion is the host organisation for a new Community Rail Partnership for South West Wales.  The ...
Ending the lockdown – Bevan Buckland LLP’s View

Ending the lockdown – Bevan Buckland LLP’s View

The key factor in ending lockdown and other measures is the coronavirus reproductive number, commonly talked about as the “R” value. This is the number of people each individual case can be ...
Cygnet Distillery release CYG80 range of Hand Sanitiser following CYGNIFICANT demand from NHS & front line key workers

Cygnet Distillery release CYG80 range of Hand Sanitiser following CYGNIFICANT demand from NHS & front line key workers

Market leaders Cygnet Distillery have launched CYG80; an 80% alcohol based hand rub sanitiser. This comes after the distillery has been in high demand to create a product to support, ...
VOLCANO THEATRE LAUNCHES ‘ENCOUNTERS UNKNOWN’

VOLCANO THEATRE LAUNCHES ‘ENCOUNTERS UNKNOWN’

Swansea-based VOLCANO THEATRE has launched a programme of work, new and continuing, for the duration of the lockdown. The company has called the programme ENCOUNTERS UNKNOWN. “All of this ...
TLC launch FREE ‘Care Hub’ portal and provide care homes with tablet devices to help keep residents connected to loved ones in all UK care homes during Lockdown

TLC launch FREE ‘Care Hub’ portal and provide care homes with tablet devices to help keep residents connected to loved ones in all UK care homes during Lockdown

Visits from families, friends and the local community are an essential part of daily life in care homes. But during lockdown, care homes are now constantly looking for easy and safe ways to keep ...
Amazon’s Alexa can now understand Welsh – thanks to Swansea firm Mobilise Cloud

Amazon’s Alexa can now understand Welsh – thanks to Swansea firm Mobilise Cloud

With at least one in five British homes using smart speakers, the devices are becoming increasingly important in our day to day lives. Welsh has long been one of the few languages that ...
Local mum launches ‘Dress for NHS’ online fundraiser

Local mum launches ‘Dress for NHS’ online fundraiser

A local mum and businesswoman has told how her daughter’s virtual birthday party inspired her to launch a fundraising event for the NHS where families dress up at home to raise money for the ...
Swansea Building Society to offer drive by valuations

Swansea Building Society to offer drive by valuations

Faced with the challenge of conducting physical valuations of properties during the COVID-19 crisis, Swansea Building Society is now allowing “drive-by valuations” by surveyors on properties ...
Neath Port Talbot uniform makers join the fight against Coronavirus

Neath Port Talbot uniform makers join the fight against Coronavirus

The Neath Port Talbot company which makes uniforms for transport companies, hotels and many others including staff at the Royal Albert Hall in London, has now switched to making scrubs for front ...
New Mortgage Information Support Service to ease the financial worries of homeowners in Wales

New Mortgage Information Support Service to ease the financial worries of homeowners in Wales

Mortgage Advice Bureau Swansea has today launched a dedicated Mortgage Information Support Service to help homeowners who are worried about their finances as a result of the Coronavirus ...
The Selkie Project extends tender calls for wave and tidal energy developers

The Selkie Project extends tender calls for wave and tidal energy developers

The SELKIE cross-border project aiming to boost the marine energy industry in Wales and Ireland has launched calls for wave and tidal energy developers to tender their services for two pilot ...
Medical students to join NHS workforce to battle coronavirus

Medical students to join NHS workforce to battle coronavirus

Final year medical students from Swansea University will be joining NHS staff in the fight against Covid-19. The General Medical Council is offering early provisional registration to ...
University’s high-tech help to share vital health information

University’s high-tech help to share vital health information

Innovation experts at Swansea University are playing a key role in improving the way hospitals use information about patients. Staff from the Healthcare Technology Centre (HTC) are ...
Appointment of MarineSpace to support the 96 MW Erebus Floating Offshore Wind Farm

Appointment of MarineSpace to support the 96 MW Erebus Floating Offshore Wind Farm

Following the recent announcement that Total and Simply Blue Energy (SBE) have established a partnership to develop floating offshore wind (FLOW) projects in the Celtic Sea region, MarineSpace ...
Swansea engineer 3D prints face shields to protect NHS staff treating coronavirus patients

Swansea engineer 3D prints face shields to protect NHS staff treating coronavirus patients

"From watching the news and how quick this virus was spreading, this seemed like such good protection for people." David Sims posted an Open Source design for a face shield on Twitter on ...
Business owners are trying to remain positive despite many small businesses going into “survival” mode during the current Covid-19 crisis

Business owners are trying to remain positive despite many small businesses going into “survival” mode during the current Covid-19 crisis

Established accountancy practice Bevan Buckland LLP has been reaching out to clients to help and advise those most severely impacted by the spread of Covid-19 and the dramatic restrictions on ...
Zoom – learn to use Zoom for online meetings and conferences

Zoom – learn to use Zoom for online meetings and conferences

We have started using Zoom for our meetings and events, it's already proved to work for us so keep an eye out for more of our events and meetings. Here's a report from our members meeting last ...
RDM named Apprenticeship Development Business of the Year

RDM named Apprenticeship Development Business of the Year

RDM Electrical & Mechanical Services has been named Apprenticeship Development Business of the Year at the Swansea Bay Business Awards 2020, at a ceremony held on Friday 6 March in Swansea’s ...
Swansea Building Society delivers record growth in 2019 results

Swansea Building Society delivers record growth in 2019 results

Swansea Building Society celebrated new record‐breaking highs in terms of its total assets, mortgage and savings balances in 2019, when it produced its largest year of balance sheet growth in ...
4theRegion Members Conversation

4theRegion Members Conversation

4theRegion Members Conversation Thursday 19TH March 2020 4theRegion held an engaging online conversation exploring how we can enhance community resilience and how current ...
Total and Simply Blue Energy in JV to Develop Floating Wind Projects in the Celtic Sea

Total and Simply Blue Energy in JV to Develop Floating Wind Projects in the Celtic Sea

Simply Blue Energy, a pioneering Celtic Sea energy developer, and Total, one of the world’s largest energy companies, have established a partnership to develop floating wind projects in the ...
Do you need to get your business online fast?

Do you need to get your business online fast?

Thanks to some of our amazing members, 4theRegion is able to offer what could be a lifeline to small businesses in the region. We've been asked to locate four or five regional businesses ...