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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!

After the Event: The Swansea City Centre Conference 2019 in Review

After the Event: The Swansea City Centre Conference 2019 in Review

On Tuesday 9th April we were honoured to open the doors of the Leisure Centre, Swansea, to almost 600 people and businesses, for the first major cross-sector conversation about the future of ...
ERS continues to invest in Swansea topping 500 jobs in city

ERS continues to invest in Swansea topping 500 jobs in city

ERS – the UK’s largest specialist motor insurer – has consolidated its commitment to Swansea by creating even more quality jobs in the city, with its workforce topping the 500 mark for the first ...
Ministry of Furniture makes six figure investment in Sign & Print Systems

Ministry of Furniture makes six figure investment in Sign & Print Systems

Ministry of Furniture, the company which emerged from Remploy Furniture in 2014, has expanded its offering by making a major six figure investment in Sign and Print Systems, a print and design ...
Brand new Leisure Centre to boost Neath Town Centre

Brand new Leisure Centre to boost Neath Town Centre

Neath is set to benefit from a brand new leisure centre, providing modern facilities and boosting footfall in the town. At a meeting of the Regeneration and Sustainable Development Cabinet ...
Local business backs enterprise in Swansea schools

Local business backs enterprise in Swansea schools

Children at two Swansea primary schools are benefiting from an innovative learning programme, that will help develop entrepreneurialism and problem-solving skills for future success. The ...
Swansea City Centre Conference April 2019

Swansea City Centre Conference April 2019

2019 marks 50 years since Swansea was awarded city status - and this year sees the city going through an important renaissance. As major building works get underway, the face of our city is ...
Bevan Buckland’s 2nd Century Plan well on track with new appointments

Bevan Buckland’s 2nd Century Plan well on track with new appointments

Leading Accountancy firm Bevan Buckland LLP’s vision of becoming one of the pre-eminent practices in Wales has been boosted by two new senior appointments at their Swansea HQ. These newly ...
Mal Pope on Swansea City Centre: It’s time to claim ownership of our city again

Mal Pope on Swansea City Centre: It’s time to claim ownership of our city again

  Mal Pope, singer, musician and producer, has been urging people and businesses to get involved in the upcoming Swansea City Centre Conference, and says now is the time to reclaim a ...
UWTSD plays host to the UK’s top apprentices during National Apprenticeship Week (March 4 -8)

UWTSD plays host to the UK’s top apprentices during National Apprenticeship Week (March 4 -8)

University of Wales Trinity Saint David has been selected by WorldSkills UK to host one of the prestigious competitions at its Construction Wales Innovation Centre, to select the team of ...
Meet the Buyer: Buckingham Group Ready to Engage with Regional Businesses for Swansea Central Phase One

Meet the Buyer: Buckingham Group Ready to Engage with Regional Businesses for Swansea Central Phase One

Welsh businesses are being urged to bid for work on the £120m Swansea Central Phase One project.  Principal contractor Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd, working on behalf of Swansea Council, ...
Procurement Strategy Agreed for Swansea Central Phase One

Procurement Strategy Agreed for Swansea Central Phase One

Swansea Council has today named the principal contractor for Phase One of the £120million Swansea Central development.  Buckingham Group Contracting will be leading the project to build the ...
South Wales Must Say NO To Nuclear Waste Facility

South Wales Must Say NO To Nuclear Waste Facility

Swansea has a fresh challenge to contend with this week, with the announcement that UK Government is coming to both Swansea and Llandudno next month, to hold public events about its Site ...
Innovation 100 Construction Wales nominee: AB Glass – Access Control Division

Innovation 100 Construction Wales nominee: AB Glass – Access Control Division

With plans for UK-wide expansion, AB Glass and AB Access Control currently provide an innovative one-stop solution for the construction sector in Wales. Access control director, Justin John, ...
Completed apartment block to form part of new look Port Talbot

Completed apartment block to form part of new look Port Talbot

A £4m project to create a four storey apartment block with associated commercial space on the site of Port Talbot’s former town centre police station has been completed. Residents are now ...
New project aims to offer treatment as ovarian cancer cases continue to rise

New project aims to offer treatment as ovarian cancer cases continue to rise

A new £2.6 million project led by Swansea University aims to dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer - one of the deadliest forms of cancer for women -as incidences of ...
Pension fund invests £10 million in Welsh business owners

Pension fund invests £10 million in Welsh business owners

The Clwyd Pension Fund has confirmed a £10 million equity investment in the £25 million Wales Management Succession Fund. This is the first time an institutional equity investor has backed a ...
Bertie the Sea Bass arrives at Milford Waterfront

Bertie the Sea Bass arrives at Milford Waterfront

Bertie the Sea Bass, a fourteen by seven foot sculpture, has arrived at Mackerel Quay in Milford Waterfront, where he will be on display for 11 weeks. Designed by local sculptor Gideon ...
Swansea City legend submits plans for new look beachfront venue

Swansea City legend submits plans for new look beachfront venue

A planning application just received by Swansea Council sees a proposal to build on the Mumbles side and to the rear. The plans are from Hole Britton Ltd, a partnership of former Swans star ...
Funding boost set to transform Swansea Canal

Funding boost set to transform Swansea Canal

Funding of over £320,000 has been confirmed to regenerate the historic Swansea Canal into a major visitor destination. The Rural Community Development Funding (RCDF) was secured by Glandŵr ...
Deal saves nearly 200 jobs at ladder maker

Deal saves nearly 200 jobs at ladder maker

A Swansea-based ladder and scaffolding manufacturer that supplied Sir Edmund Hillary's Everest expedition has been bought out of administration in a move that has saved almost 200 jobs. Lyte ...
Development Bank backs South West Wales SMEs with £21.3m in 2018

Development Bank backs South West Wales SMEs with £21.3m in 2018

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot received £21.3m backing from the Development Bank of Wales in 2018, generating £33.1m private ...
Swansea tidal lagoon plan revived – without government funding

Swansea tidal lagoon plan revived – without government funding

The backers of a pioneering project to harness energy from the tides off the Welsh coast have rebooted the scheme and believe they can build it without the help of government. With the recent ...
Law firm boosts property department with two hires

Law firm boosts property department with two hires

Welsh law firm Hutchinson Thomas has appointed two solicitors to its property team. The law firm, which operates from Neath and Swansea, recently welcomed Jemma Collins and Jacqui Jones to ...
AB Glass becomes certified smoke ventilation manufacturer

AB Glass becomes certified smoke ventilation manufacturer

Aluminium manufacturing and installation company AB Glass has achieved smoke ventilation certification, making it one of only a few firms in Wales that can manufacture En12101-2 certified smoke ...
Gower College Swansea has been shortlisted for seven categories in top HR Awards

Gower College Swansea has been shortlisted for seven categories in top HR Awards

Gower College Swansea has been revealed as a finalist in seven categories in the 2019 Wales HR Awards, which recognises and celebrates the achievements of HR professionals across ...
Launch for Formula 3D Circuit Race in Carmarthenshire

Launch for Formula 3D Circuit Race in Carmarthenshire

A futuristic Formula 3D Circuit Race planned for Carmarthenshire this summer has been officially launched. Teams of children from eight county primary schools will take part in the 3D printed ...
Swansea observatory due to open this summer

Swansea observatory due to open this summer

The revamped Swansea observatory should be reopening this summer as a bar and restaurant. The landmark Marina Towers building, which was built in 1988, used to be leased by Swansea Council to ...
Swansea is almost unrecognisable in this video vision of the future

Swansea is almost unrecognisable in this video vision of the future

It's Swansea, but not as you know it. This fly-through video commissioned by Swansea Council takes the viewer on a magic carpet ride across a city-scape of the future. The stuff of science ...
Giant new store opening at Swansea’s Parc Tawe North

Giant new store opening at Swansea’s Parc Tawe North

Lidl will move into Homebase in Parc Tawe when it closes - creating a massive new supermarket in the heart of Swansea. The German discount supermarket chain already occupies a 10,000 square ...
Thomas Cook increases flights from Cardiff Airport

Thomas Cook increases flights from Cardiff Airport

Thomas Cook has announced an addition of over 29,000 extra seats on flights from Cardiff Airport for summer 2019. This is a 22% increase in capacity and the airline is introducing a larger ...
Independent businesses building for the future

Independent businesses building for the future

Four independent businesses in Swansea are coming together to help the construction sector across South Wales. The four companies, all second generation, family-run organisations, have teamed ...
Government funding helps provide jobs boost for Llanelli automotive workers

Government funding helps provide jobs boost for Llanelli automotive workers

Welsh Government funding will help create 85 jobs in Llanelli a month after 220 jobs were to be lost in the same industry . The funding of £4.4m will see Calsonic Kansei, which develops and ...
Local school pupils scoop prestigious DVLA prizes

Local school pupils scoop prestigious DVLA prizes

Pupils from Blaenbaglan Primary School are celebrating scooping first prize in a prestigious national programming competition organised by Swansea’s DVLA. A team of budding computer ...
New four-star hotel will be built in Mumbles

New four-star hotel will be built in Mumbles

New four-star hotel accommodation is coming to Mumbles as part of the second phase of the Oyster Wharf scheme. Work on the 16-room development at Tivoli Walk is expected to start next March, ...
City Deal Briefing in Llanelli & Government Review Announced

City Deal Briefing in Llanelli & Government Review Announced

Businesses assembled at Parc Y Scarlets yesterday for a City Deal update from the region’s four Councils.  On the same day, news came from the office of Ken Skates, Assembly Minister for Economy ...
Regional businesses to share views on procurement

Regional businesses to share views on procurement

Are you concerned about public sector contracts being won by businesses outside the region? Are there obstacles that prevent your business from tendering or winning work from large ...
Swansea copperworks: Big hopes for Musgrave engine

Swansea copperworks: Big hopes for Musgrave engine

A team of volunteers are going full steam ahead at restoring a 100-year-old steam engine to its former glory. Swansea University are co-ordinating the project to restore the Musgrave engine ...
A real life game of Cluedo is coming to Swansea and you can take part

A real life game of Cluedo is coming to Swansea and you can take part

You can play a real life game of Cluedo in Swansea next year. Sneaky Finders is taking place in the city centre on Saturday, March 23 from 10am and it costs £36 to enter a team. Run by ...
Businesses urged to get together and think local

Businesses urged to get together and think local

A new group aims to help trade thrive in one of Swansea's most historic communities.  Regeneration Morriston is due to host an event - Morriston Business Hub - this week and organisers are ...
Free parking offers for Small Business Saturday

Free parking offers for Small Business Saturday

Swansea city centre traders are being given an extra boost ahead of Small Business Saturday on December 1. A free parking offer at The Quadrant and St David's multi storey car parks aims to ...
UWTSD to host an Enterprise Hub at Yr Egin

UWTSD to host an Enterprise Hub at Yr Egin

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is delighted to announce that it will host one of four new Enterprise Hubs in Wales at its campus in Carmarthen as part of the Welsh ...
Arena’s main construction work due to start in mid-2019

Arena’s main construction work due to start in mid-2019

Work on Swansea's eagerly anticipated digital arena complex is on track. Main construction work on the major regeneration scheme - known as Swansea Central Phase One - is planned to start in ...