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 brand new website and we hope you are impressed. It’s such a shame that Wales is...
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 pandemic. The survey has been developed by the South West and Mid Wales...
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 producers across South Wales are being asked to add themselves to a new website that’s been designed to enable many more people to discover and access local produce during lockdown and beyond.
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 project team came together following calls by Welsh Government and industry to...
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 successful research developed by experts in the University’s Centre for...
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 developer, have established a new partnership and will be developing floating wind...
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 environments, has added a new string to its bow by launching a recruitment...
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 clinical roles and have begun caring for Welsh patients this week. Third-year...
South West Wales CRP – 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 COVID-19 crisis has affected our plans for the recruitment of a Community Rail...
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 expected to transmit the virus to, effectively the rate of the virus spreading...
First, be a good neighbour
Nothing can bring back those we’ve lost to coronavirus, and no words of gratitude can repay the debt we owe to the NHS, our care workers and first responders. So what can we do to pay our respects when our communities emerge from this crisis? We can start by...
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, supplement and aid the current COVID-19 pandemic. The hand rub has been carefully...
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 work” says Volcano’s Artistic Director PAUL DAVIES, “is geared to the continuity...
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 residents connected with loved ones. With all care homes accepting no...
RECORD BREAKERS
Retailers and exhibition organisers large and small traditionally rely on footfall, and right now that’s a major problem. Entrepreneurs can either accept that limitation or they can seek out new ways to generate interest. Luckily for all of us, University of Wales...
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 were not supported by Amazon Alexa. The technical challenges of ensuring that the...
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 healthcare service. Dress for NHS organiser Bernadette Davies (left) with...
YES WE CAN
When a situation is unfamiliar and potentially overwhelming it helps to have inspiring examples around us of accomplishment in the face of adversity. The people of Swansea don’t have to look far for such examples. How many times have you walked past Llewellyn Hall,...
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 where the mortgage has a loan-to-value ratio of 60 percent or less (excluding...
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 line medical staff working to fight Covid-19. First Corporate Clothing...
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 (COVID-19) outbreak. The free support service, which is available to homeowners...
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 demonstration projects. SELKIE is bringing together leading researchers and...
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 students who wish to sign up to begin duties and help respond to the pandemic....
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 helping to develop new e-whiteboards which are used to record important health details...
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 Limited are pleased to announce that they have been appointed as lead...
JUST OVER THE HORIZON
As you know, we took the decision to postpone 4theRegion’s second annual City Centre Conference on March 13th when the hazards of bringing large numbers of people together were starting to become clear. In the two weeks since then, any disappointment at the...
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 Sunday. He told the BBC "I’ve been creating 3D printed face shields for the NHS...
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 activity currently in place. While all businesses are being impacted by the...
STEPPING UP
For the time being, businesses are operating in a new reality. We don’t know how long it’ll be before our streets, shops and offices come back to life, but while we’re working in physical isolation we still need to connect with our clients. And if we want them to buy...
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 week. >Members meeting Our next one is tonight and you are welcome to...
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 Brangwyn Hall. Swansea Bay Business Awards 2020 Brangwyn Hall Swansea....
PAYING YOUR WAY
The working definition of a European SME (Small to Medium Sized Enterprise) is a business with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover below 50 million Euros. There are almost six million SME businesses in Britain today. That makes up 99% of all UK businesses....
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 the Society’s history. The Society’s total assets increased by £61.0m to...
FARM TO TABLE – SAFELY KEEPING WALES FED
It’s a concern to see customers crowded close together in supermarkets at a time when all medical advice is telling us unambiguously to practice social distancing. We sympathise with anyone seeking to keep their family fed, but is there a way to keep them fed while...
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW
What we see depends mainly on what we look for John Lubbock At 4theRegion our eyes are open. We see the impact of the Coronavirus on our day to day lives, here in South West Wales and in all corners of the world. But that’s not all we see. This crisis is real but it...
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 Welsh waters of the Celtic Sea. The first development will be Erebus, a 96MW...
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 that could benefit from a quick and simple solution to get them and their...
WE’RE THE VOICE
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” Charles Dickens’s famous opening to A Tale of Two Cities remind us that we walk in both light and darkness every day. The book made the events of revolutionary France come to life for readers in Victorian London,...
Stay Connected to the Regional Ecosystem
STAY CONNECTED TO THE REGIONAL ECOSYSTEMIn uncertain times, we are being advised to stay at home and distance ourselves from each other, close our doors and turn inward. Which is problematic, because we know that our greatest strength, resilience and wisdom emerges...
Swansea City Centre Conference: An Update
To our friends and colleagues across South West Wales After conversations this morning with our sponsors, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the conference and exhibition scheduled for Tuesday 31st March, due to fears relating to the spread of the...
Community Resilience & Coronavirus
basic I think we need to talk about community resilience and social cohesion, because as the wide-ranging implications of COVID19 become apparent, it's becoming clear that people are going to need support in all kinds of different and changing ways. Essentially, I...
Swansea Bayways Launch Encourages People to Leave the Car if it’s Not Far
People across Swansea are being encouraged to walk and cycle more often for short, manageable journeys, with the launch of Swansea Bayways. The Swansea Bayways campaign sees Swansea Council launch a network of around 118km of accessible and shared use cycling and...
COUNTING DOWN – THREE WEEKS TO THE 4THEREGION CITY CENTRE CONFERENCE
There are just twenty days to go to the second annual 4theRegion City Centre Conference, Swansea’s commercial and cultural showcase for the new decade. As we count down to the conference we’re celebrating some of the people whose work inspires us. White Roses...
Swansea Building Society’s new flagship branch exceeds expectations in first year
The performance of Swansea Building Society’s new, flagship, branch, which opened in Swansea city centre in January 2019, has exceeded all expectations in its first year of trading. The new branch, on Portland Street, was opened to complement the Society’s head office...
Marco Pierre White to open restaurant in Swansea
One of the country's most famous chefs is to open a new restaurant in Swansea. The Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill will open at The J-Shed in the popular SA1 area of the city and is expected to start welcoming guests in the early summer. Regarded by many...
COUNTING DOWN – FOUR WEEKS TO THE 4THEREGION CITY CENTRE CONFERENCE
Super Bowl Less than four weeks from now the second annual 4theRegion City Centre Conference will shine a light on the individuals and organisations making Swansea a focal point for cultural and economic development. As we count down to the conference we’re...
STEP INTO THE ARENA
It’s in our nature to love our home city. Sometimes we love it for its familiarity, and that can give us mixed feelings when we see its face changing. A century ago, in the early 1920s, many residents of Wembley Park were horrified by plans to build a national stadium...
Bevan Buckland LLP rated 1 of the 3 Top Accountants in Swansea
Here at Bevan Buckland LLP, we are delighted to be recognised as one of Swansea’s best rated Accountancy Firms. Bevan Buckland LLP are proud of this achievement. We work hard as a team to provide the best possible service for our clients. Drawing on our years of...
COUNTING DOWN – FIVE WEEKS TO THE 4THEREGION CITY CENTRE CONFERENCE
The Dog Days Aren’t Over We’re just five weeks from the second annual 4theRegion City Centre Conference. As we count down to the event at Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum we’re celebrating the entrepreneurs, artists and communicators who give our city character...
Gin Refilling Station Launches in Mumbles
Cheers Wine Merchants; the independent, family-run Swansea business has partnered up with The Gower Gin Company to offer customers a new service - a gin-refilling station. Located at the Newton Road shop, the refilling station is a first for Mumbles and quite...