The 4theRegion Podcast

Welcome to the first of our Round Table discussions leading up to the regional Green Economy Conference on the 19th November at Swansea Arena. In this episode, we dive into community-led housing initiatives that are paving the way for a sustainable and inclusive future in South West Wales.

Our Panel:

Sarah Foster: Pembrokeshire Community Led Housing Development Officer at PLANED;

Jonathan Hughes: Community Led Housing Advisor for Cwmpas;

Adam Land: Board Member of Gwyr Community Land Trust, on the Gower Peninsula;

Leonie Ramondt and Adrian Lester, from Swansea Co-Housing.

Together, they discuss the vision of affordable, sustainable homes in cohesive neighbourhoods and the challenges of making this vision a reality amidst the current property market and land use issues. From rural to urban settings, our panel explores alternative ways of building, living, and fostering community spirit.

And please register your place at the Green Economy Conference on 19th November 2024:

https://www.4theregion.org.uk/green-economy-conference-2024/

Today we're talking about the circular economy. The transition away from the consumer economy and towards an economy that actually serves our wellbeing is going to take many forms, and it is happening across Wales as a whole and across the world. We discuss opportunities that exist, and what people, businesses and organisations are doing to strengthen our circular economy: What do we think is needed now and in future, and how we might collaborate to really develop and enhance circular economy principles and practices.

Community resilience is a subject that is really close to our hearts at 4theregion. A big part of our work is to enable the kind of collaboration and empowerment and place-based activities that are essential for building resilient connected local places, cohesive and connected communities and empowering people within communities to step up and play their part, and do all the amazing, wonderful things, many of which are represented in today's meeting, to build those resilient local places where we all want to live and work. Thank you for tuning in!

The sustainable food movement is gaining ground across South West Wales, with a raft of projects and initiatives underway. Transforming the way we produce and procure our food requires a whole system approach. In this discussion, hear from all four of South West Wales' local food partnerships, for an update on what's happening in Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire. From support for community growing, to fresh food vending machines, to the allocation of public land for public goods, there is plenty to feel positive about and much more that is needed. Thank you for tuning in!

Hear from a wide range of projects and organisations, about their work to support young people in our region. From employment skills to apprenticeships to life coaching, colleagues from across South West Wales shared their updates on initiatives to ensure young people in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire have the opportunity to flourish. This is part of a series of monthly conversations convened by 4theRegion to explore the opportunities that exist for people and businesses in South West Wales.

Find out more and join 4theRegion: www.4theRegion.org.uk

4theRegion brought together people with an interest in construction, from Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, to share perspectives on the challenges faced by the sector, and the opportunities it presents for businesses and people in our region. This conversation is part of a series of cross-sector discussions convened monthly by 4theRegion, which is an alliance of businesses, community groups and other organisations based in South West Wales. Find out more on our website, www.4theRegion.org.uk

4theRegion convened an open discussion about the opportunities in South West Wales' creative economy - part of our series of monthly meetups to explore opportunities across different sectors in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. Listen in, as people, businesses and organisations share updates, announcements and perspectives on our creative sector!

Edward Morgan from Castell Howell Foods reflects on the real challenges for regional farmers, a sense of despondency among farming families, and the vital importance of supporting local farmers - especially given the vulnerability of our global food supply chains.  Ed also describes some of the more complex barriers to local food procurement by public bodies in Wales, and some chinks of light happening in the system - which are very positive, but not enough....

This conversation was recorded by 4theRegion as part of our Public Plate Procurement Learning Journey in partnership with Swansea & NPT PSBs and Bwyd Abertawe.

In the first of our Monthly Meetups in 2024, Dawn launches 4theRegion's Year of Opportunities, with a call for partners and organisations across South West Wales to share their opportunities through our inclusive cross-sector network.

In this facilitated conversation, participants shared their thoughts about some of our region's diverse opportunities for people, businesses and communities to thrive.

www.4theRegion.org.uk

It's time for all businesses to take seriously the need to reduce their carbon emissions - and that starts with measuring your footprint and tracking the change over time.  BIC Innovation has partnered with Greener Edge to offer a new commercial solution: Trac-C - a package of support and expertise to help organisations move forward in tackling scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.  This is clearly important from a climate perspective, but there are lots of other good reasons for businesses to get started (or continue) their decarbonisation journey in a meaningful way, as Huw Watkins explains in this interview with Dawn Lyle from 4theRegion.