With lockdown restrictions slowly being eased in Wales, it's time to consider what this means for the reopening of the visitor economy and tourism sector. We spoke to Andrew Campbell, Chair of the Wales Tourism Alliance about his thoughts on the return of tourism in our region, what preparations businesses must make and the future of tourism and travel for Wales.

Dawn Lyle from 4theRegion speaks to Barry Liles OBE, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Skills and Lifelong Learning at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David about the transition to remote learning and teaching, accelerated by the pandemic and the importance of digital and employability skills and maintaining lifelong learning. Are you a learner who has been impacted by the switch to online learning? What opportunities and careers do you think will be available in the future? We hear Barry's perspective in this latest conversation from 4theRegion!

Dawn Lyle and Zoe Antrobus from 4theRegion talk to Puffin Produce, Bluestone Resort, Castell Howell, Pembrokeshire Eco Champions, Matts Cafe and WRAP about food waste in hospitality, retail and in our homes for Food Waste Action Week 2021. Food waste is a massive contributor to climate change - and over 70% of food waste comes from domestic kitchens - so we can all make a difference.  Do you peel your potatoes before making mash?  Do you know what you can make with the leftovers in your fridge?  Perspectives from across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot in this latest conversation from 4theRegion!

Biophilic Living Swansea is a mixed use development that includes affordable and shared ownership housing, as well as retail and commercial space. In this episode, Carwyn Davies, director of Hacer Developments and Andrew Nixon, director of Powell Dobson Architects share an engaging presentation about this innovative development.

The vision for Biophilic Living Swansea is to enable reconnection with nature in the urban environment, and the creation of a cohesive community to tackle issues of social exclusion and loneliness in an innovative way.

This project by Hacer Developments has been designed by Powell Dobson Architects in Swansea. The concept is the result of extensive collaborative working among a range of local organisations, including Swansea University, the Active Building Centre, Public Health Wales, Swansea Community Farm and Sero Homes Ltd.

Discover more about Biophilic Living here: www.biophilicliving.co.uk

The video shown during the presentation can be found here: www.biophilicliving.co.uk/about

We speak to Eifion Williams, CEO of Circular Economy Wales about current community projects such as the Community Fridge and Precious Plastics and the launch of Wales' Complementary Currency, the Celyn.

Backed by the Welsh Government’s Foundational Economy scheme and inspired by successful economic models in Sardinia and Switzerland, the Celyn is a complementary currency known as a mutual credit system that is exclusive to Wales.

Precious Plastic is an open-source project which helps communities turn the plastic waste in its rivers, streets and beaches into everyday products. The Community Fridge is a public facing, non-means tested solution for sharing and distributing in date food.

Find out more about the Celyn at: www.celyn.wales

Discover how to get involved with Precious Plastic: www.preciousplastic.com/

For more on Circular Economy Wales' projects: https://circulareconomy.wales/

We need greener, cleaner, healthier and better connected travel and transport for South West Wales, for transport that meets the needs of businesses, serves communities, and improves well-being across the region.  In today's roundtable discussion, we are talking about future of transport in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea: What should the government be investing in, what could the local authorities be doing, and how can people, communities and businesses be part of the solution?  Join us to discuss all this and more at Moving Forward Together - our regional transport conference for South West Wales on 9th and 10th February 2021 - Register via Eventbrite

Round Table Guests:

• Christine Boston, Sustrans

Young people aged 16+ will be able to vote in Wales for the first time in the Senedd Elections this year. So we spoke to young people from across Wales about politics, what's important to them, and what they value most. We heard from a passionate and inspiring group of young people from a range of backgrounds, who shared their own opinions and talked about what they're already doing to make a difference - especially on climate and equalities. This will be essential listening for anyone that's interested in how to engage more young people in politics, and in how we can build a Wellbeing Economy here in Wales.

Collaboration and connection with all of the amazing organisations that are working across our region is a key theme at 4theRegion and we believe that the power of working together can benefit all. Another organisation focusing on collaborative power is the Rhwydwaith, a resilience network based across Pembrokeshire. Today, director Vicky Moller shares the impact the network has had across communities.

Set up in May 2020, the Rhwydwaith was formed as a result of weekly collaborative meetings between community support groups across Pembrokeshire. As a result, the Rhwydwaith links local businesses, government and communities together in order to collaboratively work through present and future challenges in an inclusive and kind manner.

Find the Rhwydwaith here: www.rhwydwaithcommunityresilience.simplesite.com

We're delighted that DVLA has come on board as a partner of our alliance. We speak to the DVLA's Senior Sustainability and Travel Services Manager, Rhian Thomas, about the organisations commitments to reducing carbon emissions, increasing on-site biodiversity, sustainable transport methods (such as electric vehicles) and the success of the DVLA's performance against the Greening Government Commitments. #BuildBackBetter

Next year in 2021, the Senedd Elections will mark the first time people aged 16 will be able to vote. That means in May, approximately 200,000 people will be voting for the first time. We need to consider what this means for election campaigns, manifestos and what this means for the future of wales.

Today we're speaking to Bethany Roberts, an inspiring young woman and the Learner Voice Coordinator at Pembrokeshire College. Bethany has been passionate about getting involved in local projects and volunteering since the age of 11 and using her voice to ensure that young people are involved with and heard by decision makers in the region. #BuildBackBetter