The 4theRegion Podcast

52. Gower Grown Veg Project with Castell Howell

Bwyd Abertawe is Swansea's local food partnership, and is collaborating with 4theRegion and Castell Howell Foods to support an increase in the volume of veg grown on the Gower Peninsular and generally across the Swansea Bay area.  This project is part of a wide range of activities across South West Wales which seek to strengthen our local food supply chains and our regional horticultural sector.

This conversation brought together:

• Dawn Lyle, 4theRegion
• Edward Morgan, Castell Howell Foods
• Lucy Hole, Secret Hospitality Group
• Ian Chriswick, Gower College
• Sarah Gould, Lantra
• Richard Bond, Food & Drink Wales

 

Supporting Local Producers: Lucy Hole emphasised Secret Hospitality’s commitment to support local producers across Swansea Bay, highlighting their collaboration with Castell Howell. However, they acknowledged that the volume of produce this year has presented challenges, preventing them from fully supporting local producers.

Richard Bond from the Food & Drink Wales project, brought a broader perspective to the discussion. The Food & Drink Wales project is responsible for promoting Welsh food and drink in Wales, the UK and internationally. Their vision is to create a strong and vibrant Welsh food and drink sector with a global reputation for excellence, having one of the most environmentally and socially responsible supply chains in the world.

Ian Chriswick from Gower College shared insights from the GCS Green Hwb project. The Green Hwb project delivers qualifications in horticulture. Produce from the project will be used to go to local causes, with the first crop of the year supporting projects such as the Phoenix Centre and The Nelson Trust. This project demonstrates the potential of food production as a means of support for local initiatives.

Sarah Gould, of Lantra (who run the Farming Connect project) added to the discussion with her industry expertise. The Farming Connect project supports Welsh farmers with business support and training. Andrew Stevens, a livestock farmer and the Champion for Rural Economy at Swansea Council, shared insights from a farming perspective.

Challenges and Obstacles: Ed Morgan from Castell Howell led a discussion on the challenges faced by local producers and the wider food industry. He emphasised the globalisation of the food supply chain in recent decades, leaving communities vulnerable to supply disruptions. Food security has become a concern, particularly in light of recent environmental factors impacting food production and supply chains.

Ed highlighted the need for a template or framework for engaging with growers and supporting them financially and operationally. The challenge, as identified, includes the timing of produce availability, weather disruptions, and land acquisition by renewable energy industries.

The group discussed various strategies to address these obstacles, including:

Engaging with Growers: Collaboratively engaging with growers to understand their capacity and requirements, and committing to support on factors like seed costs, staff expenses and machinery.

Educational Engagement: Focusing on the educational sector by working with schools and colleges to bridge the gap and introduce young people to farming. Exploring the potential link between education and the industry to support catering students and foster a stronger connection between educational institutions, restaurants and local producers.

Competing with Global Markets: Developing strategies to compete with growers in England and abroad by focusing on quality, value, and experience. 

Logistics and Distribution: Recognising the importance of logistics and distribution for small growers, and exploring partnerships with distributors like Castell Howell.

The meeting concluded with a recognition of the complex challenges facing local producers in Swansea Bay. However, there was an optimistic outlook on the potential for collaboration and support from various sectors to overcome these challenges. The group committed to further discussions and action plans to enhance the support for local producers and strengthen the regional food supply chain.

4theRegion is keen to hear from anyone who would like to be involved in this project, please contact zoe@4theRegion.org.uk

Project updates will be published here: https://www.4theregion.org.uk/projects/gower-grown/ 

51. Green Economy Skills Roundtable 2023

Partners from across South West Wales come together to discuss some new initiatives to support the development of green skills across a variety of sectors.

 

This podcast episode is part of a series of conversations focused on the region's green economy. The Green Economy Conference, happening in November, aims to bring together businesses and organizations to discuss the growth of the green economy in South West Wales. The episode features discussions on various projects and initiatives related to skills development in areas such as renewable energy, construction, digital sector, and more. The focus is on preparing young people for future green careers, raising awareness about the opportunities in the green economy, and bridging the skills gap in the industry. Collaboration and working together across the region are seen as crucial for success.

The speakers in the discussion are as follows:

• Dawn Lyle, 4theRegion: Host of the conversation and representative of the Regional Green Economy Conference.
• Rob Holdcroft, Development Coordinator for the Regional Learning and Skills Partnership.
• Arwyn Williams & Jackie Mathias from Pembrokeshire College: Discusses projects related to renewable energy and skills development for young people.
• Bruce Fellows from Gower College, Swansea: Talks about initiatives in the construction and renewable energy sectors.
• Andrew Selby from Gower College, Swansea: Highlights the demand for upskilling in the renewable energy sector.
• Rachel Cook from University of Wales, Trinity St. David: Shares insights on skills development in construction and the use of virtual reality in education.
• Donna Griffiths from Bouygues UK: Discusses projects engaging with schools and young people in terms of future skills and enterprise.
• Sue Poole from Young Dragons: Talks about engaging young people in entrepreneurship and the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality in education.

This conversation was hosted by 4theRegion in July 2023.

50. Green Construction and Decarbonisation

Following the Green Recovery Conference on the 27th June, we brought colleagues together to ask the question: How can South West Wales lead the way in green construction and the decarbonisation of our buildings?

The Green Recovery Conference was held in the Brangwyn Hall with over 160 businesses joining us to discuss a number of solutions to the challenges we face on the road to becoming a greener city. This event was organised around 8 Opportunity Areas, which hosted interactive discussions and provided ideas and solutions to key themes. SPECIFIC hosted the Buildings area and provided some insight into this key opportunity area.

49. In Conversation with Marcia Sinfield

In our new series, we'll be exploring the wider question of how we reshape our economy based on what really matters, and why we think attachment to place should be at the heart of how we think about this new economy. 

Formerly known as Family Housing, Caredig are a nonprofit registered social landlord (RSL) based in Swansea. Caredig means ‘kind’ in Welsh, and encapsulates their vision of putting people and communities at the heart of what they do. In this episode, Dawn speaks to Marcia Sinfield, Chief Executive of Caredig about their rebrand, what social value means to her and the value of local sourcing and working together.

48. The Three Ps of Social Value

In our new series, we'll be exploring the wider question of how we reshape our economy based on what really matters, and why we think attachment to place should be at the heart of how we think about this new economy.  We're interested in helping to create an economic system that is fit for the 21st century, one that counts more than money, more than GDP, more than profit.  So, what do we mean by social value - and how can we support organisations and communities to embrace social value as a new system of accounting for value? 

We'll be talking to thoughtleaders and changemakers across our region and around the world, about credible alternatives to a global form of capitalism that extracts value and wellbeing from people, places and the planet.  Starting here in South West Wales, and looking outwards, join us on a learning journey to understand the new economy, and what's needed to create resilience for the future that's coming down the line.

Talking points in this new series will include:

• Wellbeing Economics;
• Doughnut Economics;
• Attachment Economics;
• The Foundational Economy;
• The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act;
• Asset Based Community Development;
• Co-production, empowerment and collaboration;
• Changemakers and communities of purpose;
• Capitalist Realism;
• And changing perspectives on hope and politics.

Hosted by Dawn Lyle & Zoe Antrobus from 4theRegion, www.4theregion.org.uk 

47. Young Changemakers

This week we're hearing from inspiring young people from Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. The future of our region is in the hands of the younger generation, and we're interested in what motivates young people to get involved in changemaking projects and how we can amplify their voices and encourage them to become facilitators of positive change.

We hear from Neath Port Talbot Youth Council member Lola, who has been involved in projects such as Sustainable Schools, which aims to reduce plastic in school canteens and a pilot project involving fruit trees within schools. We also hear from Swansea-based young people Jed, Elliot and Jake who have used their voice to successfully campaign for and fundraise a skatepark in Bishopston by using community collaboration to make their voice heard within the local area.

46. Investing in Swansea

It's currently an exciting time to be in Swansea city centre with many developments taking place as part of massive investments, including the Swansea Bay City Deal. We spoke to a few of those involved the transformation of the city centre, including the digital arena, the restoration of the Albert Hall, new and existing community, maker and co-working spaces as well as schemes such as Swansea BID!

45. The Pembrokeshire Perspective with Tegryn Jones

Tegryn Jones is the Chair of the Pembrokeshire  Public Services Board and Chief Executive at Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. We spoke to Tegryn about his involvement with the Pembrokeshire Public Services Board, how the PSB works to improve the longer term well-being of people and communities in Pembrokeshire and key opportunity areas for development across Pembrokeshire.

Public Services Boards (PSBs) seek to bring members of public services, third sector and private sectors together in order to guide the process of delivering key elements of the Well being of Future Generations (Wales) Act and improve the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales.

Find out more about Pembrokeshire Public Services Board: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/public-services-board

44. Working with the Menopause with Jayne Woodman

Jayne Woodman set up The Menopause Team in 2019 to assist employers and employees in establishing significantly better menopause outcomes for women and organisations. With Menopausal women becoming one of the fastest growing demographic in the UK workforce, The Menopause Team provide workshops and strategies to help organisations become more resilient, understanding and supportive. 

We spoke to Jayne about the importance of raising awareness, empowering women to thrive in the workplace and enabling employers and colleagues to better understand how to support menopausal employees. 

The Menopause Team run awareness sessions, workshops, coaching and provide resources to empower employees and employers. You can find more information on their website: www.themenopauseteam.com

43. Crowdfunding Insights with Sweet Pickings Swansea

Sweet Pickings Swansea / Cyfoeth y Coed Abertawe is a community group tackling food poverty and waste by harvesting unpicked fruit (mainly apples) from trees around the Swansea area. Sweet Pickings have partnered with FareShare to collect and distribute the fruit to 24 organisations addressing food poverty, including Matt's Cafe, the East Side Food Bank and Unity in Diversity and have identified over 70 tree sites to harvest.

We spoke to Anna Williams about the Sweet Pickings Swansea initiative, the rapid growth of the project and the process behind setting up and running a crowdfunding drive. Sweet Pickings Swansea is currently fundraising for equipment, insurance, publicity materials and more to ensure the project continues to grow and make great things happen in Swansea.

Are you able to help Sweet Pickings' crowdfund? Any amount will be greatly appreciated as they continue to grow and make this dream into a reality.

Sweet Pickings Crowdfund on SpaceHive

Sweet Pickings Facebook Group