Sgema is very proud to announce our part in the launch of the Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales in a special event in the Senedd on 10 July 2024. As a key partner of the organising team, we were very happy to see so many stakeholders and partners of the project attending and the positive feedback received about the event.
The guests included academics, researchers, politicians, policy makers and sector experts. The project represents a new partnership between universities, businesses and policy makers that endeavours to solve some of the biggest challenges facing rural communities in Wales. The aim of the partnership is to see how research and innovation can link together different policy strands, helping to improve understanding of the true needs of rural communities and secure academic and practical outputs that will ensure genuine change on the ground.
We see the partnership between Sgema and the LPIP as natural, as so many of our priorities as a company are reflected in the objectives of the programme. The project focuses on the ten local authority areas which form most of rural Wales: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Ynys Môn, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, and the Vale of Glamorgan but also includes rural communities in other parts of Wales. Clearly the project is broad in scope to the extent there are big economic, cultural, and geographical differences between these areas, yet they all to differing extents face similar challenges when considering issues such as housing, work, transport, infrastructure, migration, as well as public spaces and services.
As conventional economic renewal models are often based on work involved with towns and significant population centres, there is a particular need for research that looks at how rural community resilience can be achieved that considers factors such as dispersed populations, lack of public resources, the nature of small rural businesses, and a lack of infrastructure to attract and maintain investment. Ensuring growth while also making sure that community wellbeing is fully considered is essential for those at the helm of the project as well as ensuring that the environment, language and culture of these places are given proper attention in an age where economic disparity and climate change threatens our way of life.
The event was opened by Professor Rhys Jones, one of the leaders of the project. He was followed by the Llywydd of the Senedd Elin Jones AS, who emphasised the importance of the countryside and its people for the entirety of Wales, and her pride in being a part of an event which prioritised rural needs. Then Alice Taylor from UK Research and Innovation spoke about how the LPIP is a part of broader efforts to understand the policy needs of different areas through research. Closing the event was Mike Woods, the leader of the project, who outlined how the project would operate and all the work strands that constitute the scheme.
After the event, Mike Woods said:
‘We are pleased to have been able to launch Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales in the Senedd and thank Elin Jones MS for hosting us. The interest and enthusiasm that the initiative has received has been excellent and we look forward to working with people and organisations across the public, private and third sectors, as well as with Senedd Members and MPs, to help address the challenges facing Rural Wales.’
Meilyr Ceredig, Sgema Director said:
‘This is a project that has the potential to make a big difference on the ground in our communities. Rural Wales and its future is key to everything we do as a business and to have the opportunity to be a part of such a talented team helping to solve some of the key problems that we face in the Welsh countryside in the 21st century is a privilege and inspires us all as a team. The launch was a positive sign of the creative collaboration that will be at the heart of this project and the obvious enthusiasm from those in attendance was very exciting. Sgema’s team is keen to get started on the work to come and to meaningfully contribute to ensure the success of this pioneering project.’
For more information regarding the project, keep a look out on Arsyllfa in the weeks and months to come, and make sure you follow @LPIPCymruWledig on Twitter / X.