The big news this week is that Swansea is now the official home of the new Welsh National Theatre, led by Hollywood actor Michael Sheen. It’s not just us who think it’s big news – WNT’s decision to make Civic Centre their headquarters and the Grand Theatre to host its first production has made the media sit up and take notice. There was coverage by the BBC and other media in Wales, as well as in The Guardian and the UK arts trade press. This kind of coverage and Michael’s decision to invest his creative talent in Swansea are brilliant for the city’s reputation and for ours as well. On top of our status as a city of innovation and inspiration in business, leisure and regeneration, we can add to it another example further showcasing our standing as a high-quality destination for creative arts and entertainment. You can read the back story of how the WNT came to Swansea here, but I want to thank all those involved for this significant achievement, especially Nerys Evans, Tracey McNulty and the wider Cultural Services and Property Services Teams.
Our reward and recognition scheme is designed to spotlight members of staff who go above and beyond the job in providing support to colleagues or residents. This week, I have two really good examples from our waste and recycling management teams. Andy Plaice, Josh Chambers and Natasha Perdue are being recognised for their great presence of mind and calmness in a critical incident that helped save the life of a colleague who suffered a heart attack. And Wayne O’Callaghan stepped in to help a resident who had an accident at our Clyne Housing Waste and Recycling Centre. The person involved has since been in touch to praise Wayne for his support, and I add mine to theirs. Don’t forget, if you know of someone who deserves a place in the spotlight for achievements that are examples of our values and behaviours in action, please nominate them through the reward and recognition scheme here.
This week has been World Refugee Week, and I was pleased to attend an event at Swansea Minster on Tuesday to celebrate the achievements of three new and five re-accredited Schools of Sanctuary. A School of Sanctuary must demonstrate a dedication to fostering a culture of welcome for people from sanctuary-seeking backgrounds. This involves staff training as well as curriculum activities around issues like forced migration. We now have 16 accredited schools of sanctuary, and I’d like to thank them all for their commitment, as well as the council teams in education and other departments which support them. You can read about what else we’ve been doing for World Refugee Week here including Dylan Thomas Centre formally receiving its Arts Centre of Sanctuary status I mentioned a couple of weeks ago.
It’s good news for us on the latest Climate Emergency UK scorecard results, published this week. We have moved up 8% to 47%, making us the top Welsh council taking part in the scheme. While the climate change and nature recovery agenda remains a huge corporate challenge, our programme board members are continually striving to reduce emissions, change behaviour and increase biodiversity. The board meets bi-monthly and features representatives from departments and teams across the council, and proactive support from members. If you want to know more, get in touch with the team at ClimateChange@swansea.gov.uk
And finally, congratulations to our Transforming County team, who are celebrating success with the launch of a resource that’s bringing new enjoyment to historic parts of Swansea. Their recently launched Tawe Trails app offers facts, maps and audio guides on six Lower Swansea Valley heritage trails and has just chalked up 500 downloads.
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