The foundational economy community of practice started in July 2020 as part of the Welsh Government’s Foundational Economy Challenge Fund. Its aim was to share learning and innovation, build relationships and encourage collaboration.
The Challenge Fund provided support to projects looking to try out new ways to address challenges – some emerging, some age-old – faced by foundational economy businesses or those relying on their services.
These included:
the recruitment, retention and skills of the workforce
the delivery structures and design of services
the recruitment, retention and skills of the workforce
the delivery structures and design of services
The aim was to explore a range of solutions that could potentially generate viable, adaptable models that could be scaled up and spread to strengthen local economies and community wealth-building.
Staring in 2019 with an initial 52 projects, it was always expected that some experiments would not succeed and conditions were made even more challenging by the impact of the pandemic.
A community of practice was also however put in place to help capture some of the rich learning and insights generated by all the projects taking part. The examples in the case studies below give a flavour of the projects supported by the Fund – their successes, challenges and above all learning, about how best the foundational economy in their area or sector can be supported. The Fund closed in March 2021 but, at the request of members, the community of practice has continued. Its role continues to be to share learning, encourage and expand dialogue and facilitate collaboration.
This St David’s Day, we are asking organisations across Cardiff to think about the little things they can do to ensure a fair day’s pay for their workers, whether it’s understanding how to become an accredited Living Wage employer, or reaching out to other organisations to encourage them to consider the real Living Wage, or helping us share the positive messages about the difference that paying the real Living Wage can make.
Cardiff Council is currently the only accredited real Living Wage local authority in Wales. The Council and partners are championing Cardiff as a Living Wage city which is having positive impact on the city and its employees. As of 1 February 2021, 45% of Wales’ total accredited employers were based in Cardiff and Cardiff employers had contributed to 69% of total uplifts in pay. Recent research by Cardiff University has shown that real Living Wage accreditation by 124 Cardiff employers has resulted in 7,735 workers receiving a pay rise which has added over £32m to the local economy in just over 8 years.
To hear more about the benefits of the real Living Wage from employers and employees in Cardiff please watch this video.
Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said:
“The seemingly small things really can make a big difference, and I know the significant impact paying the real Living Wage has had in the lives of our own staff. We’re pleased to be supporting organisations across the city to enable them to do the same for their own employees, and this St David’s Day I would encourage any Cardiff business interested in paying the real Living Wage to get in touch to find out more.”
Cardiff Council understand the wider benefits that the real Living Wage can bring to individuals and employers, as well as to the City; and they have made a commitment to reimbursing accreditation fees for SME employers based in Cardiff through their accreditation support scheme. For more information about the real Living Wage in Cardiff please visit the website.
Cardiff Council also encourages local employers to provide a Payroll Savings and Loans Scheme to their staff, enabling their employees to save directly from their salaries and if needed, access affordable credit from an ethical provider. More information can be found on this on the Cardiff & Vale Credit Union’s website.
Cynnal Cymru is the accrediting body for the real Living Wage in Wales and are here to help you through the accreditation process. Get in touch, join the movement, do the little things.
We wish you all a happy St David’s Day. Diolch yn fawr!
You’ve completed your Carbon Literacy training and committed to your pledge. So what now?
In this webinar we’ll be inviting you to share your progress following your training. From the practicalities of implementing your pledge to the small actions that are making a difference, we’ll be sharing some of the challenges and achievements of taking action.
Join Senior Sustainability Adviser, Farah Lodhi-Jones for a conversation about the next steps you can take to put your pledge into practice.
Who is this for:
This webinar is suitable for those who are already certified Carbon Literate.
When:
It will be taking place online via Microsoft Teams from 10-11am GMT
Farah has been delivering Carbon Literacy and sustainability training to multiple sectors and is an officially recognised Carbon Literacy trainer with the Carbon Literacy Project. Having worked with global brands and organisations on developing their sustainability climate education and training, Farah is passionate about connecting global climate action with local initiatives. She speaks multiple languages and has a lived global experience of working on environment projects across Europe and the global south.
Supporting nature in the workplace, has multiple benefits for people, plants and pollinators.
A recent report in Harvard Business Review demonstrated that even small interventions to increase access to nature – in offices from Canada to China – increased staff creativity, productivity and helpfulness. Natural England’s “Links between natural environments and mental health” 2022 paper also affirms that spending time in natural environments is associated with positive outcomes for mental health, stress and psycho-social wellbeing.
Both reports indicate that increasing access to nature need not be large-scale, expensive or onerous to generate these benefits. Whilst not every organisation can invest in a green roof or living wall, even micro spaces can become ‘stepping stones’ to connect up habitats and provide feeding stations for wildlife. For staff too time-pressed to fit in a regular nature walk, daily glimpses of nature at work and a chance to see, smell or hear our incredible biodiversity are also effective in boosting mood and performance.
Public bodies already have a duty, under the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, to maintain and enhance biodiversity and their partners and suppliers are being asked to showcase their biodiversity commitments too when they tender for public contracts.
With all these reasons to incorporate nature more in both our personal and professional lives, we are delighted to share some top tips to help!
How you can take action for nature
Let it grow!
Take part in No Mow May and Let it Bloom June – Plantlife’s annual campaign urging everyone to pack away the lawnmower, let wildflowers grow freely and help nature. By letting it grow, we can support pollinators and help to restore pockets of species-rich grassland. So, whether you’re in a city, town or the countryside, let it grow!
No lawn or green space is too small! Even the smallest wild patch can provide vital food needed by bees and butterflies, connecting us with nature and giving nature the best start to summer.
‘Nature isn’t neat’
Check out the MonLife’s ‘Nature isn’t Neat’, approach to establishing joined-up green space management to create wildflower-rich pollinator habitats across Gwent local authority areas. This includes a comprehensive toolkit to support organisations and community groups.
If you are a community or town councillor, you can take part in One Voice Wales Biodiversity Basics (Module 25 – Biodiversity basics Part 1 and Module 26 Part 2) designed by the Cynnal Cymru training team. This course teaches the basics of biodiversity, nature recovery and ecology to enable good decisions and effective Biodiversity Action Plans.
Citizen science
If access to land in your work place or at home is limited, why not explore biodiversity in your local area by using the LERC App, contributing to nature conservation, planning, research and education by submitting biodiversity records.
Increasing nature & biodiversity at your business premises
Using the expertise of its Landscape Architecture team, Groundwork has pulled together a free Nature & Biodiversity toolkit which outlines the different nature-based features your business could consider at different scales of investment and impact.
Empower your team
Our own Nature Wise course is a great foundation for all your team, to understand how your organisation can support nature recovery for Wales. Our course will help you to understand our ecosystems, nature recovery, and our individual and collective responsibility to nature in Wales.
Practical examples of organisations taking action for nature
From small growing initiatives to site-wide biodiversity action plans, the following businesses and organisations are already taking action to increase biodiversity within their community and place of work.
Y Stiwdio in Pembrokeshire is a creative space where wellies are welcome. A place to make, learn and grow. Y Stiwdio volunteers have created a community described as ‘A special place for all of us with secluded seating and a variety of wildlife-friendly plants to enhance the centre of the village’.
4. Cardiff University – Ecosystem resilience and biodiversity action plan 2024-2026
Cynnal Cymru has office space in the Sbarc|Spark building in Cathays Cardiff. While it is located in an urban area, we were pleased to discover the surrounding land was being used to create wildlife friendly spaces including mini meadows, hedgerows and a bug hotel. The Ecosystem Resilience and Biodiversity Action Plan, sets out how Cardiff University are going to maintain and enhance biodiversity and promote ecosystem resilience across Cardiff University’s campuses.
5. Capital Coated Steel – Biodiversity garden
Capital Coated Steel are an excellent example of how a steel manufacturer has made space for nature on a previously derelict site. The Biodiversity garden supports staff well-being, helps to educate visitors and repurposes waste. The project initiated by, Simon Nurse, and co-created with his team, has now taken on a life of it’s own! You can follow the latest updates on Simon’s Linkedin page.
6. Greener Grangetown, Cardiff – Sustainable Drainage Systems
Greener Grange is a nature-based intervention to retrofit a sustainable drainage system into existing urban streets, creating over 100 raingardens while leaving space for parking and other needs. Not only does the system reduce flooding, it has increased biodiversity and provides multiple benefits to the local community. You can read more about the Green Grangetown project on the Nature Based Solutions hub.
Spending time in nature has many positive benefits to our health and well-being. ‘Green spaces such as parks, forests and gardens have been shown to have a significant positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing, promoting resilience, social connection and connection to nature.’ Cardiff University: Green social prescribing.
Get a well-being boost from just 20 minutes a day outside. Gareth Clubb, Director of WWF Cymru shares 8 ways to get your daily dose of nature as part of their ‘Prescription for Nature campaign’.
2. Making space for nature
“Imagination and commitment are more important than financial resources” Simon Nurse, from
For specialist nature advice in your local area, you can contact your Local Nature Partnership Coordinator to find out about projects and volunteering opportunities on your doorstop.
A growing area for collaboration between small businesses is that of public sector and corporate tendering through sites like Sell2Wales.
Networks like People, Planet, Pint often have regional hosts and are a great opportunity to meet like-minds.
5. Feeling empowered to speak out
“Between 80 and 89% of the world’s people want their governments to be doing more to address climate change.” The Guardian: The 89 Percent Project. We often hear in our training, how people are worried about climate damage and the future. They think they’re alone, so they don’t want to speak up.
Here in Wales, we are already seeing the impacts of climate change with wetter winters, warmer summers, and more unpredictable weather patterns.
The results of these events can be devastating, impacting our homes, businesses operations, local infrastructure, transport, energy systems, our health and our communities.
This guide provides an overview of how your organisation could be affected by weather – including extreme events – and what steps you can take to prepare for the impact of climate change – both in the present and future – by developing or contributing to an adaptation plan.
What is climate change adaptation?
Climate mitigation
Climate change mitigation means avoiding and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
Climate adaptation
Climate change adaptation means altering our behaviour, systems, and – in some cases – way of life to protect assets, buildings, businesses, people, the environment and society from the worst projected impacts of climate change.
Climate resilience
Climate resilience can also be used to refer to adaptation.
A certain amount of climate change has already occurred, and whatever amount of mitigation we do, a degree of future climate change is inevitable.
Adaptation is about responding to the local impacts of climate change and reducing our vulnerabilities to these impacts. For Wales, impacts may include flooding and extreme heat.
Increasing flood protection (through hard engineering or nature-based solutions such as restoring peat bogs) or planting street trees in cities (which have a cooling effect) are both examples of adaptation.
Some adaptation examples ALSO mitigate climate change.
Why do we need to take action?
“Wales is our home, and we need to protect it for the benefit of future generations. We know that the increased frequency and intensity of flooding, coastal erosion, storms, heatwaves and droughts have widespread impacts across the whole of Wales, from our coastal cities to the South Wales Valleys, to the rural landscapes of Mid and North Wales. Everyone will be affected, and we all need to understand the risks and prepare for the future.” Climate Adaptation Strategy for Wales 2024
Climate change is already happening. In 2023-24 Wales experienced the wettest winter since records began. In July 2022, a new maximum daily temperature was recorded in Wales of 37.1°C in Hawarden Airport, Flintshire.
Flooding and extreme heat are already affecting daily life for many people in our own communities as well as further afield; it’s not just a future risk.
The Climate Change Committee’s Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3-IA) has identified 61 risks and opportunities from climate change in Wales, including to business, infrastructure, housing, the natural environment, our health, and risks from the impacts of climate change internationally.
We are in a climate emergency
Our global efforts are not enough to avoid inevitable impacts from climate change. We need to adapt to the impacts that are already happening, and those that are likely to happen. It is therefore crucial that any adaptation strategy is developed alongside an initial plan of action with practical actions that can be implemented quickly on the ground.
Take action – what can you do?
For businesses and organisations, there are several actions you can take.
Assess your risk to extreme weather events. This can be done by reviewing the impact from previous extreme weather events and looking at future trends.
Create, update and manage your risk register or climate adaptation plan. You can create or update a risk register for your organisation to ensure that your operations, staff, customers and suppliers can respond to extreme weather events (flooding, heat, wildfires, ice and snow) and identify which individuals on your team are in charge of the response.
Work with others in your area to develop a local adaptation plan for your local business estate, community or local authority area. The impacts of extreme weather are often complex and best planned for along with others in a defined space or area. This activity is often coordinated by public bodies such as local authorities or Public Service Boards.
The independent assessment used to help inform the third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) assesses 61 risks and opportunities from climate change in Wales, including to business, infrastructure, housing, the natural environment, our health, and risks from the impacts of climate change internationally.
Section 38 of the Well-being of Future Generations Act requires Public Service Boards (PSBs) to take account of the latest UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) when preparing their Well-being Assessments. This framework has been created by NRW in collaboration with the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales, for use by PSB practitioners.
The Met Office’s Local Authority Climate Explorer helps UK Local Authorities and others understand climate risks and build resilience. Access local Climate Reports, explore the Climate Explorer, and find guidance on assessing risks and taking action to adapt to climate change.
Resources: Addressing your risk
Welsh Government | Climate Adaptation Strategy for Wales (2024) — Wales’s strategic approach to adapting to climate change. Here you will find 15 strategic cross-sector adaptation action plans. Each action plan sets out what a climate resilient future would look like, Welsh Government actions and the roles and actions needed from wider stakeholders. This includes their ‘asks’ for the general public, public sector, Welsh business and industry.
Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) Hub|Aims to address climate risks by examining the levers of change for adaptation in the UK and advancing transformative climate adaptation strategies. Features project examples and stories from Wales including the Fairbourne coastal risk management learning project.
A practical guide for SMEs, to help you understand how you could be affected by weather, including extreme events, and how you can improve your chances of a quick recovery. The guide also sets out business opportunities from responding to a changing climate and provides useful tools and contact information to help you become more resilient.
This is a climate change risk assessment report and resource for the Public Service Board area, providing information for businesses, communities and residents in the area on the risks, and the actions they can take to minimise impact.
This document provides a compendium of good practice examples that demonstrate climate change adaptation planning and action that UK local authorities are taking.
Top tips for preparing an adaptation plan
With thanks to Alan Carr from Sustainability West Midlands for originally sharing his ‘Top tips for adaptation planning’ at a recent Cynnal Cymru membership event and for advice on developing local adaptation plans.
Develop your understanding of climate change and the risks – and ensure it is evidence-based
By learning more about climate change, you will be better equipped to understand the climate risks you face. The Met Office provides guidance on what climate change is, what it means for the UK, and how it is linked to extreme weather and its impacts.
From real-life stories from your stakeholders to help identify flood risk areas, to climate projection data; use existing tools and datasets to help you identify the risks now and in the future.
The Met Office’s Local Authority Climate Service provides tools and resources that have been specifically designed for Local Authorities, to help you better understand climate change in your local area and support your adaptation journey.
Identify and involve key stakeholders from the beginning on a place-based approach
Successful adaptation plans need to involve the whole community, not just one organisation. If you are an organisation, make sure your own plan aligns with anything going on at a place level; this typically sits with your local council.
Identify and involve key stakeholders from start to finish. Local knowledge is vital for a successful plan. You need to know what else is happening in the area, how adaptation could be integrated into existing good practice or on-going activity, and where specific problems and concerns lie, so that you can tailor your actions accordingly. This could involve workshops, surveys, and discussions with a variety of stakeholders.
Keep it action-oriented, focused and prioritised on ‘no regret’ or ‘quick win’ actions.
We’re in a climate emergency, so keep your plan action oriented.
What is your area of focus? You cannot do everything, but you can prioritise where you can make a difference. This could include a local community-driven approach where you are able to identify small steps at community or household level.
To help you prioritise actions for an adaptation plan, rank them by urgency, feasibility, and potential co-benefits.
‘No regret’ or ‘low regret’ actions are cost-effective or inexpensive to implement and are often a good place to start. Examples include visible quick wins like tree planting or water saving.
Align actions with existing policy, co-benefits or existing investment
Show how your adaptation aligns with existing corporate plans, net zero targets or with the Well-being of Future Generations Act and Public Service Boards. This helps to make a business case by demonstrating how it might strengthen the economy or improve health benefits.
Consider actions that also support mitigation such as helping to increase biodiversity or to improve health.
Dedicated funding may be scarce, so look at how you could integrate adaptation plans into net zero and retrofit programs to maximise resources.
Continue monitoring and reporting on progress and collaborating with partners
Set up accountability and monitoring early on. This must be built in from the start of the process. Then use the monitoring and reporting, together with site visits in the plan area, to help to continue partnership building.
Greener Grangetown is a sustainable drainage system (SuDS) project that has also been designed to transform the quality of the public realm and improve cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. Their pioneering approach was brought together by civil engineers and the placemaking team to create ‘raingardens’ that slow rainwater run-off flows and remove contaminants, cleaning and diverting rainwater directly into the nearby River Taff.
The 10,000 Raingardens for Scotland campaign is designed to promote and encourage the use of raingardens as a sustainable and natural way to manage water, particularly in urban areas. It will also support the creation of wildlife-friendly, accessible green spaces, reduce pollution, and provide attractive places for people to visit.
The Green Valleys (Wales) is a multi-award-winning Community Interest Company based in Bannau Brycheiniog (formerly the Brecon Beacons), Wales. They support communities to generate sustainable social, economic and environmental benefits through transition to a low carbon emission future. This includes climate adaptation measures such as biodiversity and woodland creation.
Nature-Based Solutions have an important part to play in adapting to the impacts of climate change. Our Nature Wise Eco Literacy course can help you understand the risk and identify actions that you, your business or your community can take as a ‘quick win’.
Our accredited Carbon Literacy training includes a section on climate adaptation within the context of mitigation and encourages individuals to identify and pledge actions for change at home, in their communities or workplaces.
Our members and funders support and contribute to good practice networks and events, which have included climate adaptation and planning for the future.
Trivallis is excited to announce that they have been officially accredited as a Silver Carbon Literate Organisation. This achievement reflects their ongoing commitment to building a low carbon future and highlights the growing strength of sustainability across our organisation.
This milestone follows the successful accreditation of 170 staff members who are now Carbon Literate. Their learning and commitment have helped create a shared understanding of climate change, giving people the confidence to take practical action as part of their roles. This includes reducing waste, improving asset planning, supporting long term efficiency and shaping services that meet the needs of Trivallis tenants and communities.
A meaningful step in their sustainability journey
Carbon Literacy is supporting Trivallis to embed climate conscious thinking into everyday decisions. It is helping them work in a more informed and consistent way and making sustainability a core part of their culture.
Dave Coleman, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Carbon Literacy Project, said: “By becoming a Silver accredited Carbon Literate Organisation, Trivallis has demonstrated its commitment to genuine low carbon action, environmental and economic impact, and the building of a low carbon future for us all.”
Working in partnership with Cynnal Cymru
“Our progress has been supported by our partnership with Cynnal Cymru, whose expertise in delivering and shaping Carbon Literacy training has supported us in creating a bespoke training programme for Trivallis staff. In this, they have helped our staff gain the knowledge and momentum needed to influence change across Trivallis.”
Jason Shilcock, Head of Training and Advice at Cynnal Cymru, said:
“Working in partnership with Trivallis was both rewarding and fulfilling. Having an organisation that truly recognises the difference it can make to local people and communities and supports its staff to be as knowledgeable as possible to make informed decisions and take meaningful actions, is invaluable. We thank the team at Trivallis and congratulate you heartily on such well-deserved recognition of all your hard work. Llongyfarchiadau mawr!”
Looking ahead and staying Lit-erate with our Carbon Literacy training
Trivallis plan to build on this strong foundation by training a further 30 to 40 colleagues each year, ensuring carbon awareness continues to grow across the organisation and is sustained over the long term. Staff within the organisation have attended the ‘delivering successful Carbon Literacy workshop’ meaning they can deliver the training themselves to our staff.
Vic, Director of Assets and Sustainability, said:
“This Silver Award is a real testament to the commitment of our staff and their drive towards making Trivallis a net zero organisation. It also supports colleagues to make positive changes in their personal lives as well as impacting decisions on how we operate as a business.”
Trivallis have also been invited to take part in wider Carbon Literacy celebrations, which includes the awards ceremony taking place in Manchester in summer 2026. Thank you to everyone involved.
Together, these accreditations demonstrate that Trivallis is taking meaningful, measurable steps towards a more sustainable future. As they continue to expand Carbon Literacy training and embed low carbon thinking across their services, they remain committed to leading by example and creating lasting benefits for our people, homes and communities.
Trivallis are a community mutual housing association which is owned by their tenants, rooted in their local communities, and working through collaboration and partnership.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is the pan-Wales natural resources management organisation funded by Welsh Government. Its purpose is to ensure that the natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained, enhanced and used, now and in the future. NRW was created in 2013 by the merging of the Countryside Council for Wales, the Environmental Agency Wales and the Forestry Commission in Wales.
To ensure colleagues developed a shared understanding on climate topics, Cynnal Cymru created and delivered a bespoke, Carbon Literacy training program for NRW.
Approach taken:
The Carbon Literacy® training roll-out has been delivered through several phases:
Bespoke course development
In partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University we developed a bespoke Carbon Literacy® course, approved and accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project (2023);
Phase 1 – Pilot
Delivery of a pilot session with key personnel and champions within NRW, e.g. the Climate Change Team and senior managers (2023);
Phase 2 – Preparation and delivery
Preparation and delivery of weekly online Carbon Literacy® sessions (October 2023 – March 2024);
Phase 3 – Reflect and refine
Reflection on Phase 2, building in adaptations to the course content and delivering of weekly online sessions (September 2024 – January 2025);
Phase 4 – Wider roll out
Delivery of weekly online sessions to wider departments and teams including new starters (September 2025 – February 2026).
Phase 5 – Monitoring and evaluation
Working closely with NRW’s Climate Change team we implemented a monitoring and evaluation study, using focus groups to analyse participant awareness of individual carbon footprint and common themes for climate pledges. A final report was be presented to NRW’s Specialist Advisor in Climate Change and Decarbonisation.
This training programme was funded internally by NRW and coordinated by the Climate Change team.
Hybrid approach
Due to the Wales-wide nature of the NRW workforce, and the challenge in bringing together large team together in one location, we delivered the majority of the training online with a small number of sessions face-to-face.
Impacts of the project
Team learning, collaborative impact
Since 2023, Cynnal Cymru has delivered a bespoke Carbon Literacy course to over 1300 staff at NRW as part of an organisation roll out of of accredited training.
As of February 2026, over 100 cohorts of Carbon Literacy® training (each cohort is approximately 15 participants) have been successfully delivered, meaning we have provided training to over 50% of NRW’s employees (approximately 1,300 people).
To date, over 35% of their staff have successfully been certified Carbon Literate (having completed the course and having their evaluation form with climate pledges accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project).
Achieving silver accreditation as a Carbon Literate Organisation (CLO)
In February 2026, NRW achieved the CLO (Carbon Literate Organisation) Silver Accreditation which further demonstrates their commitment and action towards climate change by successfully training and accrediting a significant percentage of their workforce.
Over the winter period 2025-2026, Cynnal Cymru also worked closely alongside NRW’s Climate Change team to implement a Monitoring & Effectiveness study, using focus groups to analyse participant awareness of their own carbon footprint and common themes for climate pledges. The final reports on this are currently being prepared ready to send to NRW’s Specialist Advisor in Climate Change and Decarbonisation.
Cynnal Cymru is delighted to have played a part in NRW’s amazing accomplishment, by providing guidance and support throughout the accreditation process.
How can we proactively co-create the future we would like to see?
What does this future look and feel like?
What is futures thinking and how could this help us in delivering a better world?
These were some of the questions explored in the recent Living the Future event that took place in Aberystwyth on the 21st January 2026.
To build upon the Light Up the Future event held in Cardiff last year marking the 10-year anniversary of the ground-breaking Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, Cynnal Cymru’s Sustainability Trainer, Chris Woodfield, co-organised Living the Future to shine a light on the great work happening in Mid and West Wales. The event, co-created in collaboration with Porthi Aber, The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), The Welsh Government’s Sustainable Futures Team, The Office of the Future Generations Commissioner, Public Health Wales, and Hwb Dyfodol, was an opportunity to take stock, celebrate successes, share challenges, and explore positive visions of the future through a facilitated co-creation process.
The event took place in the Aberystwyth Bandstand, perched beautifully between land and sea on the Aberystwyth promenade, and attracted 80 attendees from across the public and private sectors, civil society and local grassroots organisations.
The day started with short changemaker talks from local project leads and organisations taking positive action towards a brighter future, including:
Cian Llywelyn of Coetir Anian (Cambrian Wildwood) highlighting the importance of nature restoration and connecting people with nature.
Erannan Bent of Niku-Naka sauna in Bala, emphasising saunas as a place for connection, listening, and play for all ages, whilst supporting physical and mental well-being.
A short film showing of the Llyfrgell Zine Cymru (Welsh Zine Library), curated by Elin Angharad, highlighted how zines can be a form of slower, creative and inclusive expression in an increasingly fast-paced and digital world.
Owen Shiers (artist / musician) representing the Llafur Ni Network shared how seeds can be metaphors for long-term and futures thinking, the lost story of the Welsh black oat, and how seed sovereignty can be an opportunity to rebuild a local and resilient food system.
Following this, with the guidance of volunteer facilitators participants discussed how their own work aligned with the Seven Well-being Goals of the Act, highlighting the importance of systems thinking and how we need to view the Well-being Goals as interconnected and mutually supporting each other, rather than individual goals, or boxes to tick-off.
The Future Generations Commissioner, Derek Walker, shared his reflections and thoughts on how Wales is doing and what more needs to be done to live our way into the future in a positive and inspiring way, before participants enjoyed a spiced parsnip and banana soup produced by local not-for-profit Porthi Aber, who are taking action to improve the local food system.
The importance of creativity ran through the day with the Aberystwyth Town Poet, Hywel Griffiths, performing a futures poem of a positive vision of the future he had written for the event, and outlining how and why Aberystwyth had recently been recognised as Wales’s first UNESCO City of Literature. A local artist, Harrie Fuller from Spork Studios, designed an artistic impression to go alongside the poem, and all the participants took away with them a bilingual copy of the poetry and design.
The rest of the day enabled participants to practise “futures thinking”, and to deeply discuss their visions of the future and what we can do today to make that vision become a reality. Wales has an ambition to become a Future Literate nation, with Hwb Dyfodol being an avenue to support organisations to understand what futures thinking is and how it can be used to not just think about the future, but to deliver meaningful change in the present to enable that desired future to thrive. The day finished with a beautiful starling murmuration on the Aberystwyth seafront as a perfect reminder of collaboration, emergence, and embracing the beauty, awe and wonder of nature.
So, what next? Where do we go from here? Cynnal Cymru were involved in leading the national conversation of the “The Wales We Want” back in 2014, which supported the development of the Well-being of Future Generations Act. This latest event brought futures thinking to the fore, with our next (and ongoing) challenge being “how do we ensure we combine futures thinking with creative, practical and proactive action on the ground today?”.
We are living our way into the future, and let’s ensure it is a flourishing and thriving future we all want to live in. To finish, I’ll leave you with three provocations to reflect upon:
Whose future are we co-creating and how can we ensure we incorporate unheard voices into our futures thinking discussions in inclusive and accessible ways?
How can we bring more creativity, play and culture into our futures work?
Where are the stories of hope in your community and how can you help amplify these pockets of the future to become the new normal?
If you’d like to respond to these questions, feel free to reach out to Chris on chris@cynnalcymru.com or find him in Aberystwyth for a coastpath conversation outside his home on the seafront, where all the best stuff happens on the edge.
Gain the knowledge, capacity and confidence needed to support others to take action on climate change.
Whether you want to create your own Carbon Literacy course, build on an existing one, or support others to do so, these sessions will give you the tools, confidence, and structure to make it happen.
This online Train the Trainer Carbon Literacy course is designed for individuals who are already Carbon Literate and are ready to take the next step: leading, delivering, or supporting Carbon Literacy training sessions within their organisation or community.
Online open course £750 plus VAT (cost per person)
Discounts available for Cynnal Cymru members
This course is designed for four participants and will only go ahead once all places are booked.
Interactive and practical
This is a highly practical course. You’ll not only learn how to deliver Carbon Literacy training, but you’ll practise delivering it, receive feedback, and build confidence in a supportive environment. By the end of the sessions, you’ll be better equipped to train others, engage meaningfully, and inspire action.
Timetable
Our standard course runs over three morning sessions, 9:00am-12:30pm plus 1.5 hours of homework. A total of 12 hours, typically across a two to three week period.
Tutor-led sessions take place on:
Session 1
Monday 29th June
9:00am-12:30pm GMT
Session 2
Wednesday 1st July
9:00am-12:30pm GMT
Session 3
Monday 6th July
9:00am-12:30pm GMT
You will need to attend all sessions to receive your Cynnal Cymru Train the Trainer certificate.
Woodknowledge Wales strengthened Wales’s timber and housing sectors by building collaborative Communities of Practice (CoPs) that support the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable economy. Through extensive engagement with over 95 organisations, the project has fostered new partnerships, supported policy development, enabled innovation in public procurement, and contributed to Wales’s net zero ambitions.
Wales’s commitment to reaching net zero emissions has brought greater focus on building with low-carbon materials, sustainable forestry, and strengthening the local economy. Timber is an important part of this shift, offering benefits such as reducing the overall carbon footprint of buildings, making structures more energy-efficient, and supporting local jobs and communities.
However, the timber and housing industries face some difficulties, including complicated supply chains, limited options for training, tough competition, and a lack of cooperation between different sectors.
Woodknowledge Wales (WKW) works to support teamwork and shared efforts across forest-based industries to boost prosperity and well-being in Wales. The Low Carbon Timber Networks project aims to tackle these challenges by creating strong partnerships that bring together housing providers, forest managers, manufacturers, designers, builders, researchers, and other key groups to work together and develop shared solutions.
The approach
The Low Carbon Timber Networks project delivered an ambitious program of sector-wide engagement:
28 Community of Practice meetings, held both online and in person, covering topics such as forestry land use and contractors.
Engagement coordinated with over 95 organisations, including social housing developers, architects, timber frame manufacturers, sawmillers, contractors and land‑use experts, helping to improve and strengthen the supply chain networks.
Impact
The Communities of Practice (CoPs) created a variety of practical and strategic benefits. The Strengthened Networks built a thriving network of 60+ Welsh organisations, expanding to over 95 participants during the project. This work enhanced collaboration across forestry, manufacturing, construction and housing. The Communities of Practice (CoPs) created a variety of practical and strategic benefits. Additionally, the network was able to create and benefit from training and skills development sessions, based on the specific needs of the industry, and provided valuable skills and knowledge.
The Communities of Practice (CoPs) served as advice-sharing spaces for Welsh Government projects. They provided valuable insights for the Welsh Government’s Timber Industrial Strategy and played a part in major programmes like Tai ar y Cy. This project helped develop ideas for procurement that align with net zero goals and encourage greater use of Welsh timber. By promoting the use of low-carbon building materials and supporting housing providers to cut down the amount of carbon embedded in buildings, the initiative helps strengthen local supply chains that are vital for Wales’s sustainable future.
This joint effort across different sectors helped to bring about new ideas and solutions that covered all parts of Wales’s supply chain.
Challenges
Woodknowledge Wales identified several challenges and responded proactively:
Engagement capacity varied, especially among small businesses. To manage this WKW increased outreach and used site visits to maintain participation.
Competition across the sector sometimes restricted collaboration. However, Neutral, trusted facilitation helped overcome this.
Gaps in training and future workforce pipelines were evident. WKW fed into skills‑development planning and influenced sector education conversations.
Looking ahead
Woodknowledge Wales aims to build on the success of the Low Carbon Timber Networks by:
Expanding CoP membership to new sectors and disciplines.
Strengthening the forestry education network to address long-term skills needs.
Continuing to support government and industry in scaling low-carbon construction.
Developing new opportunities for locally owned businesses within the Foundational Economy.
Acting as a central enabler of sustainable growth through Welsh timber.
Woodknowledge Wales is strategically positioned to enhance its impact and contribute to the development of a resilient, low-carbon built environment in Wales. This project underscores the importance of building trust-based networks and maintaining flexibility in engagement strategies across all sectors of the Foundational Economy. Through initiatives like this, Wales is progressing towards its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions.
Wales’s Foundational Economy, encompassing everyday essential services such as care, housing, food, transport and energy, has long experienced structural challenges, particularly among smaller organisations facing capacity constraints, limited innovation infrastructure, and barriers to adopting circular and fair‑work practices.
These challenges are particularly acute among SMEs, which often lack access to structured learning and collaboration networks. FEIN was created to address these systemic barriers by providing a practical, regionally rooted framework that aligned with the Well-being of Future Generations Act and the Welsh Government’s ambitions for Net Zero and a fairer economic landscape.
The approach
The Circular Economy Innovation Communities programme (CEIC Programme) is 6-month programme introducing design thinking and circular‑economy principles. FEIN engaged 34 organisations from the Cardiff Capital Region and Swansea Bay Area through a structured programme of:
Experiential workshops
Mentoring and specialist support
Network building
Peer‑learning activities with practical planning and innovation tools
The programme was enriched by collaboration with partners such as WRAP Cymru and Cwmpas, who provided technical guidance on procurement, marketing, resource efficiency, and fair‑work implementation. Participants developed innovation, HR, and Net Zero action plans tailored to their organisational context, while establishing a regional network across South Wales spanning Cardiff Capital Region and Swansea Bay Region to support ongoing collaboration. Participants consistently reported that the interactive format deepened understanding and translated effectively into workplace practice.
Experiential learning activity
Impact
Between 2023 and 2024, 34 organisations joined the programme; including 21 small, 7 medium and 6 large organisations. During their participation in this programme, the participants – 17 from organisations in the Cardiff region and 7 in the Swansea Region – developed:
Clean growth / Net zero plans
Fair work / HR development plans
Innovation plans
Group photo of the Cardiff Capital Region cohort
The programme generated meaningful improvements in innovation confidence, sustainability practices, and workplace culture.
80% of participants reported increased innovation skills and understanding of circular and foundational economy principles
77% reported improved circular‑economy knowledge
72% improved innovation knowledge
94% of participants recommended the programme
55% of organisations adopted the real Living Wage, with a further 30% planning to do so, demonstrating a major shift toward fairer work practices
The development of multiple innovations, Net Zero, and fair‑work plans provided organisations with practical roadmaps for future action. This action has contributed to an increase in Fair Work adoption, an increase in innovation-active SMEs, and a decrease in carbon footprints across participating SMEs. FEIN also strengthened relationships between SMEs and public‑sector partners, contributing to a more connected and resilient regional ecosystem.
You can watch the video case studies and participant testimonials here.
Some organisations that credit CEIC with their circular economy success thanks to participating in the FEIN programme include:
Balmoral Tanks who worked on a challenge to reduce stock being held on the shop floor by 25% to reduce cost and were able to rearrange factory and introduce new machines due to cost savings. Link to video case study here.
D&G Office Interiors Ltd worked on bridging the gap between facilitating and providing a service of reusing furniture for their clients. Thanks to the programme, they made connections with other companies and charities working in the field of reusing office furniture to find synergies and scope potential collaboration opportunities. D&G Office Interiors Ltd started a trial project to engage with customers on how to reduce their carbon footprint and implement circular economy principles. Link to video case study here.
Awen Cultural Trust joined the CEIC programme with the vision to grow more produce at its facilities rather than relying on outside procurement. After 18 months of work, Awen Cultural Trust are now producing the fruit and veg used in the menus of Bryngarw House directly on site. Read the full story here.
Challenges
Some SMEs faced limited capacity to fully engage with circular‑economy practices or sustain innovation activity beyond the workshops. Overall, the programme was praised for its inspirational style, with only one comment finding aspects of the content academic in tone (Source: independent external evaluation). Regional economic disparities also shaped the readiness of organisations to adopt new practices. Nonetheless, the structure of the programme, particularly the mentoring and peer‑learning elements, helped organisations overcome many of these obstacles.
Looking ahead
Evaluation findings suggest strong potential for scaling the FEIN model. Many participants expressed interest in continued support, further funding opportunities, and additional collaboration. The FEIN model has demonstrated clear value as a driver of inclusive, sustainable economic development, deeply aligned with the Future Generations Act and Wales’s broader ambition for a resilient foundational economy.
Since delivering FEIN, the CEIC team secured funding for future iterations of the programme via the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund helping participants from 40 private and third sector organisations to find ways to save 1,150,639.33t of CO2e emissions in the next five years.
Quotes from participants
What did participants value most about the programme?
“Everyone should understand the process of design thinking an innovation to be able to make the changes to they want to see in their business efficiently and effectively.”
“A great source of knowledge, even if you think you know, you don’t!”
“I most valued the working relationships built in our community and the shared knowledge and ideas which have really helped build our own innovation plans and think of the big picture from time to time.”
“It’s so good. Such a great way to understand where you fit within CE and in honing skills and devising an innovation plan. Thank you all!”
“Empowered to approach stakeholders and try to influence stakeholders. Empowered to attempt to implement my innovation plan.”
