Former rugby international and movie actor to tackle iconic city building

Sililo Martens, a Tongan international who once graced the turf for both Swansea RFC and Bridgend RFC, is the man behind a proposal to breathe new life into the historic former Swansea Technical College in Mount Pleasant.

The Grade II listed building, a striking example of Tudor Gothic architecture that has watched over the city for more than a century, could be transformed into 18 one and two-bedroom apartments if the plans are given the green light.

Martens, who also had a role in the Clint Eastwood-directed movie Invictus and the Welsh soap opera Pobl y Cwm, has submitted an application for listed building consent to Swansea Council.

Documents lodged with the council reveal a vision to sympathetically restore the building, which has lain empty since the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) consolidated its city centre campuses.

The plans detail a meticulous refurbishment, including the installation of vintage lighting and Victorian-style coving, skirting boards, and doors to honour the building’s heritage.

A design and access statement submitted on behalf of Martens states: “The conversion will bring the property into beneficial use and utilise a high quality pallet of materials in its conversion.”

The statement also notes that the principle of converting the empty building into flats was deemed acceptable by planning officers during pre-application discussions.

The imposing red-brick structure, which first opened its doors in 1897, holds a special place in the hearts of many Swansea residents who studied there over the decades.

It stands adjacent to the former Swansea Grammar School for Boys, which was heavily damaged during the Second World War’s three-night blitz on the city.

A heritage impact assessment describes the technical college as “amongst the finest structures in Swansea”, praising how its design “cleverly responds to the topography on which it is built”.

The assessment adds: “The remaining historic fabric is still robust and despite substantial interior alterations of the late 20th Century, sufficient historic fabric remains to demonstrate the craftsmanship and exquisite detailing that contributed to this building.”

One of the most intriguing aspects of the proposed conversion is the plan to carefully dismantle a lecture theatre on the third floor, with its timber seats and panelling being repurposed and reused within the new apartments.

The proposal includes no new parking spaces, citing the site’s “excellent public transport” links and proximity to the city’s High Street railway station. Secure cycle storage will be provided in the basement.

Martens is no stranger to the Swansea business scene. In 2018, he opened ‘The Bookshop’, a popular bar and coffee shop in a former bookshop in the city’s trendy Uplands area.

This latest venture marks a significant step into property development for the former scrum-half, who also played for the Scarlets and Sale Sharks during a distinguished rugby career.

Swansea Council planners will now assess the listed building consent application before making a decision.

Health board and university renew partnership to boost health and skills in west Wales

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Friday 12 September at UWTSD’s Carmarthen campus. It builds on years of collaboration between the two organisations and sets out plans to continue joint work in research, innovation, business development and training for the health and care workforce.

Over recent years, the partnership has delivered a range of practical benefits. Health board staff have been able to take part in professional training programmes run by the university, including qualifications in people management and workplace practice. Teams from UWTSD’s Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre and Hywel Dda’s TriTech Institute have worked side‑by‑side on research projects, securing grant funding and developing new ideas for patient care. The two organisations have also launched a Therapy Assistant Practitioner Diploma, creating new career routes into therapy services and helping to fill skills gaps.

The next phase of the partnership will see the creation of a Centre for Social Innovation. This will bring together health board staff, university experts and local communities to find new ways of tackling social, environmental and economic challenges that affect people’s health. The aim is to test and develop practical solutions that support a “social model” of health and wellbeing — looking beyond hospitals and clinics to the wider factors that keep people healthy.

Hywel Dda Chief Executive Dr Phil Kloer said the renewed agreement was “an opportunity to reflect on the good work already undertaken and look forward to what we will achieve over the next five years and beyond.”

UWTSD Vice‑Chancellor Professor Elwen Evans KC said: “By joining forces and sharing our research capability and expertise we aim to deliver the innovation, skills and training needed by practitioners across the region, which will ultimately improve outcomes for people and communities in west Wales.”

Both organisations say the agreement will also help shape future training for health and care roles, ensuring students and staff have the skills they need for the jobs of today and tomorrow, and supporting the introduction of new technologies — including artificial intelligence — into health services.

#AssistiveTechnologiesInnovationCentre #ATiC #Carmarthen #CentreForSocialInnovation #HywelDdaNHS #MoU #TriTechInstitute #UniversityOfWalesTrinitySaintDavid #UWTSD

Student mural celebrates nature at abandoned farm-turned woodland

The new mural was created at Coed Cadw’s Brynau Farm site by Ellie Jones, a BA Illustration student at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). Her winning design celebrates the rich stories, landscape and wildlife of Brynau Farm – from the springtime bluebells to the elusive resident barn owl.

Brynau, meaning ‘many hills’ in Welsh, is a 235-acre, long-forgotten landscape that has been restored into a sanctuary for nature. Barren fields have been transformed into vibrant young woodland, with restoration work carried out in the ancient wood, and abandoned agricultural buildings resurrected into a secure home for Brynau’s resident barn owl.

The landscape is grazed by a small herd of ancient Welsh white cattle and boasts panoramic views across Bannau Brycheiniog and Swansea Bay.

The mural is the centrepiece of the ‘Spirit of Place’ work being undertaken at Brynau, and forms part of Coed Cadw’s wider vision to engage and inspire young people in the protection and restoration of nature.

The project began with a live brief issued to Swansea College of Art students, inviting them to creatively interpret the unique character and ecological promise of Brynau.

A panel made up of Coed Cadw staff, volunteers, youth forum members and external youth representatives selected Ellie’s design for its outstanding artistic quality and deep emotional connection to the natural world.

“My creative work is heavily inspired by nature, wellbeing and mindfulness,” student and artist, Ellie Jones explained. “I wanted to capture the calm, beauty and wildlife that thrive at Brynau Farm – from the bluebells to the resident barn owl. I hope this mural encourages people to pause, take a breath, and really appreciate the nature that surrounds them.”

“This project has been a shining example of how creativity and conservation can come together to inspire change,” said Sophie Thomas, Digital Communications Officer at Coed Cadw. “We’re incredibly proud to support young people like Ellie who bring their passion and vision into public spaces. The mural at Brynau is not only beautiful, it’s a visual reminder of our shared responsibility to protect and cherish the natural world.”

Now complete, it is hoped that Ellie’s mural will act as a vibrant reminder of the importance of connecting young people with nature through creative expression.

It also marks another chapter in Coed Cadw’s long-term commitment to restoring and protecting nature in Neath; it recently secured an additional 140 hectares of land at Cefn Morfudd as part of an ambitious project to create and restore woodland and natural habitats across a 236-hectare landscape – one of the largest woodland restoration efforts in Wales.

“It’s been a real privilege to partner with Coed Cadw,” added Iwan Vaughan, Lecturer in BA Illustration at Swansea College of Art. “Giving our students the opportunity to tackle a live brief has not only developed their creative practice, but also connected them with a vital environmental mission. It’s fantastic to see their work make a real difference.”

#Art #BrynauFarm #CoedCadw #mural #nature #SwanseaCollegeOfArt #Tonna #UniversityOfWalesTrinitySaintDavid #UWTSD #WoodlandTrust

Swansea women to share powerful stories of climate and migration

Led by Literature Across Frontiers (LAF), an initiative based at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, the project is a collaboration with the Makassar Festival in Indonesia and sees the women link up with Indigenous women on the other side of the world.

Entitled ‘Voicing the Climate Emergency: Women’s Stories from Wales’, the project is funded through the British Council’s Connection Through Culture programme. It involves creative workshops where the women use poetry, storytelling and images to explore how climate change is affecting friends and family in their home countries – and how those stories connect with their current lives in Wales.

Speaking about how the project came about, Alexandra Büchler, Director of Literature Across Frontiers, said: “We were approached by the Makassar festival, who came up with an idea that aligned closely with work we’ve been doing – exploring artistic responses to climate change. Their focus was on Indigenous women, who in Indonesia are deeply affected by environmental destruction – particularly from logging – which often displaces them. Women, of course, are usually the ones working the land, providing for families and are also disproportionately affected by climate change.”

And while the women in Swansea and the women in Indonesia live very different lives, they share resilience and resourcefulness.

Alexandra said: “The women carry so much knowledge – not just about starting a new life in Wales, but about what they’ve left behind. Many of them left home because of conflict or instability. But for some, climate change has played a role too. This is a chance for them to tell that story and reflect on their experiences, drawing on memory, language, and imagination to reclaim their voices through art. The Indigenous women in Indonesia, on the other hand, will express their advocacy and resistance through collecting cultural knowledge related to practices of working the land, preparing food and healing.

“The partners talked about connecting the groups directly, but the language and logistical barriers are huge. Instead, the outcomes of the project will be presented on the festival stage, and this will bring the women together virtually and facilitate mutual learning.”

The project is being led in Swansea by Welsh poet and artist Rufus Mufasa and Jeni Williams, a retired creative writing lecturer at Swansea University, who also runs the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Women’s Support Group in the city.

Alexandra said: “There have been two in-person meetings so far, with more to come online. Jeni has brought together an incredible group of women – some with creative experience, others just beginning to explore their voices. I hope this project helps them feel more confident expressing themselves, whether in English or their native languages, and gives them a meaningful way to connect their past with their present, their home countries with their lives here in Wales.”

This project will cumulate when the women’s work is shared in Swansea on 27 May and then internationally at the Makassar International Writers Festival in Indonesia on 1 June. Their creative responses will be brought together in a short multimedia piece.

This is one of several projects in Wales supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture grants, which fosters artistic collaboration between the UK and selected countries in Asia and Europe.  Other projects include Cardiff Metropolitan University, who are exploring how digital technology can modernize handloom practices; an inter-generational collaboration between Welsh artists Jo Fong and George Orange and Indonesian artists, and Trac Cymru partnering with Matariki Cultural Foundation in New Zealand to explore narratives among Indigenous communities worldwide.

A new funding call for 2025 has just opened, offering grants of up to £10,000 to support international partnerships with 19 countries. The British Council Wales team will host an online information session on Wednesday, 14 May — an opportunity for Welsh-based creatives to learn more about the new funding call and connect directly with the British Council Wales Arts team.

Speaking about the Connections Through Culture grants, Elena Schmitz, Head of Arts, British Council Wales said: “This collaboration brings together powerful, personal stories using creativity to explore one of the most urgent global challenges of our time: climate change. What makes this project so special is that it centres the voices of women who are often underrepresented, offering them space to reflect, connect and be heard.

“We’re proud to support such initiatives through our Connections Through Culture programme, which fosters artistic partnerships between Wales and selected countries. For those inspired by this project, a new funding call for 2025 is now open and we encourage Welsh-based creatives to apply and continue building meaningful cultural connections.”

#BritishCouncil #culture #immigration #LiteratureAcrossFrontiers #poetry #Swansea #UniversityOfWalesTrinitySaintDavid #UWTSD #women

University connects its Swansea campuses with new ‘dark fibre’ network

The new data link is part of Swansea Bay City Deal’s Digital Infrastructure Programme who have worked with Virgin Media O2 Business to build a dark fibre network loop across the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s sites in Swansea.

Dark fibre network offers practically limitless capacity and speeds, with the innovative loop configuration ensuring a continuous data flow between educational sites.

The university says this will benefit research, teaching, and collaboration across the academic landscape. The network, which is only accessible to linked sites, will also provide secure, high-speed, and scalable connectivity, improving the efficiency of internal systems, whilst providing increased capacity to increase to suit the demands of the sector. 

The network will immediately increase bandwidth to 40Gbps, with the potential for 100Gbps between campuses in the future. This means all Swansea campuses are now connected at exceptionally high speeds that are usually only available at a single campus location, with future proofing for even higher speeds.

The university says this will enable high-flex teaching, ultra-high-quality video streaming, and immersive learning environments, while also supporting future research, as well as smart campus solutions to enhance efficiency and sustainability.

James Cale at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David said: “This is an exciting phase where we will now start to tangibly see the benefits of a dark fibre network across campuses.  The ability to fully exploit technology within a class or research environment offers both academics and students a far wider range of opportunities, whist making our sites more data secure, something that is widely needed to future proof further education in this region.” 

Cllr. Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal Joint Committee said: “This is a fantastic milestone in the region’s plan to adopt emerging technology into our public sector services. Creating more robust ways of collaborating, data sharing and ways of researching is a fundamental aspect of how we build best practices across our education and healthcare sites, that will only open up more innovation opportunities in the future.”

On completion, the dedicated dark fibre network will connect 36 public sector sites throughout Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, including local authorities, healthcare and education partners.

#darkFibre #SA1 #Swansea #UniversityOfWalesTrinitySaintDavid #UWTSD #VirginMediaO2

#foss4guk2023

Edrych ymlaen at #FOSS #4G yn
#DrindodDewiSant
#Abertawe, yn arbennig cyfraniad
#BannauBrycheiniog!

Looking forward to FOSS4G:UK Local 2023 at #UWTSD
's #Swansea campus, especially the newly-branded
Bannau Brycheiniog

I've just moved to the shiny new archaeo.social server, so thought I should retoot an #introduction. After a couple days can I still be #newhere?

I'm a #phd student at #uwtsd mainly focussed on Near Eastern #archaeology (go #archaeodons!). My thesis is on the #ironage #ivory from #hasanlu in #iran. I also work in #devon as an #archaeologist and #archivist for #SWARCH.