Darren Brindley, Account Director for Swindon and Wiltshire Initiative, welcomed members and local businesses to our first meeting of the year, where we heard from key speakers from The Royal Agricultural University (RAU), Festival of Tomorrow, and Swindon Futures, who discussed exciting developments and updates taking place in Swindon and the wider region.

The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) kindly offered to host our meeting at their innovative learning space, the Cultural Heritage Institute, which is set in Swindon’s historic Carriageworks site.

Our first speaker from the morning meeting was Graham Pollard, Chief Operating Officer from RAU. His presentation focused on their strategy for embedding themselves in Swindon and expanding the number of programmes they have on offer. One of the ways they’re going about this is through building partnerships with local employers, such as Swindon Borough Council and Swindon Town Football Club.

The new Carriageworks site, which was built with the support of Swindon Borough Council, is a great example of the type of environment RAU want to create for students and the community in Swindon. It also demonstrates how important having strong business partnerships is for future planning and development. 

Following on from Graham was Rod Hebden, who is the Director of the much loved, family friendly Festival of Tomorrow, which takes place in Swindon from the 9th to the 18th February. With plenty of activities and interactive exhibits for children and adults to get involved in, the festival aims to inspire and excite people about the wonders of science, innovation and the arts. 

Rod expressed how important initiatives like the Festival of Tomorrow are in not only giving young people and under-represented demographics the chance to explore careers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), but also in getting the message out about the exciting projects happening in Swindon within this field. Business West are proud to be a key partner of the festival and are encouraging internal staff and other businesses to get involved by volunteering throughout the week. 

Finally, we heard from Martin Boddy, Emeritus Professor of Urban and Regional Studies at the University of the West of England, who gave an update on the Swindon Futures Project, which was established by Business West. He joined us to talk about the project in our September meeting, when it was in its preliminary stages. Since then, they’ve set out some ambitious targets for Swindon, and are focusing primarily on the future of the town centre, skills challenges, and any potential barriers for growth.

You can find out more about the goals and progress of the Swindon Futures Project by visiting their website.