Business in the Community (BITC) and senior business leaders have returned to Newport to see the progress of schemes designed to tackle food insecurity, unemployment and inequality.
The visit, part of BITC’s flagship The King’s Seeing is Believing programme, was led by Paul Lewis, Firmwide Managing Partner at Linklaters LLP and hosted by Professor Simon Gibson CBE, DL, CEO of Wesley Clover UK and Chair of the Newport Place programme.
Attended by senior representatives from a range of businesses including Linklaters LLP, Celtic Manor, Enterprise Holdings, Eversheds Sutherland, Gwent Police, KLA, Microsoft, Principality Building Society, The Crown Estate, Verizon Business Group and Wesley Clover UK, the visit gave business leaders an opportunity to see the challenges experienced by residents of Alway and Maindee and the work that is already being done on the ground to support their communities.
The visit comes as data shows that Maindee has one of the highest rates of deprivation in Wales, scoring 10/10 on the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation. Across Wales, four in 10 households with children have been referred to a food bank.
During the day, business leaders visited:
- The Collection Point at Alway Community Centre: This was a direct outcome from BITC’s 2023 Seeing is Believing visit to Newport. The Collection Point is a collaboration between BITC, The Celtic Collection, Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations, Newport City Council and Alway Community Centre, distributing frozen meals, made fresh at the Celtic Manor Resort. The initiative has increased its distribution of 1,200 meals per month in 2024 to a projection of 30,000 meals in a year in 2025.
- Maindee Primary School: Four in 10 pupils at Maindee Primary School are eligible for free school meals and the school provides practical support to families, such as access to food and essential items, including frozen meals provided by the Collection Point at Alway Community Centre.
- Community Youth Project: Working closely with Maindee Primary School, Community Youth Project is a community centre supporting young people with access to a safe space, support and a place to grow, develop resilience and build strong bonds with their community.
BITC launched its Pride of Place programme in Newport in 2022, bringing together businesses to form the Newport Place Board.
BITC’s work in Newport includes:
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Running of apprenticeship awareness sessions with Wales & West Utilities, introducing young people to vocational pathways.
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Holding enterprise days, offering 120 students an immersive business experience, including product design and financial literacy.
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Offering World of Work Weeks, in partnership with 11 employers, engaging 90 Year 5 and 6 pupils in real-world career experiences.
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Providing energy-saving kits, including smart thermostats and LED bulbs to more than 600 families.
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Hosting two Festive Extravaganza events, providing more than 150 children with gifts and meals.
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Working with the Celtic Collection to provide WiFi to residents of temporary housing to support education and employment.
Paul Lewis, Firmwide Managing Partner at Linklaters LLP, said:
“Since the last Seeing is Believing visit I led in Newport in 2023, I’ve been blown away by the level of commitment we’ve seen from business leaders to address the challenges facing those living and working in Newport. Challenges which are leading to high levels of deprivation and inequality in the area. The positive impact we’ve seen shows just what can be achieved when businesses, community organisations and local councils work together to drive long-term change at pace and scale.
“It is a testament to the effectiveness of the King’s Seeing is Believing programme, helping business leaders to see first-hand the barriers that communities face and the difference they can make. I hope this visit will do the same and help to benefit Newport for many years to come.”
Kieran Harding, Acting CEO at Business in the Community, said:
“Today’s visit shed a light on the inequalities facing those who live and work in Newport and the incredible work being done on the ground to reduce these inequalities and support those who are living in areas with high levels of deprivation. The visit was engaging and inspiring and I am sure it will lead to much impactful change in Newport in the short- and long-term.”
