working life A place to broadcast about


Jobs on air Although trains to Cardiff take less than an hour and living costs are marginally lower, Dean Thomas, Swansea correspondent for ITV Wales, says broadcasters


often struggle to find journalists: “People see Cardiff as the capital but there’s a lack of knowledge – people feel they’ll become isolated. I know that’s an issue felt by ITV and BBC.”


15-subs desk producing a paper that was selling 60K a day, but those days went,” she says. She says the closure of the newsroom and the direction


taken by Reach will impact generations of future journalists as they will no longer experience the essential training and camaraderie. Andy Pearson also has a background in newspapers and


moved to Swansea in 1989 as a reporter for the Western Mail. He was sub-editor and features editor on the South Wales Evening Post and, later, editor at the Llanelli Star. He took redundancy in 2006 and now does PR for Swansea Council. He says: “There was a time, not so long ago, when some media industry big players had significant news teams here, especially the Western Mail, South Wales Evening Post and radio station Swansea Sound. That’s not the case now.” A lot of journalists are working in public sector PR, comms


and marketing for the council, the health board, the police and universities. One resource that has been pivotal in helping members sustain an income is NUJ Training Wales, run by Swansea- based Rachel Howells. Howells was born and bred in the city and moved back after a stint in London. She is an active member of the NUJ, including being vice-chair of the Welsh executive council, and was inspired to get involved after receiving support from the NUJ herself after being made redundant as editor of the Big Issue in Cardiff. “Journalists at the Evening Post fought a hard-won recognition battle, but then a lot of the activists were made redundant,” she recalls. Howells says members were “concerned about putting their heads above the parapet”. There were also huge numbers of jobs lost around that time, the turnout at local


Learn in an hour NUJ Training Wales runs various courses and ‘fast skills Fridays’ where you can learn a skill in an hour. Project manager Rachel Howells says the courses are open to


“There has always been a feeling that we are forgotten as a city.” Dean Thomas, Swansea correspondent, ITV Wales


“The people are excellent – they love their sport, music and big nights out.” Andy Pearson, former journalist, now PR for Swansea Council


“We’ve got everything we could want from living in a city, but we’ve also got beautiful, award-winning, world-class beaches.” Rachel Howells, project manager, NUJ Training Wales


anyone. There is particular demand from freelances’ and late-career journalists looking to diversify and build skills in social media and video.


Glorious and golden Andy Pearson, former journalist and now PR for Swansea Council, says:


“Living here is brilliant. Although the city still bears the scars of World War Two bombing and industry decline, its natural environment is glorious – we have many miles of highly accessible golden sandy beaches and tracks for walkers and cyclists.”


branch meetings fell and the Swansea and district branch became dormant. The Welsh executive c souncil has now formed a South


Wales branch for journalists across south, west and mid Wales. It has 370 members and is being trialled for a year, and is keen to hear from anyone who wants to get involved. Disillusioned by the cuts, after the Port Talbot Guardian closed in 2009, Howells got together with local journalists and founded a local news service, the Port Talbot Magnet. She ran it for seven years while doing a PhD at Cardiff University on the demise of local newspapers. However, The Magnet folded in 2017 due to lack of funds. A major problem for Swansea is that it is often overlooked


when it comes to investment, with a lot of funding going to Cardiff instead. Thomas says Westminster’s attitude is an issue and there is “a lack of knowledge and a lack of desire to improve places like Swansea”. He cites the example of the £1 billion tidal lagoon, which was expected to transform the region and be replicated around the world but never materialised. What Swansea lacks in funding, however, it makes up for in sport, with Swansea City FC, The Ospreys, Swansea Rugby Club (dating back to 1872), triathlons, cricket, watersports, golf and the Wales National Pool. It’s also a top spot for surfing. As well as the Mumbles, there is the new 3,500 seat Swansea


Arena, the Grand Theatre (founded in 1897), the Dylan Thomas Centre and Swansea Museum – the oldest in Wales. “It’s a fantastic place to live,” says Kathy Thomas. “Even though the city centre has since seen the decline of its role as a retail centre with a huge hinterland and is now the typical collection of vape shops, bubble tea takeaways and charity shops, nothing can ever take away the fact that it lies alongside an enormous sandy beach with access to some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK.”


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