THE COMMUNITY of Pembroke Dock has come together to create a digital legacy celebrating a groundbreaking £60 million project happening right in the heart of their community. Work on Pembroke Dock Marine is underway which will see Pembroke Port transformed into a centre of excellence for marine engineering and renewables activity, creating employment opportunities and economic prosperity for the region.
Project partners – the Port of Milford Haven, Marine Energy Wales, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and Celtic Sea Power – commissioned the Aloud Charity, which facilitates a range of singing programmes across Wales, to develop a music video featuring local school pupils and members of the community to promote the opportunities being generated in the area and create a sense of pride around the project.
Choir leaders from the Aloud Charity spent two days at Ysgol Harri Tudur delivering song-writing workshops where pupils composed their own verses which were then performed and professionally filmed. The chorus was written by Alex Stacey who is a member of singer and songwriter Amy Wadge’s team. Amy has worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran, James Blunt and Ella Henderson and most recently co-wrote the song ‘Space Man’ which came second in the Eurovision Song Contest.
On the final day of the project, the team met with a range of local groups, businesses and individuals in Pembroke Dock who joined in with the new song and appeared in the music video including volunteers from the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society, Mainstay Marine Solutions and Pembroke Dock Town Council.
Hollie Phillips, Community Engagement Assistant at the Port of Milford Haven, said “This has been a fantastic collaboration from start to finish. We were able to talk to the pupils from Ysgol Harri Tudur about the Pembroke Dock Marine project to help inspire them to write the lyrics and give them information about the developments happening in their town. We hope we’ve sparked some interest in the types of careers that could be available to them right on their doorstep as we play our part in meeting the Country’s Net Zero targets whilst creating local green jobs for future generations.”
Stephen Wyatt, Director of Strategy and Emerging Technology at Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, commented “ORE Catapult are delighted to have supported the Aloud Charity. We take great pride in working with the next generation of scientists, engineers and indeed musicians, and take inspiration from their unwavering commitment to tackle climate change and create a great future in Pembrokeshire and beyond.”
META’s Project Delivery Manager, Tom Hill, said “The future of our success lies with inspiring the next generation. Their skills, talent and passion are what we need to achieve Net Zero. The scale of opportunities and exciting careers for the people of Pembrokeshire and Wales are huge. We hope this video will serve as a rallying call to young minds, building upon their interest and curiosity in marine energy.”
Chief Operations Officer at Celtic Sea Power, Matt Hodson, commented “It will be the next generation who will need to grab hold of and build upon the foundations being laid today to deliver the energy transition and decarbonisation challenge, so it is fantastic to see their passion delivered through this wonderful song. We are excited to be working with our partners in finding ways to raise awareness of Pembroke Dock Marine, capture the imagination of the community and inspire our future workforce.”
In addition to the funding provided by the Pembroke Dock Marine project partners, the song-writing workshops and videos received support from Arts & Business Cymru. Arts Development Manager, Sarah Lord, is delighted with how the partnership developed, commenting “Our CultureStep investment programme is designed to strengthen and develop the relationship between our business and arts partners. The Port of Milford Haven’s collaboration with the Aloud Charity is a fantastic example of this programme, and an ideal opportunity to engage employees, the local community, and the younger generation within Ysgol Harri Tudur, to express their opinions and inspire change for the future, while gaining an increased appreciation of the power of the arts. We at A&B Cymru are thrilled with the music video, all involved should be incredibly proud of the digital legacy which they’ve created.”
The Aloud Charity’s mission is to provide life-changing experiences through song for young people in Wales. Created in 2012 to give underrepresented boys from marginalised Welsh communities the opportunity to sing, the charity now facilitates a range of singing programmes including Only Boys Aloud, Only Kids Aloud and Aloud Girls. The organisation engages with around 350 young people a week in rehearsal venues across Wales, improving their confidence, nurturing talent and offering exciting performance opportunities.
Craig Yates, Creative Director at the Aloud Charity commented “It’s been wonderful to work with the Pembroke Dock Marine partners and Ysgol Harri Tudur to deliver this unique song writing project. We think it’s so important that young people have the opportunity to express their opinions, particularly when it comes to such important topics as environmental sustainability and how they affect their local communities. We are thrilled with the final music video and we’d like to say a big thank you to the people of Pembroke Dock for getting involved with the project.”
Pembroke Dock Marine is funded by the UK Government and Welsh Government through the Swansea Bay City Deal, and through the public and private sectors. It is also part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.
To view the music video, as well as the behind-the-scenes video, visit www.mhpa.co.uk/song-writing-project
