BISHOP’S INTRODUCTION The diocese of Menevia incorporates the unitary authorities of Ceredigion, Carmarthen, Pembrokeshire, Swansea and Neath/Port Talbot and part of Powys. (Fig. 1). It covers an area of 9,618 square kilometres which is Just under half (46%) the land area of Wales. The area is essentially a coastal sub-region, and predominantly rural in character. The Resident Population in mid-2016, stood at 838,707 which was 27% of the Wales population. The population is concentrated in the towns and villages of the industrialised south east, stretching from Llanelli to Port Talbot, in the coastal resorts, ports and in the market towns. Swansea has been the principal focus of population growth. It is the main centre, and is the second largest city in Wales; a maJor centre for retailing and associated services and a significant industrial location. (Fig. 2) Fig 1: Diocese of Menevia by component local authorities Fig. 2: Main Settlements - 1 - As an environmentally attractive area, Menevia has seen retirement led in-migration, but also with young people leaving because of a shortage of economic opportunities. The more urban and some of the more remote rural areas have seen a decline in population as a consequence of the emigration of their young people. This has resulted in a relative increase in the proportion of those in the older age groups (55+), compared with the national average. There are two main languages spoken, English and Welsh. Table 2.2 shows the importance of the Welsh language in Menevia, with a quarter (24%) of persons aged 3+ able to speak Welsh. The comparable 2011 Census of Population figure for Wales was 19%. The farming communities of west Wales are the traditional strongholds of the Welsh language. In the more rural areas of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire for example, the percentage of Welsh speakers is more than twice the national average. Table 2.2 : Welsh speakers aged 3+, 2001 and 2011 Percentage able to speak Able to speak Welsh Welsh 2001 2011 2001 2011 Powys (part) 12,054 10,699 18 16 Ceredigion 37,918 34,964 52 47 Pembrokeshire 23,967 22,786 22 19 Carmarthenshire 84,196 78,048 50 44 Swansea 28,938 26,332 13 11 Neath Port Talbot 23,404 20,698 18 15 Menevia 210,477 193,527 28 24 Source: Annual Small Area Population Estimates, Office for National Statistics © Crown Copyright 2017 The Welsh language is an important factor in defining the identity of many parts. There is increasing concern about the decline of the language as a result of in-migration and other socio- economic factors. Between 2001 and 2011 the number of Welsh speakers in the area fell by 8%. There are an increasing number of Catholics whose home language is Welsh. The landscape is one of great diversity. The north and east of the area is mainly uplands, whilst the majority of the southern area is gently undulating lowlands as is the northern coastal area. One of the area’s greatest landscape features is its long and varied coastline, much of it designated as a Heritage Coast. In recognition of the area’s environmental importance there are two National Parks, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park which is wholly within the area and the Brecon Beacons National Park that extends into Menevia. In addition the Gower area has been designated as an Area of Outstanding National Beauty. Pembrokeshire, parts of eastern Ceredigion and south Powys are classed as Environmentally Sensitive Areas. The area has a rich historical legacy which has evolved through the close interaction of human and natural forces throughout the ages. It expresses itself in the characteristic settlement pattern of isolated farms, hamlets, villages and country towns, in the large number of archaeological and historic remains, and in its architecture and townscape. The economy and life style of the rural area is closely linked to Agriculture. Traditionally the main products are potatoes, vegetables and flowers and sheep and cattle. Agriculture however, is - 2 - heavily subsidised by the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy with farmers getting annual payments for the area they farm. Farm incomes have fallen over the years as a result of cheap food policies in the United Kingdom, the lowering of world commodity prices and the removal of production-based subsidies. Particularly hard hit have been the incomes of hill farms. The agricultural labour force has been dwindling for many years as a result of increased mechanisation and changes in farming practices. Another problem facing farmers is their distance from the main distribution centres used by supermarkets which are mostly located near centres of population in England. To increase their incomes, many farmers have diversified, mainly into tourism-related activities. Traditionally the coal industry was dominant in the industrial south east of the area but has now virtually gone apart from some open cast mining. The area contains important sea-ports with Ferry services to Ireland from Fishguard (Rosslare), Pembroke Dock (Rosslare) and Swansea (Cork). Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales, handling bulk fuel, and also home to a small fishing fleet; Port Talbot is a main port for the import of raw materials for the steel industry, whilst Swansea handles tankers and freight. The manufacturing sector is concentrated in the urban south east of the area, with metal manufacturing especially steel and tinplate important in the Neath Port Talbot , Swansea and Llanelli areas. The service sector plays a significant role in the rural economy with employment in the retail trade, public administration and education being especially important. All of Menevia except southern Powys forms part of the ‘West Wales and the Valleys area’. In European terms it is regarded as a deprived and peripheral area and considered as one of Europe's poorest regions, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) less than 75% of the EU average. Powys falls within the ‘East Wales’ area and is a "more developed region", with GDP, 90% or more of EU average. European funding falls in three broad categories. European structural funds cover everything from supporting people into work and training to urban development. The Common Agricultural Policy is a £200 million a year scheme providing payments to more than 16,000 farms in Wales "to help protect and enhance the countryside". One pillar of this is the Welsh Government Rural Communities rural development programme, a £957 million programme running from 2014-20 supporting businesses and farms in rural areas. In addition there are several other funds covering everything from the arts to biodiversity. Wales, (including most of Menevia) - along with Cornwall - are the only two areas of the UK which have now had that money three times in a row. There has been concern that both the first and second tranches of money were not used as strategically as they might have been and there had been not enough involvement of businesses. In 2000, GDP in the West Wales and the Valleys region was 62.1% of the UK average, but 15 years later, with its third inJection of money, GDP was still only a little higher at 63.3%. Cash will already have been allocated for the 2014-2020 projects. Between 2014 and 2020, West Wales (and also Cornwall) will receive over €1,000 (£800) per person from the EU Structural and Investment Fund - similar to that received by Romania and Bulgaria. West Wales receives more economic aid from Brussels than any other part of the United Kingdom. It is significantly higher than the Great Britain average of €170 per person. There are therefore maJor concerns about - 3 - what the UK's withdrawal from the EU will mean for the funding Wales receives. After 2020, Wales will no longer be eligible for EU funds. It is unlikely that the present UK government will continue to pay for poorer communities in the same way it has been. The Welsh Government’s plan for the UK’s exit from the EU is set out in Securing Wales’ Future which outlines proposals for replacing EU funding from UK sources after 2020, but it remains to be seen comparable regional aid money will be forthcoming from the UK government. The world financial crisis of 2008-09 brought Job losses in significant numbers to an area of Britain that had already been adversely affected by economic decline in coal-mining, in the steel and tin works, in ship-building, in port traffic, and in car manufacturing. Owing to its distance from centres of distribution, legislation promoting the Welsh language as equal to the use of English, and a lack of financial resources available to the Welsh Assembly, there are few incentives to attract new businesses to South Wales (other than Government agencies like the Royal Mint and the DVLA – the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Authority). Employment opportunities are not easy to find. Following a national Referendum in 2016, a maJority in only one county authority voted to remain in the EU (Ceredigion), whereas the national vote was 52% to leave and 48% to remain. The terms on which the UK will leave the EU, and the effects of implementing the mandate to leave the EU, remain undecided at this present time of writing. Since my installation as Bishop of the Diocese on 01 December 2018, my main task has derived from pursuing a ministry of presence throughout the diocese, communicating with clergy and people through AD CLERUMs and the diocesan website, which replaced the printed publications of The Menevian; and exercising a pastoral ministry through the celebration of the sacraments in Parishes and Schools, particularly the Sacrament of Confirmation and the well-attended Lenten Station Masses.