As part of a special collaboration project with the Port of Milford Haven, Marine Energy Wales, Celtic Sea Power and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, we are proud to present our new song ‘If We Try’. This song was created during a song-writing workshop with pupils from Henry Tudor School in Pembrokeshire to raise awareness for sustainable energy in the area and promote the Pembroke Dock Marine Project.
During May 2022, we worked with students at Harri Tudur School in Pembroke on an exciting song-writing project. This was part of of the Pembroke Dock project, where the community is coming together to create a digital legacy to celebrate a ground breaking £60 million project that is 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 renewable activity, creating employment opportunities and economic prosperity for the region.
Project partners – Port of Milford Haven, Marine Energy Wales, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and Celtic Sea Power – commissioned Aloud to develop a song and 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.
A few of our Choir leaders 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 Aloud Ambassador Amy Wadge’s team.
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.”
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.”
Craig Yates, Aloud’s Creative Director said,
“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 watch the behind-the-scenes video, visit our YouTube channel.
