SPF Conwyshared prosperity fund film
scroll for the storythe brief
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund replaced European structural funding across the UK after Brexit. In Conwy, the money went to community childcare projects, local business support, rural employment, youth provision, wellbeing initiatives, and more—seven funded themes, each with its own story and its own communities behind it.
Ateb Cymru commissioned Mona Digital to make a suite of films covering all of them. Bilingual. Distributable to the audiences—political, public, partner—who needed to see it before the funding period closed.
the approach
A seven-theme programme treated as one film becomes a film that shows nothing. Each theme deserved its own short. The approach was to build a suite: separate Welsh and English edits per theme—COMMUNITY, CHILDCARE, WELLBEING, BUSINESS, RCS, YOUTH, i2EM—plus a 4-minute, 38-second flagship cut that introduced the programme as a whole.
The bilingual requirement shaped the edit from the start, not as an afterthought. Welsh and English versions built in parallel rather than one translated from the other. Ateb Cymru’s Llinos Iorwerth personally reviewed the Welsh subtitle timings to ensure they matched the register and conversational pace of the programme.
the making
The shoot covered locations across Conwy county over three days, capturing community projects, business stories and human moments running through the funded programme. Erin Thomas at Ateb Cymru coordinated the production day to day. Editorial decisions on the flagship cut were tight: the rough assembly ran over 12 minutes, and the final film comes in at 4 minutes 38 seconds—meaning roughly seven minutes of gathered material was cut with editorial intent, not just compression.
The bilingual subtitle review process was thorough. Erin left more than 30 Frame.io comments across the suite ensuring accuracy of the Welsh subs. One specific terminology decision—standardising between “UKSPF” and “Gronfa Ffyniant Gyffredin y DU” across all seven themed films—reflects the level of Welsh Government branding accuracy required on this kind of public-sector work.
the outcome
The full suite—flagship film plus seven themed shorts in Welsh and English versions—was delivered ahead of the SPF programme’s 27 March 2026 government deadline. The work was significant in scope: SPF Conwy was the largest commission Mona Digital had received from Ateb Cymru.
the meaning
SPF money comes with accountability requirements. It has to demonstrate impact, reach, and value to a mix of public, political, and community audiences. A well-made film that shows real people and real places does that better than a report—and it’s also the thing the funded organisations actually share on their own channels. Not the spreadsheet.
The Conwy communities in this programme used the fund to do things that mattered. The films’ job is to make that visible beyond the programme’s own reporting cycle.
watch the reel
A short-form vertical cut of this project — designed for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
“I love it!!”
— Erin Thomas, Ateb Cymru, on first viewing of the near-final cut
credits
- Direction & Edit
- Dafydd Weightman, Mona Digital
- Client lead
- Llinos Iorwerth, Ateb Cymru
- Production coordination
- Erin Thomas, Ateb Cymru
- Welsh subtitle review
- Llinos Iorwerth (timing + register on all seven themed films)
- Council partner
- Conwy County Borough Council (Victoria Daines, Frame.io review)
- Commissioned by
- Ateb Cymru on behalf of SPF Conwy
questions about this film
Who produced the SPF Conwy film?
The SPF Conwy suite was produced by Mona Digital—directed and edited by Dafydd Weightman—and commissioned by Ateb Cymru on behalf of the Shared Prosperity Fund Conwy programme. Both Welsh and English versions were delivered for each themed film, plus a flagship 4m38s cut.
What does the SPF Conwy programme cover?
The programme covers seven funded themes across Conwy county: community provision, childcare, wellbeing, business support, rural community development, youth employment, and the i2EM (innovation to economic modernisation) programme. The film suite was built as a community portrait of the programme’s real-world impact rather than an institutional overview.
Is the film available in Welsh?
Yes. SPF Conwy was produced as a fully bilingual deliverable—Welsh and English edits built in parallel for every themed film, not subtitled or dubbed afterwards. Welsh subtitle timings were reviewed by Llinos Iorwerth at Ateb Cymru to ensure natural Welsh register throughout.
Does Mona Digital work with public-sector and community film clients?
Yes. Public-sector and community work is a core part of the Mona Digital portfolio, particularly SPF, Welsh Government and arts-funding commissions across North Wales. Bilingual delivery (Welsh and English) is standard for public-sector work in Wales.