A NEWPORT community project to restore a church which burned down is to receive a share of £1.2 million in Welsh Government funding.

Bethel Community Church Trust in Newport will receive £249,000 towards expanding building capacity to accommodate more community projects.

The building in Stow Hill was gutted by fire on June 15, 2018 - and since then work has been ongoing to restore it, with hope that the project will be complete early next year

Projects in Chepstow, Blaina and Six Bells have also been handed cash by the Welsh Government.

In total 17 local community projects in South Wales have been awarded a share of more than £1.2 million in funding by the Welsh Government.

The Community Facilities Programme funds well-used amenities to improve sustainability, providing opportunities for local people as part of their day-to-day lives.

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The other projects to be awarded up to £250,000 are:

  • Parochial Church Council Parish of Llandyfodwg and Cwmogwr, Bridgend - £153,000 towards providing a community hub with modern facilities.
  • Cymer Afan Community Library, Neath Port Talbot - £163,000 towards refurbishing the community library, including a children’s area.
  • Pontypridd YMCA, RCT - £250,000 towards redeveloping the YMCA. This money will specifically be used for the nursey and community areas.
  • RSPCA Llys Nini, Swansea - £195,000 towards building ‘Yr Ysgubor’, a café with children’s play area, meeting/classroom, charity shop and donations point.

The latest smaller fund awardees (up to £25,000) are:

  • Beaufort Theatre, Blaenau Gwent - £7,000 for a modern and energy efficient lighting system.
  • Blaina Community Sports Club, Blaenau Gwent - £20,000 towards completing the first phase of their refurbishment.
  • Friends of Six Bells Park, Blaenau Gwent - £10,000 towards resurfacing their tennis courts.
  • Treowen Star Sports and Social Club, Caerphilly - £25,000 towards renovating the club house for use as a community centre.
  • Friends of Eco Park, Caerphilly - £10,000 towards purchasing a converted container for use as an office/school room/canteen.
  • Llanarthne New Village Hall, Carmarthenshire - £25,000 towards completing disabled toilets, baby changing facilities and shower facilities.
  • St David’s Church Council Capel Dewi, Ceredigion - £6,500 towards improving the heating system and refurbishment to the outside toilet.
  • Basecamp Co-op Chepstow, Monmouthshire - £9,600 to provide a safe space for young people in the community to gather and engage in activities.
  • Gelligaled Park Community Action Group, RCT - £25,000 towards constructing a multi-use games area.
  • Garnswllt Welfare Association, Swansea - £22,500 to renovate their hall, including washrooms and baby changing facilities.
  • St Fagans Church Aberdare, RCT - £20,000 towards repairing the fabric of their building due to water damage.
  • Merthyr Tydfil Sailing Club, Merthyr Tydfil - £25,000 to upgrade their facilities to include a training room, kitchenette and changing spaces.

Minister for social justice, Jane Hutt, said: “As always it is fantastic to see such a range of projects and organisations from across Wales benefitting their local communities thanks to this funding.

“After the last 20 months and now more so then ever, our communities and the wonderful facilities within them are centres for bringing people together and building back a stronger, fairer Wales for all.”

Applications for the Community Facilities Programme are open year-round and organisations can find out more by searching for Community Facilities Programme on gov.wales