A PROJECT to bring a closed Grade II-listed church in Monmouthshire has been awarded a £10,000 grant.

The Village Alive Trust buildings preservation charity has been awarded £10,000 by the Architectural Heritage Fund to develop the project to conserve and re-use the closed St Teilo’s church at Llanarth, near Raglan.

The grant will be match funded and used to pay for consultants’ reports on business viability, energy proposals, planning matters and other essentials. The reports will firm up several years of work already undertaken by Trust volunteers to determine need for a rural well-being centre with café, therapy treatment space, quiet space and facility for bell ringing training.

Pat Griffiths, of the Trust, said: “The church building has been unused for 10 years and needs extensive renovation and sympathetic installation of facilities to be ready to be used again by local people and visitors.

"With increased costs following the Covid delay, the Village Alive Trust needs to successfully bid for large grants from funding bodies to carry out this project.

"This development stage, funded with help from AHF, will provide information for funding bodies to recognise the proposals have resilience, community support and will enable imaginative community re-use of a rural heritage building with Norman roots.”

For more information visit villagealivetrust,org.uk