A VALLEYS radio station soon to go digital has taken on three new multi-tasking presenters as part of the project.

Jonathan Millard, Paul Williams and Matt Lane will be gracing the airwaves of Mountain FM, based in Ebbw Vale.

The trio, all experienced in the radio field, will also be responsible for supporting sales in the venture and promoting it to potential advertisers.

The appointment of the staff comes just weeks after the station was awarded a £100,000 grant, from Coalfields Regeneration Trust, to go digital.

Currently broadcasting on the internet, Mountain FM will soon be entertaining listeners throughout Gwent and further afield in Camarthen, Bristol and Bath.

Adrian Curtis, director of Festival Church Trust which runs the station, said employing the new staff is another step to making it a social enterprise, which means any profit the project makes goes back into local charitable causes.

He said: "We are extremely excited and delighted to secure employment here. It is something we are committed to doing in Blaenau Gwent, given it is an area of high unemployment and its very exciting for us as directors."

Mr Curtis added that incorporating sales and radio presenting in a post was unusual, but he is confident the new employees have what it takes.

"They will be the three key people running the project," he explained. "They have a great deal of experience and I am very confident we have the right people for the job."

By having a dedicated group of staff and a firm schedule, Mr Curtis hopes to see the numbers of radio listeners swelling, and there is already around 5,000 supporters of the project on social media sites.

The station's team of 12 volunteers will also have the opportunity to be trained up by the new employees at the station, which should be acquiring its digital status within the next few months.