The Village Alive Trust, a local listed buildings preservation charity, has received a grant from the Community Green Energy Advisory Group to create a new website to help members of the public learn about past and present projects. It is the Trust’s 20th anniversary year and the running of the website www.villagealivetrust.org.uk was recently handed back to the Trust by the long term volunteer webmaster, Jason Cooper.

Trustee Pat Griffiths said, “Members of the Trust are very grateful to Jason for his years of service in keeping the website running and updated. To enable us to upgrade and run a new look website we successfully applied for funding to the Community Green Energy Advisory Group (CEAG) which covers applications from community councils in the vicinity of the Llanvapley Solar Farm.

“The Trust would like to thank the CEAG for recommending our website project for funding as the aim is to keep the community informed of the Trust’s activities, particularly the current project to renovate the closed St Teilo’s Church at Llanarth for use as a rural well-being centre.”

Recently representatives of the Trust met with members of the creative team at TheMedia.Agency to plan the rejuvenated website which will be launched in a few months.

Pat said, “It was a productive meeting with Tylar and Brendan at the agency’s Abergavenny design studio and they really understood what the Trust needs and showed us examples of websites produced for other local organisations which work well.

“We hope to work with them over the coming months to relaunch a new, updated, easy to navigate and comprehensive website. We are also grateful for the agency’s competitive quote for creating the new website, which helped the Trust successfully complete the CEAG grant application.”

The Village Alive Trust has recently received a St Teilo’s Church project development report from consultant Gareth Kiddie who undertook the work after a tendering process. An energy survey has also been carried out for the church building; architect plans have been updated and a year long ecology survey to ascertain bat activity at the Grade II* listed building is underway both supported by Architectural Heritage Fund.