Be Community

Communities and Place

Be Community provides opportunities to volunteers within Monmouthshire to assist them with their volunteer roles. Providing a variety of courses aimed at volunteers including; food hygiene, first aid, wellbeing, safeguarding and many other courses that can help volunteers overcome any barriers they may face. Bespoke courses are also developed based on specific needs.

fredweston@monmouthire.gov.uk

monmouthshire.gov.uk/community-leadership-programme

Destination For All – MonLife

Communities and Place

“A Destination for all”: This project aims to improve the accessibility of the destination for everyone in Monmouthshire, whether they’re here for a day, a week, or a lifetime. It includes capital and revenue funded activity. The capital funding will be used to provide grants for physical adaptations at local cultural and heritage sites to improve accessibility and counter the effects of isolation, particularly for older and disabled people.

nicolaedwards@monmouthshire.gov.uk

https://www.visitmonmouthshire.com

Gwent Green Grid – MonLife

Communities and Place

The Gwent Green Grid is a collaborative partnership of the 5 Gwent Local Authorities and NRW, supported by a wide range of stakeholders and NGOs delivering a consistent approach to Green Infrastructure management across Gwent. The project will help deliver a range of outputs supporting resilient ecological networks and nature-based solutions, nature, and climate actions, manage our tree and woodland resource, support health and wellbeing opportunities and support green skills training.

colettebosley@monmouthshire.gov.uk

monlife.co.uk/outdoor/green-infrastructure/gwent-green-grid-partnership/

Together WORKS

Communities and Place

Together WORKS is a multi-faceted community hub based in Caldicot, South Monmouthshire jointly ran by MCC and GAVO. It is home to 12+ community groups who use and interact with the space on a weekly basis, as well as a community fridge, Makers Space, Benthyg (Library of things) and various wellbeing and digital inclusion services. TogetherWORKS has plugged a huge resource gap in Caldicot and is doing a fantastic job at improving the lives of the people who use it.

isla.arendell@gavo.org.uk

https://www.facebook.com/togetherworks.caldicot/

Business Monmouthshire

Supporting Local Business

The Business Monmouthshire SPF Project will enhance capacity within Monmouthshire County Council’s Economy, Employment and Skills team to engage with and connect businesses to wider support.

jameswoodcock@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Business Monmouthshire – Monmouthshire

Regional Tourism – MonLife

Supporting Local Business

Cardiff, capital of Wales collaborative marketing project. This revenue project will help fund a regional marketing plan targeting overseas, group travel / travel trade and business events markets. The project will build on the success of previous Southern Wales Partnership campaigns to help recover and sustainably grow the region’s visitor economy following the pandemic.

nicolaedwards@monmouthshire.gov.uk

www.visitmonmouthshire.com

CELT (Connect, Engage, Listen Transform)

People and Skills

The CELT projects supporting those furthest from the labour market with wellbeing and counselling and those in work with individually training needs, providing a wraparound to our Welsh Government funded programme Communities for Work+. Providing a weekly timetable of work-related courses in Abergavenny and Caldicot.

roryclifford@monmouthshire.gov.uk

mccemployskills.co.uk

MCC Economy, Employment and Skills

Multiply

Monmouthshire Multiply is an adult numeracy programme designed to improve functional numeracy skills through free personal tutoring, digital training, and flexible courses. The focus will be family learning through primary schools. Care Leavers focus on managing finances and engagement work to offer non-accredited workshops/courses and support participants wanting to achieve additional numeracy courses.

roryclifford@monmouthshire.gov.uk

mccemployskills.co.uk/multiply

YPrentis

People and Skills

The project will target unemployed, those in FT education seeking employment and person seeking a career change from low or unskilled work in Monmouthshire. The trainees complete a 6-month fast-tracked accredited Building Surveying qualification,  NET Zero, decarbonisation and the retrofit courses. Subsequent employment will be secured on completion of the programme, where participants can progress onto a higher apprenticeship and/or a degree in university.

Darryl Williams darryl.williams@yprentis.co.uk

https://www.yprentis.co.uk/

Creative Futures – MonLife

Communities and Place

Creative Futures allows time and space to develop creative work and creative practice with young people. It is a collaborative programme that supports local arts activity and importantly gives young people a voice in its development. The programme consists of Bespoke Youth Arts sessions/Interventions and the establishment of a Monmouthshire Youth Theatre.

katherinemcdermidsmith@monmouthshire.gov.uk

https://boroughtheatreabergavenny.co.uk/creative-futures-monmouthshire/

Flowing Through Communities – Wye Valley River Festival

Communities and Place

The Wye Valley River Festival CIC is an arts organisation, led by artists and communities creating work with the environment at its heart. Bringing local people, environmentalists, and talented artists together for a creative exploration of what is possible. Every other year those explorations lead to the biennial Wye Valley River Festival, hosted up and down the Wye Valley.

wyevalleyriverfest.com

iConnect – Monmouthshire Housing Association

Communities and Place

iConnect offers all-round digital support ranging from getting online, to accessing services, seeking health and well-being advice, keeping in touch with loved ones, applying for jobs, as well as sourcing devices and affordable wi-fi. iConnect are committed to pushing back the many barriers that people have exploring the digital world and in doing so helping them find new interests, new connections, and new opportunities.

iConnect@monmouthshirehousing.co.uk

iConnect – Monmouthshire Housing Association

Today’s Heritage Tomorrow – MonLife

Communities and Place

This project will enhance ten of the county’s Heritage sites through the implementation of the Heritage Strategy Action Plan. Activities include the creation of visitor experience plans for each of sites, development of new training and induction plans for site teams, enhanced stakeholder engagement and new play and exhibition programmes.

garethllewellyn@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Heritage – Monlife

Elevate – Alacrity Foundation

Supporting Local Business

Combining programmes and expertise between two established organisations operating nationally in the entrepreneurship space, namely the alacrity Foundation and Townsquare, the aim of Elevate Monmouthshire is to create a new ecosystem that promotes entrepreneurship, stimulates growth in new businesses and supports firms with ambitions for growth. Elevate will deliver practical commercialisation programmes and events that will offer help, advice, training, and mentoring to start-up entrepreneurs and existing enterprises across the Monmouthshire area.

jlewis@alacrityfoundation.com

https://alacrityfoundation.co.uk/

Food Resilience Programme

Supporting Local Business

Food Resilience Programme is a project to support Monmouthshire food and drink businesses. Linking producers with customers, promoting career opportunities, improving local supply chains, and flying the flag for Monmouthshire food and farming. Another strand of work is to host and grow the Monmouthshire Food Partnership as a forum for cross-sector collaboration on strengthening the local food system, farm to fork.

food@monmouthshire.gov.uk

foodmonmouthshire.co.uk

TaLK – Hartpury College

Supporting Local Business

The Technology and Local Knowledge (TaLK) project, will explore and support the plans and decisions for improved productivity and sustainability through digital systems, tools and skills for Monmouthshire farming businesses.

ben.thompson@hartpury.ac.uk

hartpury.ac.uk/for-business/hartpury-agri-tech-centre

Inspire – MCC Economy, Employment and Skills

People and Skills

Inspire aims to work with young people aged 14-19 who are at risk of becoming or who are NEET (Not engaged in Education, Employment or Training).   The programme operates in each secondary school in Monmouthshire with a designated worker per school and has the addition of an outreach worker to support young people with less than 50% attendance across Monmouthshire.  Inspire will focus on four key indicators – Wellbeing, attendance, attainment, and behaviour and will work towards achieving a qualification and life skills with our young people.

louisewilce@monmouthshire.gov.uk

mccemployskills.co.uk/support-for-young-people/#Inspire

Caru Cymru

Community & Place

The SPF funded Caru Cymru project builds on an existing partnership with Keep Wales Tidy involving all the major Welsh local authorities.  At its heart, it is about working with communities to create a cleaner, safer environment and make a positive difference.  Key areas of focus are around reducing the impact of dog fouling, litter and fly tipping through targeted interventions.

markcleaver@monmouthshire.gov.uk

susanparkinson@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Marches Forward Partnership

Marches Forward is a groundbreaking partnership between Herefordshire, Powys and Shropshire, Monmouthshire County Councils.  This is the first-time neighbouring authorities in England and Wales have worked together in a planned cross border collaboration.

Marches Forward provides a flexible umbrella framework for joint working, supporting local service delivery, based around how people and place’s function, rather than being confined within organisational or geographical boundaries.

 This unique and strategic partnership provides opportunity to support government ambitions around Union Connectivity, improving joined up thinking between England and Wales, helping to increase investment and accelerate delivery of key infrastructure projects.

Marches Forward Partnership – Marches Forward Partnership (English)

cathfallon@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Llanwenarth Bund Resilience Project

The delivery of a resilient infrastructure that protects local businesses, property, livestock and the community in the Llanwenarth area from flooding. The project aims to establish the current level of protection offered by the bund, identify areas for improvement and carry out the most urgent construction work to increase protection from flooding.

jonnysilage@hotmail.com

Monmouthshire Circular Economy Project

This project works with local communities and schools to build on the considerable progress setting up and running circular economy activities in the county.  These are projects such as Benthyg Libraries of Things, Repair Cafes, community fridges, uniform swap shops and so on. 

These activities are extremely important in reducing waste, saving carbon, sharing skills and saving people money. 

The Circular Economy Project Officers will add invaluable resource to recruit, support, develop and retain volunteers to existing and proposed circular economy projects to make them sustainable and resilient.

hazelclatworthy@monmouthshire.gov.uk , markcleaver@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Business Innovation in Agriculture 

A dynamic community dedicated to fostering innovation, collaboration, and growth within the agricultural sector.

We provide businesses with a gateway to agriculture, supporting the commercialisation of agri-tech products and services – accelerating your journey to market. With our support, businesses are leveraging their diverse expertise in food and drink processing, sensors data and IoT, pharmaceutical, energy, vertical farming, manufacturing and transport sectors to better understand the needs of the farming community and seek out smart, profitable, and sustainable solutions for businesses working in land-based industries. Let us help you look at your business in a different way and take a deep dive into the world of agriculture together.

catherine.briggs@hartpury.ac.uk

https://www.hartpury.ac.uk/for-business/tech-box-park

Drill Hall Chepstow

As Chepstow’s only arts centre, our mission is to transform the Drill Hall into a vibrant hub for community and arts activities, enriching the lives of residents and visitors alike.

We’re committed to boosting its long-term sustainability by promoting greater use and generating income through a diverse range of events.

Currently, the Drill Hall hosts a variety of films, concerts, and live arts events, and is available for community and private hire.

We are ready to expand our arts and community programs, introduce educational opportunities, and offer health and well-being classes.

The Drill Hall | Chepstow Community and Arts Centre (drillhallchepstow.co.uk)

lucyallen@chepstow.co.uk

Inclusive Community Spaces

This project will enhance an existing and important community asset in Abergavenny. The works will make the property more accessible, enabling the Melville Theatre for the Arts to thrive. The works are being supported by an independent accessibility specialist, who’s input is helping to improve access to a range of services and community groups who operate from this asset.

nicholaskeyse@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Chepstow All Ability Outdoor Activity Space

New outdoor gym  including state-of-the-art equipment from Indigo Fitness, such as a functional fitness frame, a 12-meter-long turf sled track, functional wall-fixed rigs, and free weights.

The bespoke outdoor gym will be perfect for members to exercise independently or as a group. Exercising in a group setting has been shown to have numerous benefits, including enhanced training experiences, peer support, accountability, and a sense of community.

nickjohn@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Chepstow Leisure Centre – Monlife

Don’t mess with Monmouthshire 

Don’t Mess with Monmouthshire (Chepstow) aims to find proactive solutions to the issues identified through detailed consultation with residents and businesses to provide sustainable, attractive solutions to waste management, ultimately to improve the live and workability of the town centre and improve its attractiveness for tourism.

markcleaver@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Tackling Poverty & Inequality

We believe Every Child Matters, Every Adult Matters, Every Community Matters. Therefore we are aiming to have a county where the effects of inequality and poverty have been reduced. Our key priorities are to prevent people from falling into poverty, to provide targeted support for people already in poverty and to prevent the impact and effects of inequality.

communitydevelopment@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Rainbow Trust

 gillian@allianceleisure.co.uk

Abergavenny Market Hall

mathewwooles@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Church St Swan Court Regenerate

caitlin@monmouth.gov.uk

roger.hoggins@monmouth.gov.uk

Pop up Monmouth

danielfordham@monmouthshire.gov.uk

Net Zero Change

Home – Surple

 peter@surple.co.uk