MARDY Juniors football club have been awarded a grant of £40,000 to instal an artificial pitch.

But the money for the 3G pitch is subject to the club getting planning permission and providing Monmouthshire County Council with a detailed business plan.

If they fail on either count the funding will be given to another project.

The grant had come from the £78,300 given by Redrow, who developed the Croesonen Infants School site and Croesonen Farm, both of which were subject to a Section 106 agreement with the council.

A special committee was convened consisting of two members of the county council, two councillors from Llantilio Pertholey Community Council, county council officers and the leisure and recreation manager Mike Moran.

Other grants from the same pot of money have gone to: Llanddewi Skirrid Sewing Group (£1,599 to buy a community sewing machine); Friends of Lavender Gardens (£1,960 to upgrade the area at the rear of the property); HOST (St Teilo's Church, £3,000 to create a safe place for nature conservation); Abergavenny Art Group (£1,806 to buy art equipment and storage); Llantilio Pertholey Women's Institute (£2,370 for equipment and storage); North Gwent Cardiac Rehab Group (£3,721 for updating equipment); Llantilio Pertholey Community Council (£10,500 for developing attic space at the village hall, £1,856 for four noticeboards and £1,538 for recycled plastic benches) and Llantilio Pertholey Village Produce Association (£2,300 to upgrade equipment).

This amounts to £70,650, leaving another £7,650 in the fund for future allocation.

Three projects from Llantilio Pertholey Primary School to provide an outdoor area and make safe the school pond and from Monmouthshire Housing Association to upgrade the Danyderi play area were not eligible because they involved children's play for which the developers have already made a contribution.