An Abergavenny school has made good us of a £70,000 grant from the Welsh Government by opening a community cabin which offers parents a second hand clothes swap.

The cabin also has vital items such as toilet rolls, soap, toothbrushes and sanitary products which were donated by the Period Poverty scheme.

Anyone from the community can visit the cabin, built on former scrubland at Llantilio Pertholey Primary School, and take anything they need.

There is an honesty box and suggested donation for the clothes is £1 per item but people who cannot afford that sum can give what they can.

The donations will be used to buy resources for the project. The cabin will only be open during school times.

Headteacher Mrs Helen King, who sourced the grant, said: “ The idea was to integrate the community with the school.

We talked to the children about what we could do with the money and the cabin became part of our whole school project on the topic Our Planet, Our Future.

“The idea came from our school council and the signage and wording came from the children.

“We decided the cabin would officially be opened after our Earth Hours assembly as we are turning off the electricity for one hour today.

“The children decided on the name after we discussed other ideas such as The Shed or The Stable.

We wrote to the parents telling them about the project and asking for donations of used children’s clothes and shoes as well as school uniform.

We have ended up with a whole rail of dressing up clothes which will be useful for Christmas Jumper Day or World Book Day and when these events approach we will put out a fresh appeal to parents.”

Mrs King said the remainder of the grant will be used to place bird boxes, bat boxes and a hedgehog house in the area around the cabin.

The members of the school’s Outdoor Club plan to scatter wild flower seeds.