The Village Alive Trust buildings preservation charity has been awarded a £10,000 grant by the Architectural Heritage Fund to develop the project to conserve and re-use the closed Grade II* St Teilo’s church at Llanarth, near Raglan.

Pat Griffiths, of the Trust, said the grant and support from AHF was very welcome and the Trust was grateful for help once again from AHF which had financially supported an initial viability report, pre-Covid.

The latest grant will be match funded and used to pay for consultants’ reports on business viability, energy proposals, planning matters and other essentials.

The reports will firm up several years of work already undertaken by Trust volunteers to determine need for a rural well-being centre with café, therapy treatment space, quiet space and facility for bell ringing training.

“The church building has been unused for ten years and needs extensive renovation and sympathetic installation of facilities to be ready to be used again by local people and visitors.

“With increased costs following the Covid delay, the Village Alive Trust needs to successfully bid for large grants from funding bodies to carry out this project.

“This development stage, funded with help from AHF, will provide information for funding bodies to recognise the proposals have resilience, community support and will enable imaginative community re-use of a rural heritage building with Norman roots,” said Pat.

Anyone interested in the project, which is known as Calon Llanarth, can now take a short online tour of the closed St Teilo’s by visiting www.villagealivetrust,org.uk and clicking on a link to a short drone film, from the home page slide entitled What does St Teilo’s look like ten years after closure?

Local film company director Martin Phillips, of Red90, gave his valued services free on a bright and sunny Easter Saturday to create, and later edit, the film.

The next stage of the project, which will run alongside the Trustees’ appointment of consultants, will be a survey about the proposals which will be available online or in hard copies.

Further details from Pat Griffiths on 01873 821418 or email [email protected] to sign up for newsletters.