Severn Wye Energy Agency

Vital Villages
Supporting communities in Monmouthshire to become more sustainable

Background

Vital Villages is a Monmouthshire based project funded by Monmouthshire County Council under the Rural Development Plan for Wales. The project was launched in June 2011 along with a number of other Monmouthshire RDP projects and will run until December 2013. Vital Villages refer to the wealth of small rural communities that make up Monmouthshire as well as the country towns of Monmouth, Chepstow and Abergavenny

The project's aim is to increase the sustainability of rural and semi rural communities throughout Monmouthshire. Rising fuel costs and cold winters mean that it is more important than ever to address sustainable energy in community buildings. Improvements in energy efficiency mean lower fuel costs as well as a more comfortable space for the halls users. This in turn will increase the hall's usage and therefore its revenue. Renewable energy technologies can provide heating, hot water and electricity while development of green spaces for food growing will reduce the need for imported food.

New Article!

Vital Villages held a Community Food Growing Conference in mid-March, and a brief article has now been published, covering the event and future activities that will follow on from it.
>> Download the article now

Aims

Working with local residents, a Community Energy Advisor will offer practical advice and resources to help communities to 'green up' their local facilities through three key areas:

• Development of renewable energy schemes that will benefit the local community.
• Improvement in the energy efficiency of local community centres and village halls.
• Enhancement of village green spaces with an emphasis on growing food and land share.

Activities

A Community Energy Advisor will deliver a programme of workshops and talks to community groups throughout Monmouthshire to raise awareness on how sustainable energy could benefit their community. They will also offer advice on the most feasible options and help identify match funding.

The Community Energy Advisor will be promoting and helping communities apply for the following grants:

• The Renewable Energy Community Investment Fund - up to £50,000 towards renewable energy installation projects (up to 60% of the total cost).
• The Sustainable Energy Investment Programme - up to £2,500 to improve the energy efficiency of community buildings such as village halls or sports clubs (up to 80% of the total costs).
• The Community Environmental Improvement Scheme - up to £2,500 to develop small scale community gardens and growing food for community use. (up to 80% of the total costs).

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Severn Wye Energy Agency Ltd, Unit 15 Highnam Business Centre, Highnam, Gloucester, GL2 8DN
Telephone 01452 835060 • Fax 01452 526208