A MONMOUTH-based business has stepped up its community involvement as part of a charity’s £100,000 project.

From July, Archenfield Insurance Management will donate their usual £20 fee to Bridges Centre for any new customer who buys car, home and contents insurance or any property insurance.

Money raised throughout the year will go towards an ongoing appeal for Bridges Centre called Vision 40: a major fundraising appeal to enable it to stay at its Grade II*-listed home.

Brad Watson, who joined Archenfield two years ago, learned about the important role Bridges plays as a community hub and wanted to see what he could do to help keep it going strong.

Brad and his colleague Scott Davies recently won a joint award from the Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations (GAVO) for their volunteer work, becoming registered volunteers in order to take their community work to the next level.

Mark Walton, Bridges Centre director commented: "This is an incredibly generous offer from Archenfield and is a great example of how businesses and Bridges can work together to help each other.

"We have a very positive relationship with Archenfield. Brad Watson and Scott Davies are volunteers with our befriending scheme and helped Archenfield to win an award for corporate volunteering in 2018."

Brad has now been invited to become a trustee at Bridges, with Mark saying he has "brought his invaluable business expertise to the table."

Archenfield has also agreed to support the ’Team Bridges’ entry for the Cardiff 10k on 1st September to help raise money for the Vision 40 fundraising campaign.

Bridges has been dependant on short term grants and while incredibly grateful for all the essential help they provide, such grants are not always readily available or necessarily reliable and finding a more sustainable solution to keeping the financial side of the community centre running is preferable.

Maintaining a historic building like Drybridge House and the community schemes Bridges offer can cost a fortune, so it’s particularly important that fundraising efforts are successful.

Schemes run from Bridges expand beyond just Monmouth into the county, covering Chepstow and Abergavenny.

Inspiration struck when Brad and Mark saw the wellbeing of Bridges as something businesses could really get behind.

"Fundraising is always ongoing and support from groups and businesses around Monmouthshire is always welcome," Brad said.

"A number of businesses have already come forward and we’re hoping more will follow."