A total of £5,000 was awarded in grants last week, at a ceremony, at the Shire Hall.

Monmouth’s mayor Cllr Graham Pritchard presented cheques of up to £750 to representatives of eight successful local community groups.

They were: Monmouth People First, Monmouth Male Voice Choir, Ross and Monmouth Sea Cadets, Monmouth and Carbonne Twinning Association, Monmouth Women’s Festival, Monmouth Cricket Club, Monmouth and Waldbron Twinning Association and Mobility Monmouth.

The Community Affairs Committee has the role of awarding grants, which is strictly assessed and monitored, on behalf of the town, to support voluntary organisations.

After welcoming everyone and inviting each representative to describe how their grant was to be used, Cllr Pritchard said; “There can be very few small towns the size of ours, which can boast such an amazing number of successful voluntary clubs and groups which flourish in Monmouth. Thank you for your determination and energy. Your generosity in time and skills gives our community a huge variety of inspirational opportunities. This evening is a great chance to swap information between each group, their triumphs and plans for their future.”