AN EXCITING new community initiative is being launched in Monmouth.

The town’s rotary club is holding a meeting on Thursday 19th January at the Gate House restaurant and Inn to discuss the start of their Community Champions scheme.

After being awarded £1,000 from housing developer Persimmon Homes in October, rotary club members have decided to put the money towards improving areas around Monmouth.

Responsible for raising tens of thousands of pounds each year, the rotary club is well-versed at running community projects, but rather than taking on another venture, the hardworking group of 31 members are appealing for members of the public to come together on this scheme.

Whether it is a green space that needs some care and attention, or a sign that needs clearing, the club is appealing for a group of likeminded people from across Monmouth to come together to generate ideas and initially use the £1,000 grant to make a difference in the area.

Rotarian Norman Williams said: “The money just isn’t around any more to get the small things done that make a big difference. This is about the simple things that would make things around town better; the sort of things you don’t realise need looking at until you start talking to local people.

“If you have views about improvements you’d like to see, and would like to meet socially with others to realise those improvements, why not come along to the meeting?”

The rotary club hopes the launch night from 6pm on 19th January will attract enough people, ideally 10 to 15 volunteers, to start the Community Champions Scheme. From there the rotary will hand over the project to the assembled group, with plenty of opportunity to keep in touch with progress.

Monmouth Rotary Club runs several major fundraising events each year. The club’s biggest event is the annual Monmouth Raft Race which raises funds for St David’s Hospice Care, last year the club raised £32,000.

Rotary club members are hoping that the assembled Community Champions team will eventually also be able to lend a hand at these established events, as they continue to grow each year.

For more information on the scheme, call 01600 860399, send an email to [email protected], pop along to the meeting, or look out for leaflets about the scheme that will be dropped around town in the coming week.