TWO community spaces in Gwent have received grants of up to £50,000 to support their development within the community.

Projects in Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire were selected among seven others in Wales for support from the Big Lottery Fund.

The money from the £9 million Community Asset Transfer 2 Programme (CAT2) aims to provide both capital and revenue funding to support the transfer of assets to community ownership.

The initial grants will help the schemes develop their ideas before being invited to the second stage of funding, with the aim of securing grants of between £300,000 and £1.15 million.

In Ebbw Vale, Gwent Wildlife Trust (GWT) received £49,435 to develop their plans for the renovation of a former pump house.

Plans include the creation of a multi-use workshop, flexible training rooms, meeting space, kitchen, gallery, exhibition space, shop and bike hire facility, storage and open plan café.

Veronika Brannovic, Living Valleys Manager at GWT, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be receiving this development grant.

“It will allow us to take our plans to redevelop the former pump house in the area to the next level, and eventually create a fantastic facility for the whole community to enjoy.”

Elsewhere, Chepstow’s Drill Hall received £50,000 to develop plans to extend and enhance the venue to create a sustainable arts and community centre.

The project will also provide additional meeting space, studio, bar, storage and kitchen space to cater for activities and private functions.

Town councillor Ned Heywood, chair of the volunteering management committee at the hall, said: “We’re delighted and excited at the prospect of developing an arts centre venue in Chepstow which encourages active participation in the arts.

“We’ve been working on it for three years, it’s always been a long-term goal.

John Rose, Wales Director of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “By helping to transfer assets to enterprising organisations that actively involve and benefit the communities they serve, we are ultimately helping more people to benefit from their local community assets and also generating local income and employment.”