A CASH lifeline of £25,000 is being sought by Abergavenny's community centre to revamp its "unusable" kitchen reports PAUL JAMES.

Trustees of the centre will know at the end of the month whether their bid to secure funding from the Aviva insurance group is successful.

They have stiff opposition from 900 other UK organisations hoping to be one of just five groups to bag the funding prize.

Trustee Freddy Edmonds wants as many townspeople as possible to back the centre's proposal by voting for the kitchen plan on Aviva's community project web page.

"We should hear how we've got on at the end of May. At the moment our kitchen is simply not up to standard. It's unusable. The money should pay for what needs to be done," she said.

A tip-top kitchen could transform the centre's functions - and make it worthy of a town which is rapidly forging a reputation for good food and hearty eating.

In their application to Aviva the trustees reveal their ambition to establish better catering facilities, cooking workshops, a cooking club, a place to eat, a lunch club for the elderly, survival cooking for youngsters and even that old WI diehard, making jam.

And it doesn't stick there. There are plans to establish community meals, instruct young people with learning disabilities in the ways of the kitchen and to use overspill produce from the gardening club.

The applicants insist there are no major stakeholders in their enterprise. It is one which is "by the people - for the people."

They argue, "The difference we can make is to provide a space to bring people of all ages together where they will share life skills, develop friendships and increase wellbeing.

"The social support to be gained can help combat unemployment and social isolation across the generations. It can help mitigate the effects of depression and provide an opportunity for a community to heal itself by building emotional and physical resilience."

They insist, "This is a family-friendly, multi-generational, multi-cultural place where the family can come to play, work, learn, create, eat, drink, talk and listen...a place to belong."

Freddy Edmonds told the Chronicle, "We're going for £25,000 as we have to re-do the plumbing, the electrical wiring and bring the kitchen up to standard for fire regulations. We then need to kit it out."

The centre already runs a Friday Coffee morning, a parent-toddler group, A Welsh medium parent and toddler group, a Lego Club, belly dancing, mini movers, a club for the deaf, a light opera company, a knitting group, gardening club and one which turns its hand to origami.

Future projects include a Welsh song and dance day in August, community composting, garden produce sales, IT support and an international culture kitchen.