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Grants worth up to £2,000 are being made available to venues looking to give unused spaces a new lease of life.

The Cowork Local scheme is open to applications from across Caerphilly County Borough, following trials in other parts of Wales.

The aim of the funding is to help venues create flexible working spaces.

The grant is available to cover the costs of setting up, with support on offer from Caerphilly-based TownSq, which runs numerous co-working spaces across Wales and England.

Kevin Mansell-Abell, commercial director for TownSq, said: “It’s not just local people who benefit from flexible working, the venues that host them also grow.

“The main objective of our Cowork Local project has been to help reduce commutes and provide flexible working options outside city centres to support remote workers and the local venues around them.

“When people work local, they shop local. They buy lunch or do that bit of after-work shopping – which is all part of growing our local economy.”

He continued: “Whether your space is unused and needing a refreshed purpose, or you’re looking to do more with what you have, the funding and expertise is available for you to access – we’d love to talk to you. 

“We’d encourage any local venue interested in making more of their space, to get in touch with us, and see how we can help them grow their community.”

Anyone who owns a venue and would like more information, or anyone interested in registering for the Cowork Local scheme, can email caerphilly@townsq.co.uk for more details.

The funding is part of a wider project between TownSq and the Caerphilly-based Welsh Innovation Centre for Enterprise (Welsh ICE), through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.