A TOWN trust has just been set up with the aim of benefiting the community and the natural environment.

Penarth Town Trust officially registered as a charity on July 10 with the aim of improving the natural environment of the town.

The trust has five key areas which it aims to support including education, the arts, heritage, the environment and health.

It aims promote volunteering opportunities and fundraising projects.

The trust has an idea for future buildings to be built around habitats and fit in with the natural surroundings including the use of wooden frame windows to make new builds more sympathetic to the conservation area.

Another aim is the promotion of growing produce in local schools as well as supporting college courses including building programmes with the possibility of offering student placements on projects.

It also wants to promote opportunities for people to take part in healthy recreational activities.

The trust is set to hold its first event which will be a forum held in September or October.

Tracey Alexander, former deputy town mayor and one of the trustees of the new charity, expressed her thanks to Einir Kirkwood who had helped with the registration process

She said: "The aim of the trust is to support and create projects and services in the Penarth area including Sully, Cosmeston, Dinas Powys, Llandough and Cogan.

"We will have a strong Welsh language policy and want to engage the community at every stage.

"We are trying to build up contact details in the community to help with volunteering and fundraising and the natural environment is first and foremost in our thinking

"We are not grant reliant and have a variety of funding options with a trust fund.

"We want to be seen as a pilot for potentially this idea being taken up nationwide."

The two other trustees include Bill Hudson, the chief executive officer of ACE Credit Union Services who used to work with the Wales Co-Operative Centre and has been an adviser to Welsh Government.

The other trustees is Charles Williams, a retired banker at Barclays.

The trust is also looking for voluntary co-opters to get involved with the running of the trust.

In the near future, the charity will be looking to set up a not for profit arm to help with its work.