´óÏó´«Ã½

A church which opened a bowling alley in Carmarthen to fund good deeds has been promised £50,000 of council cash to keep running during the pandemic.

The Xcel Project, run by the Towy Community Church, includes a food bank, shop and furniture recycling.

Carmarthenshire council bosses approved the aid after hearing the food bank helped nearly 3,200 people in 2019.

Councillor Peter Hughes-Griffiths said it would be "a disaster" if Xcel Bowl went bust due to Covid hitting profits.

"This is a special case," he said. "If they were not doing this work, it would be a big blow to us in Carmarthenshire."

In January and February Xcel Bowl made a £15,000 profit, but when the pandemic struck the premises were closed, staff were furloughed and expansion plans put on hold.

The alley, which opened in 2013 on the site of a former creamery, reopened in August but has taken just over a third of normal takings due to reduced capacity.

The council funding will allow it to continue to operate, albeit with reduced hours.

As well as a grant of £50,000, an existing loan has been extended by up to £50,000.

Council leader Emlyn Dole said: "We don't have an endless pot of money, but we need to be well prepared in our ability and agility to respond."

Trustees for the church said they were "delighted" with the council's ongoing support, and planned to press ahead with the launch of a money advice centre.

"This commitment, at a time when revenues have been drastically reduced due to Covid restrictions, secures our ability to plan for the future," the trustees said in a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.