A MONMOUTHSHIRE adventure business has received a £1,000 grant from a national youth-serving programme.

Magor-based River and Ridge received the money to help its launch from Kickstart, which focuses on giving young people new skills to help them post full-time education.

The finance will help the business give people a taste of the outdoors through a range of fun activities to build confidence, self-esteem and team spirit.

Andy Holland of River and Ridge, said: “There is a lot of demand for exciting outdoor activities these days, we also cater sessions for schools, other organisations for young people, parties and all sorts of events.

“Canoeing on the river is a superb experience, as is coasteering. Wales is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and we help to make people see what is all around them and feel a part of it.”

It tries to use all the natural resources of the area and to demonstrate the beauty of the locality to both locals and visitors alike.

Glyn Thomas of Tata Steel subsidiary UK Steel Enterprise, who also support the programme, said: “We are delighted to see that the Kickstart programme is working well with the help of Monmouthshire County Council. We are very pleased to have been able to support the launch of River and Ridge and wish them every success.”

James Woodcock of Monmouthshire County Council, added: “More and more people are realising that Monmouthshire is a great place to start a new venture and we are really grateful to other like UK Enterprise for the support that they offer to local businesses.”