GWERNYFED Rugby Club’s Trefecca Road pitch is to be cut up and ’sold’ in £25 lots to supporters.

The lots ’sale’ is a fundraising initiative to finance the club’s buyout of the freehold of its home ground from Powys council.

The Talgarth club, which this past season celebrated its 50th anniversary, has played at the ground for the past 25 years.

Club chairman Rob Stephens said securing the freehold of its playing and training base will protect it as a recreational facility and help secure the club’s long term future.

He said: "We have been very fortunate in having very positive and helpful landlords in Powys County Council.

"The relationship has been excellent. However, we’ve always been conscious that our future is in the hands of others. The council is now in a position to release the freehold to the club and after having the land independently valued, an agreement has been reached whereby the future of the land as a recreational facility is protected by way of a sale of that freehold to the club.

"Those who launched the club 50 years ago were not short of ambition and their optimism has been repaid in spades. The spirit here is very much the same, a ‘can do’ approach, and I know that with the help and support of the community we can look forward to a century of Black Mountains rugby, content that our future is secure in our own hands."

Gwernyfed has already held detailed talks with the Welsh Rugby Union, which the club says, has recognised it a model community rugby club.

It is one of only a handful of clubs in Wales running sides at every age group, fielding ladies’ and girls’ XVs and has also been designated a girls rugby ’hub’ for Mid Wales with its successful Red Kites set up for girls from 9 to 15 based at Trefecca Road.

The club has been offered assistance from the WRU and has also formed a fundraising group that will organise events such as the plot sale.

Fund Raising group events organiser and first team player James Evans said: "Backed by a unanimous decision to secure the long term future of rugby here at Gwernyfed we have been swamped with ideas and enthusiasm for the cause from the parents of the youngest players right through to our senior members and sponsors. It is a real challenge but everyone at this club puts the badge before all else and I know that we can do it.

"As the season unfolds the new area will be metaphorically divided into lots and ‘sold’ to supporters lot by lot at £25 a parcel – a chance to have ones name immortalised. In the short term a Family Sports and Activity day will be held on the fields on Saturday July 2 and the long-standing tradition of baking and selling cakes that has underpinned the development of Gwernyfed RFC will be put to further use in this exciting if daunting challenge."

The fund raising group is led by life member Shan Thomas who would welcome ideas and donations via [email protected] or through the club Facebook pages or by contacting any club member.