Rural communities in Ceredigion are being encouraged to apply for grants that would enable their village to install a cash machine.

Elin Jones, Assembly Member for Ceredigion, is calling on community groups to apply for the Community Access to Cash pilot in order to make sure that ATMs are readily available in rural communities.

The initiative has been launched by UK Finance, the collective voice for the banking and finance industry in the UK.

Ms Jones said: “Access to cash is still essential for many people, but getting access to cash can be particularly difficult for many communities.

"We’ve seen bank closures in many towns in Ceredigion, particularly in rural areas, despite opposition from customers in many market towns.

"Mobile banks do sometimes ease the burden, but the availability of these services is often infrequent.

“I’m glad this initiative has been launched in order to help local communities to identify and secure appropriate access to cash and payment services.

“Community groups are being encouraged to access the fund by applying on the UK Finance website, and I would be happy to assist any community group that is interested in applying.

"Please feel free to contact my office and I would be happy to help in any way that I can.”