A project to enable greater accessibility to West Penwith’s historic sites is now in full swing, thanks to a grant of £15,386.07 from the Cornwall National Landscape Access for All Programme.
Cornwall Heritage Trust’s ‘Access All Areas!’ project has seen the charity acquire a 4-wheel drive, all-terrain vehicle to provide a method of transporting people and equipment across the more challenging tracks and ground at some of the places we look after, own or manage.
It will enable those with mobility issues to enjoy greater access to the historic sites owned or managed by the charity and to participate in activities and events within the landscape, which would previously have been more difficult or impossible to take part in.
It will also facilitate the work of its Practical Tasks group – a weekly volunteer working party which maintains access to historic sites around West Penwith owned by other organisations and local landowners.
The Trust’s Rangers and Countryside Worker Apprentices will also utilise the vehicle when managing and hosting volunteering sessions at the charity’s sites in West Cornwall, which are especially remote areas with uneven topography.
The vehicle headed out for the first time last week with the Practical Tasks group and we’re looking forward to seeing its impact over the coming months and years.
This project aims to have a long-lasting impact by breaking down accessibility barriers and enabling a wider range of people to visit and benefit from our sites. It will prove invaluable in helping us to grow the reach of the Practical Tasks scheme and hugely benefit the historic environment and National Landscape in West Penwith by enabling us to facilitate volunteering opportunities and practical interventions across the often difficult terrain that forms the landscape there.
We’re hugely grateful to the Cornwall National Landscape Access for All Programme for making this project possible!
