CREST Cornish hedging training dates announced

Our friends at the Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust, known as CREST, have released their first series of Cornish hedging training dates.

CREST was founded this year to address the need for training in the endangered craft of Cornish hedging and raise awareness of the rich value of hedges in the landscape. It has secured funding from the Cornwall AONB Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme (FiPL) to work in partnership with us to deliver a Cornish hedging training and education programme. 

As CREST develops its training programme, it will be increasing its range of training site locations to embrace stone and hedging styles from across Cornwall. 

CREST is now offering dates for the following courses:

Lantra Guild Introductory Course
£150 – 2 days 
(suitable for beginners)

Lantra Guild Foundation Course
£210 – 5 days 
(suitable for beginners and those with some experience of hedging)

Lantra Guild Intermediate Course
£375 – 10 days
(suitable for those who have completed a Foundation Course, or with some experience of hedging through work or volunteering)

For further details on all courses, please click here https://www.lantra.co.uk/products/search/cornish%20hedging?

Upcoming dates

To express your interest in attending a course, please email crest@cornwallheritagetrust.org confirming your name, address and DOB and which course dates would suit you best. 

We’re hosting workshops offering people the chance to explore Cornwall’s heritage through the five ways of wellbeing – connect, get active, take notice, learn and give.

Delivered by Ruth Purdy MA from Make It Better CIC, these free sessions offer the chance to gain a new perspective on the historic landscape of Cornwall and our place within it through the medium of photography.

Get some tips, try out some challenges and share in a love of photography. Become more creative, develop your curiosity and awareness of your surroundings and support your mental health.

Upcoming dates…

The Hurler Stone Circles – Wednesday 30th August – 2-4pm

A triple stone circle complex, on Minions Moor, southeast Bodmin Moor, the Hurlers is one of Cornwall’s most significant ceremonial prehistoric monuments, located within a wider landscape of barrows, cairns, and stone rows.

Castle an Dinas – Wednesday 20th September – 2-4pm

Castle an Dinas is a magnificent Iron Age Hill fort near St Columb Major. One of the largest and most impressive hillforts in Cornwall, the monument is sited in an imposing position on the summit of Castle Downs and enjoys extensive panoramic views across central Cornwall to both north and south coasts.

Further information…

These on-site meet-ups are suitable for anyone who has a smartphone or a camera, from complete beginners to experienced photographers. We can provide equipment for those who require it.

These sessions take place on sites with uneven ground and slopes. Please wear footwear for rough terrain and dress accordingly for the weather. These sessions are outdoors in rural areas with limited facilities.

Some parking is available, however, this is limited so please consider car sharing or alternative transport if you are able to.

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

What is the UK Shared Prosperity Fund?

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cornwall Council has been chosen by Government as a Lead Authority for the fund and is responsible for monitoring the progress of projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

More details of projects that have already received funding, as well as information about open funding opportunities can be found on the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth website here https://ciosgoodgrowth.com/

We’re excited to announce that we’re now protecting the foundations of a chapel near Looe thought to date back to the 13th century for future generations. 

Cornwall Heritage Trust has taken ownership of Lammana Chapel – an important historic site on the mainland near West Looe containing the stone foundations of a chapel, which was part of a medieval priory based on Looe Island.

The independent charity protects historic sites across Cornwall, which are all free for the general public to enter. 

CEO, Cathy Woolcock, said: “Lammana Chapel has a fascinating history and is incredibly close to the hearts of the people of Looe – it’s a lovely addition to our portfolio of historic sites and we’re so proud to now be looking after a much-loved local historic asset. There’s quite a bit of work to be done at the site and we’re excited that this essential maintenance can now get underway.”

First recorded in a surviving document in 1144, the name Lammana contains the Cornish place-name elements ‘lann’ and ‘manach’, meaning ‘the early Christian enclosure or monastery of the monk’.  

Historically, the name was first applied to an earlier chapel on Looe Island that was part of the large estate belonging to the medieval abbey at Glastonbury, Somerset. The island chapel was dedicated to St Michael and became a centre of pilgrimage during the medieval period. Looe Island is now a marine nature reserve managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. 

It is thought that the chapel on the mainland may have been built as a result of the number of pilgrims attempting to reach the island chapel on St Michael’s Day (29th September) sometimes in hazardous conditions.

The chapel as it may have looked in the 13th century (Image credit – Artist unknown)

The two chapels are precisely the same height above sea level and archaeologists believe that each would have been visible from the other. It is thought that the buildings may also have acted as landmarks for shipping and it has been suggested that the two chapels may have contained lights maintained to help guide sailors away from dangerous rocks and safely into the harbour at Looe, though this is not certain.

Archaeologist C.K. Croft Andrew excavated the site in the 1930s and in 2008 Channel 4’s Time Team carried out excavations on Looe Island and the mainland chapel.

Cornwall Heritage Trust now protects 14 historic places across Cornwall, which include the East Cornwall sites of Trethevy Quoit, The Hurler Stone Circles, King Doniert’s Stone and Dupath Well.

Find out more about Lammana Chapel here https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/our_sites/lammana-chapel/

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Carl Roberts at Penrice Hospital on Tuesday 25^th July 2023 at the age of 96. 

Carl was a founder member of Cornwall Heritage Trust; a long-serving trustee; our first Treasurer; Honorary Vice Chairman; Life Member; Member Emeritus; and latterly Honorary Life Vice President. But more importantly, he was our friend.

A proud St Austell boy, Carl was passionate about local history and was an ardent supporter of Cornwall Heritage Trust, serving as a trustee until his late eighties.  Carl’s particular interest was in Castle an Dinas, an Iron Age Hillfort owned by the Trust and the place where he spent lots of hours re-laying tracks and doing his best to preserve the very precious historic features.

Over the last few days, our trustees have been reminiscing and sharing stories of their time with Carl. The overwhelming theme has been that he was always so interested in people; so friendly, enthusiastic, full of energy, engaging and generous with his time and knowledge. He was unfailingly courteous and smartly presented; as one of our former trustees commented: “Carl was a gentleman in the old-fashioned, best sense of the word.”

Carl was never negative, never critical and never said if we were repeating things that had been tried before – which we must have done many times!  He was always supportive and full of ideas for his next project. He was so proud to be a part of the Trust and to be our Honorary Life Vice President. Even in recent months he would telephone the office and exclaim “I’m still interested”!

It really is the end of an era for Cornwall Heritage Trust. We are so glad to have such wonderful memories of a very special man. Carl lit the bonfire at last year’s Platinum Jubilee Beacon Lighting ceremony at Castle an Dinas and enjoyed a merry time with old friends and a glass of sloe gin. We had hoped he would once again cut the cake at our forthcoming 40^th anniversary, as he did with such joy at our 30^th celebrations,  even if he was rather exuberant with the ceremonial sword!

Our love and thoughts go to Carl’s sons, Nigel and David, and their families. Carl was so proud of his family and overjoyed to become a Great Grandfather in recent years. 

He leaves a huge gap, a great loss to Cornwall and we will miss him very much – a life well lived.

We’re so pleased to see and hear how much the schoolchildren involved in our Colours of the Landscape workshops enjoyed their days at Castle an Dinas and Sancreed Beacon.

These free sessions saw local primary schoolchildren exploring the flora, fauna, and heritage features of these historic sites and the ways in which our ancestors lived within them.

The workshops were delivered by Mayes Creative, a leading producer of creative engagement opportunities for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, which specialises in events, activities, and experiences focused on heritage, science, technology and the environment.

The Colours of the Landscape Project was funded by The National Lottery Community Fund as part of the Platinum Jubilee funding.

A new organisation has been launched to bring the ancient craft of Cornish hedging back from the brink of extinction.

The Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust, known as CREST, has been founded to address the need for training in the craft of Cornish hedging and raise awareness of the rich value of hedges in the landscape. 
 
The Cornish hedge is an ancient style of hedge built of stone and earth found in Cornwall that has major cultural and environmental significance to the area. There are approximately 30,000 miles of hedges in Cornwall, which are rich in biodiversity, stay strong for hundreds of years and are a unique feature of the Cornish landscape – but there are growing fears that the skills required to build them are not being passed down through the generations.
 
This May, those concerns were bolstered by a new report by the Heritage Crafts Association, which named Cornish hedging as one of a number of ancient crafts and skills facing extinction. It is one of 17 crafts which was added to the national charity’s “red list” of endangered skills that could be lost unless the economy improves or more action is taken to protect them.
 
In order to safeguard the future of this ancient craft, CREST has secured £230,000 of funding from the Cornwall AONB Farming in Protected Landscapes Programme (FiPL) to work in partnership with Cornwall Heritage Trust to deliver a Cornish hedging training and education programme. 
 
The programme encompasses the development of accredited training in Cornish hedging with Duchy College, recruitment and engagement events, and the delivery of a comprehensive education and training programme which embraces Guild of Cornish Hedgers craftspeople, Cornish hedgers, trainees, volunteers, schools and colleges. 
 
The CREST Programme is hosted by Cornwall Heritage Trust and supported by The Guild of Cornish Hedgers, The Duchy of Cornwall, The Heritage Crafts Association, Cornwall Council, Cornwall AONB, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, The National Trust, Duchy College, The Devon Rural Skills Trust, Golden Tree – Kerdroya, local farms and industry linked businesses.
 
CREST Secretary, Helen Bowkett said: “We have been overwhelmed with the response from partner organisations and individuals to support the founding of CREST and the united commitment to protect, promote and preserve our ancient craft of Cornish Hedging. Forming CREST gives us the opportunity to build a hedging community, uniting Cornish Hedgers to share knowledge and expertise to ensure the skill of the craft is passed on to future generations. We are fully committed to developing our training courses to embrace the distinct regional styles of hedges across Cornwall, celebrating the skill and style of the local hedgers who created these works of hedging craft and training a new generation of craftspeople to preserve the incredible hedging diversity of our Cornish landscape.”
 
Cornwall Heritage Trust CEO, Cathy Woolcock said: “This project is an incredibly exciting step forward for Cornish hedging and we’re thrilled to be partnering with CREST to help make it possible. Cornwall’s hedges are such a special part of our heritage, and if we don’t support the specialist skills needed to build there is a real risk of this craft being lost forever.” 

Sean O’Hea, Farming in Protected Landscapes Farm Engagement Officer for The Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) said: “Cornwall AONB recognises the huge part Cornish hedges play in our sense of place. Cornish hedges need our help with many miles of hedging removed from the landscape and many more still in disrepair. We are delighted to be working in partnership with Cornwall Heritage Trust and CREST to provide funding through the Farming in Protected Landscape Programme to train the next generation of Cornish hedgers to carry out this much-needed work whilst bringing the importance of the Cornish hedge to the attention of our local communities.”
 
CREST is currently seeking applications to appoint a full-time Training and Volunteer Coordinator, to administrate its education and training programme. The deadline for applications is midday on Friday 28th July 2023. 
 
Head here to find out more https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/vacancies/

Our friends at CREST, the Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust, are looking for a volunteer secretary with experience working for a charity or company to join their Trustee board.

The Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust, known as CREST, is a new organisation founded to address the need for training in the craft of Cornish hedging and raise awareness of the rich value of hedges in the landscape, following the formal recognition of Cornish Hedging as an endangered craft by the Heritage Crafts Association.

CREST has secured funding from Farming in Protected Landscapes in partnership with The Cornwall Heritage Trust to deliver the CREST Project which encompasses the development of accredited training in Cornish hedging with Duchy College, recruitment and engagement events, and the delivery of a comprehensive education and training programme which embraces Guild of Cornish Hedgers craftspeople, Cornish hedgers, trainees, volunteers, schools and colleges. 

The CREST Project is supported by The Guild of Cornish Hedgers, The Duchy of Cornwall, The Heritage Crafts Association, Cornwall Council, Cornwall AONB, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, The National Trust, Duchy College, The Devon Rural Skills Trust, Golden Tree – Kerdroya, local farms and industry linked businesses.

CREST Secretary Role Description 

The responsibilities of the CREST Secretary are to ensure that relevant rules and regulations of the Charity Commission are complied with. 

Duties Include 

·      Maintaining the statutory registers including the register of members

·      Ensuring that statutory forms are filled promptly

·      Providing members and auditors with notice of meetings

·      Sending Charity Commission information about appointment of new Trustees

·      Sending a copy of the accounts to every member of the Trustee board and general meetings

·      Ensuring that people entitled to do so can inspect CREST charity records

·      Custody and use of the CREST logo

·      Taking minutes of monthly Trustee board/management committee meetings

Other Duties 

·      To ensure that meetings such as the Annual General Meeting comply with the organisation’s governing document and its procedures (e.g. voting)

·      To maintain records including past and present office bearers 

·      To ensure that publications such as annual reports and accounts, and their dissemination, comply with the organisation’s governing document and statutory requirements

·      To keep under review all legislative, regulatory and governance developments that might affect decision making or the organisation’s operations

Qualities and Skills Required 

·      Knowledge of charity law

·      Understanding the role and responsibilities of the Management Committee

·      Well organised and an eye for detail

·      IT skills including Word, Excel, Microsoft Teams, etc

Preferred Experience 

·      Previous experience as a Company Secretary or an Honorary Secretary of a club or charity

·      Organising AGM’s

Time Commitment

The role of the CREST Secretary requires an estimated commitment of 4 hours a week, though the 3-month startup phase may require 4 to 6 hours per week.

If you are interested, please send a CV and a brief introduction to Helen Bowkett at maythorn@yahoo.com 

A short film about Treffry Viaduct produced by Cornwall Heritage Trust has earned a Certificate of Recognition at this year’s Gorsedh Kernow Awards. 

One of only nine pieces to be recognised in the Creative Work category, the 20-minute film sees historian and archaeologist John Smith tell the story of Treffry Viaduct, a 19th-century architectural wonder hidden in the Luxulyan Valley near St Austell. 

The annual Gorsedh Kernow Awards recognise work that sustains or promotes the Celtic spirit of Cornwall both in Creativity and for Community. Its Certificate of Recognition is designed to encourage new work in a range of categories and is considered a quality mark for new creative work that celebrates the Celtic spirit of Cornwall.

One of 13 historic sites which Cornwall Heritage Trust cares for, Treffry Viaduct is a Scheduled Monument and an integral part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, as designated by UNESCO. 

The film was created as part of a £10K community history project made possible by funding from GWR. Its generous support enabled us to produce the film, as well as carry out volunteer conservation sessions, guided walks and screenings of the film for the local community. 

The film premiered earlier this year to a packed audience in Luxulyan Village Hall and since then has received high praise from the public.

Marketing and Communications Officer, Grace Kennard, who also helped produce and present the film said: “The feedback we’ve had about the film has been amazing and recognition like this is the icing on the cake. What an honour! When we started this project, our dream was to make a walk around the viaduct with John accessible to as many people as possible. He is a fountain of knowledge about this remarkable part of Cornwall’s industrial heritage, the perfect guide, and it’s so special to have been able to create something which means that story can be shared for posterity.”

If you haven’t seen the film yet or would like to watch it again, take a look here…

We hope many of you are enjoying snapping your entries for our annual photography competition! Thank you to everyone who has already entered and we’re looking forward to seeing many more entries as the competition deadline – Monday 24th July 2023 – approaches. 

If you want to be in with a chance to have your photo featured in our official calendar and win some wonderful prizes, then don’t forget to send yours in.

This year we’re looking for images inspired by the phrase “My Cornwall, My Heritage” and it’s a great excuse to explore the Cornish places, landscapes and traditions that mean the most to you!

The top 12 photos will be selected by our judging panel to feature in the Cornwall Heritage Trust 2024 Calendar. Each winner will also receive a calendar as a prize.

In addition, there will be prizes for the top 3 winners:

1st Prize – £50

2nd Prize – A bottle of Camel Valley ‘Cornwall’ Brut Sparkling Wine

3rd Prize – Cornwall Heritage Trust 2 Adult Family Membership

If you’re in need of some inspiration, take a look at some of last year’s winning entries…

1^st Prize: Boscawen-ûn Stone Circle by Tim Pearson

2^nd Prize: St Germans Viaduct by Alan Murtough

3^rd Prize: Strawberry Moon over St Michael’s Mount by Ainsley Cocks

The other competition winners are…

Lizard Lifeboat Light by Brian Bell

The iron bridge over the creek on the Camel Trail by Darri Simms

Lanyon Quoit by Georgie Ball

South Crofty, Pool by Kai Greet

Don’t Feed the Birds (at Polperro) by Lee James Kershaw

Godrevy Lighthouse meets Storm Arwen by Paula Green 

A Stormy Bodmin Moor by Poppy Gitsham

Castle Approach, St Mawes Castle by Ryan Lean

Wheal Owles by Tim Pearson

Visitors at this Sunday’s Open Garden at Trenarth enjoyed glorious sunshine as they strolled around these beautiful historic gardens. Thank you to everyone who came! You have helped us raise nearly £900 to support our work protecting Cornwall’s heritage. 

Situated between the villages of Constantine and Mawnan Smith, there is much to discover at Trenarth, which is not normally open to the public. 

Huge thanks also go to our events volunteers whose hard work helping set up, serve refreshments, direct traffic, and much more was absolutely invaluable in making the event possible. A special mention goes to Keith, our volunteer photographer, who took the fantastic images you see here of the day.

Thank you to Lucie Nottingham for so generously opening Trenarth’s gates to help raise funds for our work and to Coodes Solicitors for sponsoring Open Gardens 2023. Thanks also go to Rodda’s for providing the jam and cream for the cream teas. 

Our final Open Garden is on Sunday 2nd July at Trereife, near Penzance, and we hope to see many of you there. The event runs from 10.30am – 4pm, and the last entry will be one hour before closing time. 

Ticket prices are £6 if pre-booked online and £7.50 on the door. Under 12s go free and do not require booking. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome.

House tours by the owner, Tim le Grice, will be available priced at an additional £10. Places will be limited and you can register your interest when booking your Open Garden ticket.

Book your tickets here https://www.cornwallheritagetrust.org/opengardens/

Photo credits: Keith Larby (https://www.akphotos.net/) / Cornwall Heritage Trust volunteer

What an incredible evening we had celebrating Midsummer with our beacon lighting at Sancreed!

Over 200 people joined us last Wednesday evening to light up Sancreed Beacon to mark the longest day of the year. The evening, which was free to all guests, had the most wonderful atmosphere and we hope you all enjoyed yourselves!

The event is part of a landmark community history project, made possible by £49,832 of funding from the National Lottery Community Fund. This two-year project launched last June and has seen us create and grow community engagement and volunteering opportunities across our heritage sites, with a particular focus on Sancreed and Castle an Dinas.

Our thanks go to Sancreed Village Hall, William James and Peter James for all their help and support. A huge thank you also goes to West Penwith Photography for generously permitting us to use its fabulous photos of the event.

Photo credits: West Penwith Photography

A project to grow our charitable work has received a major boost, thanks to a grant of £260,634.26 from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Shared Prosperity Fund. 

Cornwall Heritage Trust cares for 13 of Cornwall’s most important historic sites, runs a history education programme, hosts community events, offers support to other heritage organisations, and provides school transport grants, which have enabled nearly 22,500 primary school children to visit ancient sites, museums and historic properties across Cornwall since its launch in 2014. We will be using our Shared Prosperity Fund award to ensure that we continue to evolve and increase this vital work.

The project will see us grow our capabilities; improve our financial sustainability and resilience; and expand our heritage promotion activities. 

A key part of this involves the recruitment of three new full-time positions and safeguarding one part-time role.

These new team members will enable an exciting education and outreach programme to be rolled out to schools, youth groups and members of local communities; build the Trust’s growing volunteering opportunities; and improve the way we care for our sites, enabling us to acquire further historic places and look after them with a focus on their environmental and ecological needs at the forefront. We will also help care for sites in Penwith deemed to be of historic significance and continue the legacy of the Penwith Landscape Partnership project.

In order to achieve this, we will also be investing in equipment to help look after our historic sites. This aims to help establish our sites maintenance team and increase the volunteering opportunities it offers.

Funding will also be used to expand our highly successful School Transport Grants Scheme to reach secondary schools, other educational organisations, and community groups.

Cathy Woolcock, CEO of Cornwall Heritage Trust said: “This is a really exciting step forward for us. The work we do to protect Cornwall’s heritage has grown substantially over the last few years and the Shared Prosperity Fund award is a unique opportunity to accelerate that transformation and growth so that we can reinforce our resilience as an organisation. We’ve been championing Cornwall’s heritage for almost 40 years and have evolved so much in that time. We don’t want to just be here in another 40, we want to be thriving, and investment like this in our continued growth is a huge step towards making that possible!”

Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for economy, said: “I’m really pleased that the Shared Prosperity Fund will allow Cornwall Heritage Trust to expand their team and reach new audiences with their important work promoting historic sites across Cornwall.”

What is the UK Shared Prosperity Fund?

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cornwall Council has been chosen by Government as a Lead Authority for the fund and is responsible for monitoring the progress of projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

More details of projects that have already received funding, as well as information about open funding opportunities can be found on the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth website here https://ciosgoodgrowth.com/