A project to make it easier for people throughout Cornwall to enjoy some of its most iconic historic sites and strengthen the rural communities which surround them has received a major boost, thanks to a grant of £241,260 from the Rural Prosperity Fund.
The project involves the 16 historic sites protected by the independent Cornish charity, Cornwall Heritage Trust. These span the breadth of Cornwall from Caer Bran in the far west, to Dupath Well in the east, and cover a broad spectrum of history; from Neolithic remains such as Tregiffian Burial Chamber near Penzance, to the 19th-century Treffry Viaduct near St Austell. They are all set within historic landscapes and are free for everyone to visit all year round.
The project will see the charity improve facilities at the places it cares for; make them easier to access and understand; and provide opportunities for the public to engage with them.
A key part of this involves the introduction of innovative on-site and online interpretation and wayfinding, ranging from digital tours and information boards to reconstruction images and a fully equipped ‘mobile museum’.
Cornwall Heritage Trust has received £241,260 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The Rural Prosperity Fund is part of the Good Growth Programme, which is managed by Cornwall Council and funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The funding will also be used to help schools and education groups struggling with the cost of transport for trips to these historic places. This will include providing grants for transport hire, offering pick-ups for volunteers and groups using public transport, and introducing guided tours for visitors. This part of the project builds on the charity’s School Transport Grants Scheme, which has helped over 20,000 schoolchildren visit Cornwall’s historic places and museums since its launch in 2014.
The charity also plans to invest in accessible compostable toilet facilities, benches to enable those with reduced mobility to explore its sites more fully, a machinery shed and the creation of an outdoor classroom inspired by a Bronze Age round house.
Cathy Woolcock, CEO of Cornwall Heritage Trust said: “This is a really exciting step forward for us. Our charitable work and the team who make it happen have grown significantly over the last few years, and the Rural Prosperity Fund award will now provide us with the capital investment we need to carry out our plans and accelerate our growth in a sustainable way. Our sites are set within incredible historic landscapes and represent free to access green spaces bursting with historic and ecological significance. We want to keep growing the ways local communities can benefit from them and investment like this is going to ensure that vital work can continue to happen!”.
