Cornwall Groups Urge Extension of Government Funding Package

Organizations within Cornwall’s communities have appealed for the government to prolong a financial aid program. Established after Brexit, the Shared Prosperity Fund allocated £132m to Cornwall. Cornwall Council subsequently channeled these funds into initiatives aimed at stimulating the economy and supporting local community projects. Uncertainty surrounds what, if any, successor will take the place of this fund once its current allocation period concludes in April. According to the government, the fund’s continuation will be decided during its spending review, with confirmation anticipated in the Budget scheduled for Wednesday. Approximately £10,000 from the fund was granted to St Austell Table Tennis club, enabling it to organize sessions in the town centre to promote engagement. Craig Mehew, the development officer for the club, stated that the financial support contributed to increased participation. “It’s enabled us to put on those taster sessions and do a report to look at how we remove barriers like cost and transport to increase participation,” he said. “Ten thousand is not a lot of money for the benefit we are seeing – 70 people interacting, getting fit, and it’s good for mental health.” The Walker Lines Trust in Bodmin received approximately £110,000 from the fund for the purpose of transforming former squash courts into a new community facility. Trust chairman Balu Madhvani commented: “It’s going to make a massive difference to the people of Bodmin, because it can be used for anything – a theatre, for gigs, groups doing music, tap dancing.” He expressed apprehension that the Shared Prosperity Fund might be discontinued. “It would be a shame because we need this. We need to be levelled up,” he added. The St Ives Community Orchard initiative was allocated around £62,000 to establish an educational garden where children can learn about nature and plants. Phoebe Sampson, the community engagement lead for the project, stated: “It’s enabled us to get going and create these accessible pathways which are obviously quite expensive to build.” “We would have done some sort of garden here. It probably would’ve taken much longer and it wouldn’t have been to such a high standard.” The Ladder in Redruth, an undertaking that involves transforming the former library into a creative arts centre, obtained approximately £600,000 from the fund. Felix Mortimer, one of the directors, commented: “It’s really important to fight for Cornwall. “We need to show we can really pack a punch in terms of cultural and creative industries, but also in terms of importance to the national conversation. “We’re not just a holiday destination, we’re a really important part of the economy of the whole UK.” The Borlase Smart John Wells Trust was awarded almost £300,000 from the fund to convert several old sheds into art studios located in Newlyn. Manager Chris Hibbert remarked: “This project’s been sitting on the backburner for five years.” “We were so fortunate the Shared Prosperity Fund came alive. Without it, this project would not have happened.” “Inward investment into Cornwall and peripheral communities is absolutely vital and Cornwall would be very much poorer without it.”