Truro Cathedral, the Old Duchy Palace in Lostwithiel and 13 other historic sites are set to benefit after three organisations successfully bid for support from the Shared Prosperity Fund to ensure these cultural assets can be enjoyed by residents for years to come.
Cornwall Heritage Trust has been awarded £260,634 to grow the charity, expand its outreach programme to schools, youth groups and local communities, and increase volunteer and training opportunities across its 13 historic sites, which include Treffry Viaduct near Luxulyan, Castle an Dinas at St Columb Major and The Hurler Stone Circles near Bodmin Moor.
Cornwall Buildings Preservation Trust will use £188,453 to carry out a programme of works to future-proof Old Duchy Palace, the historically significant Grade 1 Listed Building in the heart of Lostwithiel. It will also grow the capacity of the trust to take on further projects to rescue heritage at risk.
Truro Cathedral will see £112,410 of investment towards restoring St Mary’s Aisle, the oldest part of the cathedral which dates to the 16th century and was part of the original parish church. The project will repair the leaky roof and masonry and refurbish the interior, resulting in a comfortable, welcoming and inspiring space hosting a new programme of year-round activities including children’s shows and arts programming.
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: “We’ve got a wealth of buildings and other assets that reflect our rich and unique culture and heritage. I’m pleased to see investment going towards a variety of amazing projects in all areas of Cornwall making sure they can be enjoyed by new audiences for years to come.
“The Good Growth Programme is about increasing residents’ sense of pride in where they live, and these latest projects are all contributing to that and ensuring our cultural and creative economy continues to thrive.”
