Penwith Landscape Partnership is Awarded Heritage Lottery Funding
Penwith Landscape Partnership is awarded Heritage Lottery funding of £2.7 million, including £140,600 development funding.
Councillor for St Just-in-Penwith, Sue James, who is part of the partnership board said
“This is very exciting news that I feel could bring huge opportunities for this area not only in terms of the landscape but also the local economy and therefore local people.”
North Penwith Coast, photographed by Cornwall Council Historic Environment Service
This funding will support a range of heritage activities across the Penwith peninsula, supporting conservation work, reconnecting local communities and creating many new jobs and training opportunities. Activities will focus on the historic environment, farming support, access and the Tinners’ Way as well as Cornish Hedges, rare butterflies, moorland, arts and Cornish language. There will also be many volunteering opportunities included in the Penwith Landscape Partnership Programme.
Jan Pentreath, Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s President who hails from Mousehole said,
“Penwith’s heritage is one of the richest to be found in Britain and, indeed, in Western Europe, with around 5,500 monuments ranging from prehistoric standing stones to engine houses. Internationally significant wetlands and heathlands support over 40 nationally significant species of wildlife.”
The Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network, a partner in the programme said,
“We are absolutely delighted that the Partnership has been successful in this bid to HLF. This will help to ensure the survival and protection of the much-loved ancient sites in Penwith for generations to come”.
Victoria Whitehouse, Head of Nature Conservation for Cornwall Wildlife Trust said,
“It is important to recognise that Penwith is a living working landscape and exists as a result of over six thousand years of human interaction with the land. Bronze Age farmed landscapes are visible and still used today. It is essential that farmers are supported to continue to play a key role in the stewardship of the landscape.”