National Lottery £2.2m grant funds Penzance green community hub

The project will cost more than £3m in total

A disused stable block will become a community hub and archive for Cornwall's natural heritage thanks to £2.2m in lottery funding.

The Gardeners' House at Morrab Gardens, Penzance, would provide a home for documents, books and illustration, the National Lottery Heritage Fund said.

The lottery has provided 70% of the funding for the £3m project, with the rest from other groups and fundraisers.

The project's Miki Ashton said it would connect "people, planet and place".

She said: "It's been an amazing journey so far and we are absolutely delighted that the funding from the Heritage Fund will enable us to save a historic building and transform it into a sustainable green hub."

"It will bring our community and partner organisations together to share in the natural heritage of West Cornwall."

A disused barn will be converted into a community hub

It will feature a sensory garden, funded by the Tanner Phoenix Trust, linking Pengarth Day Centre and The Gardeners' House.

The "living archive" collection, highlighting the history of Cornwall's natural heritage, would be made accessible to the public for the first time, the fund said.

Donated by the Hypatia Trust, it showcases the "achievements and stories from the last 200 years" of the men and women connected to West Cornwall's natural heritage.

Mr Ashton said people in West Cornwall were encouraged to add "new, positive and personal contributions".

About 30% of funding for the project came from other groups and events

Groups involved in the scheme include Sustainable Penzance and Cornish young people's charity Earth's Green Guardians, the Sensory Trust and the clients of Pengarth Day Centre.

The Penzance Town Deal has contributed £886,000 towards the project.

Stuart McLeod, director at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "Investing in heritage such as this makes our communities better places to live, creating opportunities, supporting local economies and making heritage more accessible to others.

Across the UK, the Heritage Fund has awarded £24m in grants.

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