Heartlands Opening Weekend: 20-22 April 2012

SAVE THE DATE
Heartlands Opening Weekend: 20-22 April 2012

Heartlands is preparing to open! After months of planning, designing, restoration, building and decorating, we are delighted to at last be able to launch to the world - and we'd like you to be involved in our celebrations!

Join us for a three-day party to celebrate the opening of Heartlands, the new 19 acre FREE visitor attraction and World Heritage Site.

Come along on Friday 20 April to join the Hearty Party Parade and official opening ceremony. Meet in the Heartlands car park off Dudnance Lane at 10.30am. The only ticket you need is a heart – in any variety you want!

Once the ceremony finishes, the music will start and the party begins! Prepare to be captivated by a mix of magic, myth and mayhem themed activities including music, dance, theatre, acrobatics and spectacle throughout Heartlands for the rest of the day and weekend!

Be enchanted by the fairies and piskies in the botanical gardens, dance around the Totem Circle to some of the best music in the South West, discover the underground secrets of Heartlands with atmospheric storytelling in the Engine House, skateboard and BMX with our urban legends or simply sit back and watch the magic (and mayhem!) unfold with a cream tea in our Red River Café. Friday evening (only) will end with a fireworks and fire show finale!

So, SAVE THE DATE in that diary, cancel all plans and come and join in the fun. We'll be in touch with more information soon.

Please note: if you or your family, school, organisation or community group would like to be involved in the Grand Parade or you are a performer and would like to be involved in the Magic, myth and mayhem extravaganza, please contact Kirsty Davies - kirsty.davies@heartlandscornwall.com / 01209 722323 by 31 March 2012.

Team Cornwall in training for 2012 International Mining Games

Students from the Camborne School of Mines (CSM) are in preparation for the International Mining Games, which will be hosted by CSM at King Edward Mine Museum, near Camborne from 31st March to 1st April 2012.

While many of us are trying to get into shape by sweating it out in the gym or pounding the pavements, they are heaving mine wagons, laying rail tracks and chiselling through granite.

Now in its 34th year, this is the first time the competition will be held outside the US or Australia. 40 teams from all over the world will compete in physical challenges based on traditional mining techniques, many of which were originally developed in Cornwall in the 1700s and 1800s. The event will be free and open to spectators.

The primary aim of the competition is to celebrate traditional mining techniques, many of which were originally developed in Cornwall. Events such as ‘jackleg drilling’, ‘mucking’ and ‘track stand’ test the competitors’ physical strength, speed and endurance, while challenges like surveying depend more on knowledge and quick thinking. All rely on preparation and excellent teamwork. CSM is entering three teams and the students have put together a busy training schedule, around their studies.

CSM student Oakley Turner is leading on the organisation of the games. He said: “The skills required for these traditional techniques are now extremely rare, but an understanding of them is still vital to the mining industry. CSM students are among the few people with this expertise, which puts our graduates in very high demand among employers.

“Hosting the International Mining Games is a wonderful way for us to celebrate our skills and bring a really exciting event to Cornwall. It will be a great opportunity for local people to see these techniques being carried out in the same part of the world as they were originally developed.”

The International Mining Games started in 1978 in honour of the 91 miners who died in the Sunshine Mine disaster, USA in 1972, as well as miners that have since died in the line of duty. Since then, it has grown and evolved and also provides a talent scouting opportunity for mining companies and companies in related sectors, as well as bringing together mining students from all over the world.

Head of Camborne School of Mines Professor Frances Wall said: “We are very proud that our students are bringing this prestigious competition to Cornwall. Representatives from some of the world’s biggest mining companies will be attending, so this will be an excellent opportunity for our students to network and potentially secure future employment.

“It will also be great fun for our students and for local people, who we hope will come to cheer along the CSM teams.”

King Edward Mine, known to generations of students as KEM, was for over a century CSM's field station for practical mining and surveying. Now open as a museum, the mine is owned by Cornwall Council and is managed by a team of volunteers who stated restoration work on the site 25 years ago.

Mining Engineer Tony Brooks, former CSM student and director of King Edward Mine Museum, said: "We are delighted to be able to help host the Mining Games at KEM. There could be nowhere more appropriate for this event. This will be good for CSM, Camborne and Cornwall"

Volunteer Fair

Amazing new opportunities to get involved with Cornwall's newest World Heritage Site!

On Thursday 9th February at 3-7pm we would like to invite you to find out more about our exciting volunteer opportunities.

From gardening to retail, events to guided tours and much more.... We have something to interest everyone!

The Volunteer Fair will be on site at Heartlands, Robinson's Shaft, Dudnance Lane, Pool, Cornwall, TR15 3QY.

For further information please contact Kirsty Davies 01209 722323 kirsty.davies@heartalndscornwall.com

Not long now.....

Work to Heartlands is approaching completion as we look to open this Spring. A whole host of sights can be seen which show just how close we are to finishing. Currently we are busy planning an opening event which will be a weekend of celebration, performance and fun open to the entire community.

Above is the the 'Giants Trap' in the playground which is mass of net to climb over, around and through.

The Chi an Bobel community building is home to a large community hall, gallery space and smaller meeting rooms which are all available for the community or businesses to hire.

The Red River Cafe will have a menu that will showcase Cornwall's delicious produce.

Heartlands' very own water feature is now complete.

We still have several one and two bedroom apartments available to buy and also artist studios available to rent. Above shows the entrance to the apartment and studios which have access to a communal garden.

The Totem Circle performance space is now complete and we are taking bookings for musicians, choirs, dance, theatre groups or bands that might like to use the space.

Monthly Farmers Markets will be held within our Market Square above.

Wonder Wall

A new art installation has landed in Pool as part of Heartlands which captures the geological affects that mining has on the earth during the height of Cornish tin mining, when miners were hitting depths of over 1km.

Conceived by artist Walter Jack and involving a unique molding technique to create a fluid and voluptuous effect never seen before with concrete on this scale, 'Crushed Wall' will sit within the village of Pool in Cornwall. Rising to 3m high, the wall will act as a corner stone and defining art feature of Heartlands.

Diaspora Gardens starting to bloom

Planting is well under way in the five Diaspora Gardens. Each garden which is approximately half the size of a football pitch represents an area of the world where the Cornish emigrated. The 5 gardens signify North America, South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand where visitors can explore plants, flowers and trees that are native to those areas.

Listen now to our latest podcasts!

This month we're looking inside Heartlands with two delicious podcasts from our exhibition planner, Andrew Leitch. As well as restoring the former mine buildings at Robinson's Shaft and preserving many of the artefact's that were found there, the World Heritage Site exhibition within Heartlands will bring to life the history of Cornish mining in an innovative and interactive way. In the podcasts, Andrew Leitch gives an exclusive glimpse inside the exhibitions revealing the captivating human story as well as the challenges involved in interpreting the Cornish Mining story.

The exhibitions will be delivered within the restored Robinson's Shaft mine buildings over the next couple of months.

For more information and a Guided Tour, please contact the Heartlands Team on 01209 722320.