Pool pupils surf the waves on their eco boards

After months of preparation, students from Pool Business and Enterprise College have taken to the waves at Gwithian Beach on individually created belly boards inspired by life in Cornwall, and made out of recycled wood.

Panels of un-used wood, which were collected from Heartlands at Robinson's Shaft in Pool by the year nine students, have been transformed into eco-friendly belly boards. The boards have been illustrated with images chosen by the pupils, which depict stories they have gathered from their family members and local residents about life in Pool.

The project, named 'Lost Words, Found Objects', involves working with the local community to help develop the project and inspire the artists and designers working at Heartlands. This strand of the project was led by local artist Ben Cook.

Ben said the event at Gwithian Beach named 'Exhibition in the Sea' gave pupils the opportunity to showcase their boards both in and out of the water.

"After a professional surf lesson the pupils had a fantastic time trying out their boards. The belly boards are completely unique and the images that the pupils have chosen are all personal to their experiences of Pool's past and how they see the future of the area."

Ben added: "This has been an exciting project for the pupils to get involved with and they have learnt that sustainable living can be fun. Raw materials, which were no longer of use on the Heartlands site and have now been transformed into fantastic original belly boards for the pupils to surf on and will later be exhibited at Heartlands for all to see."

The pupils boards were judged by Debbie Luffman, designer from Finisterre, which sells surfinspired, environmentally-focused technical clothes. Members from the Cornwall Council’s west Cornwall outreach team also joined in the day’s event.

We were also very lucky to have myCornwall.tv film all the bellyboard action from start to finish .

Australian mining expert visits Heartlands

Heartlands has welcomed a mining expert from Australia to the site as part of a wider tour of the county.

Corrine Unger, who has a specialist interest in the use of former mining sites, spent an afternoon at Heartlands earlier this month, to learn about the £29.5 million project and how it is set to transform the area into a truly inspirational landscape.

The visit to Heartlands was arranged by the Post-Mining Alliance, which is an independent not-forprofit organisation with a mission to encourage and promote the regeneration of old mine sites for the sustainable benefit of the local community and natural environment.

Heartlands is planned to transform Cornwall’s most derelict urban area into a truly inspirational cultural landscape. Heartlands became a reality in 2007 after receiving a £22.3 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Living Landmarks programme, the only project in England to be awarded this funding. Additional funding has been provided by the Homes and Communities Agency, the national housing and regeneration agency for England and from Cornwall Council. All funding for the project is secure and major works are planned to start in early 2010.

Carolyn Rule, Cornwall Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration, said:
"Heartlands is an exciting project and the former mining site is rich with history and of great interest to those in the industry. It is great for the Heartlands project team to welcome global visitors, such as Corrine to the site, and give them the opportunity to spread the word about this inspiring project.”

Scott James, Heartlands Programme Director, said: “We were delighted to welcome Corrine to Heartlands and give her a first hand account of what is planned for the site. Corrine was really interested about the scale of the project, with the community and sustainability elements, which are embedded within a physical regeneration scheme.

“We enjoy welcoming industry specialists to Heartlands as it gives us the opportunity to discuss with people how we intend to transform the site whilst understanding more on shared issues which affect their projects and ambitions in different regions of the world."

Opportunity to learn more about Heartlands

Guided tours around Heartlands in Pool will give people living in the local community the opportunity to learn first hand, how the £29.5 million project is progressing.

The tours, which will take place on Friday October 2 at 2pm and Wednesday October 7 at 6pm, will guide people around the perimeters of the site. Kirsty Davies, Heartlands Community Project Manager will lead the tour and also be on hand to answer any questions people may have about the Project.

Heartlands is planned to transform Cornwall’s most derelict urban area into a truly inspirational cultural landscape. Heartlands became a reality in 2007 after receiving a £22.3 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Living Landmarks programme, the only project in England to be awarded this funding. Additional funding has been provided by the Homes and Communities Agency, the national housing and regeneration agency for England and Cornwall Council. All funding for the project is secure and major works are planned to start early 2010.

Kirsty Davies, Heartlands Community Project Manager, said: “The Heartlands tours are a great way for members of the community to come on to the site and see for themselves the plans for the development of the site. We’ve run a number of tours already and the feedback is always that people really enjoy learning first hand how the Project is progressing and having the opportunity to ask any questions as they walk around.”

The tours will be limited to 10 people. Anyone interested in taking part in the site tour should contact Kirsty Davies, Heartlands Community Project Manager on 01209 722323.