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

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.

Applications now open for studio space

There are 15 studios at Heartlands which are located at the centre of the exciting development incorporating culture, history and play.

Studios are for the use of artists, makers and crafts people and with lots of natural light and views over the market square and World Heritage Site of Robinson's Shaft it certainly is an inspiring place to work.

For further information on how to apply for a studio, along with costs and floor plans visit the Business section of our website.

Many adventures in store!

The Heartlands site is looking more and more exciting each day. Last week saw the installation of the adventure playground.


From fishing boats, to trains, twisting slides, swinging cradles and a huge climbing net this really is the start of something wonderful happening at Heartlands for young people. The creation of the play space is all thanks to local students who helped design the playground. We cant wait for local young people to be let loose and get to grips with one of the largest playgrounds of its type in Cornwall.

Getting the wheels in motion for a new Cornish cycle hub

Over 60 miles of the main cycle routes in Cornwall are being mapped out and recorded to help inform plans for a new cycling hub in the heart of Cornwall.

As part of the development of Heartlands in Pool two members of the team are in the process of extensively mapping the cycle networks across the county to determine how they could eventually link to the site.

Routes including Mineral Tramways trails and the National Cycle Network will be documented by Heartlands team members Hugo Bugg and Maren Hallenga. Details including the length, altitude and accessibility of the existing cycle trails routes are being recorded to see how they can be improved, link up successfully with Heartlands and how new routes can be developed to improved and increase access to the area.

The £29.5 million Heartlands in Pool 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.

Hugo Bugg, one of the cycle project researchers, said: “This has been a really exciting project to
be involved with and we hope our findings will put Heartlands firmly on the map for what is has to offer cyclists.

“Once complete we will have spent more than six months researching the cycle routes and reviewing how Heartlands can link to the established cycle paths, including the Sustrans Network. It is our ambition that Heartlands becomes a hub for all cycling activity in Cornwall.

“The findings of our research will go live once we’ve finished mapping out and reviewing the existing routes during the coming months, people will be able to review our research online on the Heartlands website.”

Scott James, Heartlands Programme Director, said: “We have the opportunity with Heartlands to inspire people to get out on their bikes and promote cycling as an environmentally friendly form of transport for social, recreational, work and tourism purposes.

“Heartlands can become a hub for Cornwall’s cyclists, to establish a Cornish cycling community and offer opportunities to learn about the benefits of cycling, alongside the local history and geography.

“The cycle hire and storage facilities will be positioned close to the centre of Pool Village to ensure that the local community has access to these facilities, as well as making them easily accessible to visitors to the area.”