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.

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.”

BIG Lottery Fund Chief Executive visits Heartlands

The Chief Executive of the BIG Lottery Fund, Peter Wanless, paid a visit to Heartlands in Pool on Friday (July 10) as part of his tour of the South West.

Peter spent time meeting members of Heartlands team and later took a tour of the 18 acre site to see the essential site preparation work that has taken place before work officially gets underway.

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.

Peter Wanless, Chief Executive of BIG Lottery Fund, said: “Heartlands is a truly transformational project and it was great to visit the site and see the steps that are being taken towards getting work officially underway.

”This is a hugely important project for BIG Lottery Fund as it incorporates so many key elements of sustainable community and environmental development all in one place. We are very proud to have been able to award the grant to Heartlands and look forward to seeing the project take shape.”

The £29.5 million Heartlands in Pool is planned to transform Cornwall’s most derelict urban area into a truly inspirational cultural landscape. Additional funding has been provided by the Homes and Communities Agency, the national housing and regeneration agency for England and Cornwall Council.

Scott James, Heartlands Programme Director, said: “Without the investment from the BIG Lottery Fund The Heartlands Project would never have made it from its design plan stage to reality.

“We were delighted to welcome Peter onto the site and show him all the preparation work that has been undertaken as we work towards the official start on site.”

Pool pupils set to ride the waves

Pupils from Pool Business and Enterprise College will take to the waves at Gwithian Beach next month on belly boards inspired by life in Cornwall, and made out of recycled wood.

The year nine pupils have been busy collecting panels of un-used wood from The Heartlands Project in Pool, which will be transformed into the perfect eco-friendly belly boards.

The pupils spent an afternoon at the site collecting the raw materials and getting inspiration for words to describe the multi million pound Heartlands project, which will be inscribed onto the boards. Stories gleaned from family members and local residents about life in Pool will also be illustrated on the belly boards.

In July, the pupils involved with the belly board making project will showcase their hand crafted
boards at Gwithian Beach, before taking part in a professional surf lesson. Pupils will then hit the waves and try out their boards in a cultural surf event, where the inspiring belly boards designed and created by the young people will be put to the test.


The project, named Lost Objects, Found Words, is being led by artist Ben Cook. Ben said: “This has been an exciting project for the pupils to get involved with. Not only are they learning more about The Heartlands Project but they are also learning that sustainable living can be fun.

“We’re taking raw materials that are no longer of use on site and transforming the wood into fantastic original belly boards for the pupils to learn to surf on. Belly boarding was thought to have started in the very early 1900’s when a form of the Hawaiian ‘Paipo’ board was copied by British Soldiers returning from the Great War inspired by stories of surfing from South Africa, Australia and Hawaii.

“The belly boards, which are currently being cut into shape, will be lightweight and extremely durable and what will make them unique will be the inscriptions that the pupils choose relating to Heartlands.

“After the pupils have given their boards a test run they will be exhibited at The Heartlands Project for all to see.”

Pathway re-opens in Pool

A public walkway linking two of the main roads in Pool has been re-opened by Heartlands.

Access through the Heartlands site between Dudnance Lane and Station road was temporarily closed while site preparation work took place near the sites parameters. Sections of the former path have been replaced by Midas Construction, and a new gravelled walkway now runs parallel to the site, linking up the existing pathways and providing an access route for the public.

Steve Luck, Operations Manager, Midas Construction, said: “In order to ensure the health and safety of the public we temporarily closed off access through the site whilst essential site preparation work took place. We have now reopened the pathway, and levelled the path with gravel to provide easy access to the public.”

Kirsty Davies, Heartlands Community Project Manager, said: “It’s great the pathway is now open again for full public use. The walkway is already attracting dog walkers and cyclists out and about in Pool and we wanted to let everyone else know that path access between two of Pool’s main routes is open again. The new section of the pathway runs directly alongside the Heartlands site and provides the perfect view of the site for the public to watch the area develop.”

Local community invited to become friends of Heartlands

Members of the Pool community are being invited to become a ‘Friend of Heartlands’ to play a role in the ongoing development and success of the multi million pound development.

People can now register an interest to become a volunteer for the Project, which became a reality last year after receiving a £22.3 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Living Landmarks programme – the only project in England to be awarded Living Landmarks funding.

There will be a number of jobs on site, which the Friends of Heartlands will be able to get involved with, varying from gardening, wildlife, stewarding events and giving guided tours around the site.

As the Project progresses more roles will be developed and long term the Friends of Heartlands will play a vital role in working with the community to ensure the ongoing success of the site, its events and facilities.

Anyone interested in joining the group is being invited to a meeting on Wednesday May 6, from 6pm at Heartlands to learn more about the project and to have the opportunity to meet members of the team. The meeting will take place in Compressor House on the site and will provide people with the perfect opportunity to find out what the volunteer roles involve and how they can become a ‘Friend of Heartlands’.

Kirsty Davies, Heartlands Community Project Manager, said: “This is a great opportunity for anyone in the local community interested in taking more of an active role in the Project to get involved. We’ll be looking at matching people’s skills across all areas of the Project. We’re extremely lucky as Heartlands is so diverse there should be no shortage of roles and something for everyone.

“We’re calling on everyone in the community from ex-miners, who may have a historical link to the site, through to keen gardeners who may be prepared to give up their time to help maintain the Project.