A new project in Penzance has received £16,300 of funding from Historic England's Everyday Heritage grants programme.

The Gardeners’ House is a heritage restoration project in Morrab Gardens, a sub-tropical garden which has been at the heart of the community since 1841. The dilapidated building is now being restored and will become a living archive of the horticulture and botany of West Cornwall, including the stories from the Morrab Memories project.

The funding will help collect, record and capture the memories local people have of this much-loved place. All the work created during the project – including a film to be made with a local secondary school - will ensure stories about Morrab Gardens and what they mean to the local community will be kept for future generations.

Launched in 2022, the Everyday Heritage programme aims to celebrate working class histories. This time, projects have a focus on buildings or places in rural and coastal locations. The programme has already funded over 100 projects, totalling £1.8-million. In total there are 30 new projects around England this year sharing almost £500,000.

Duncan Wilson, chief executive, Historic England, said: “Across England we are all surrounded by inspiring historic buildings, landscapes and streets, rural and coastal heritage. These projects will shine a light on the stories of local, working-class people and their extraordinary contributions to our shared history.

“Connecting with our heritage helps us to feel that we belong and to feel pride in our local area. This programme gives communities the opportunity to recognise and celebrate their history in their own way, and to share untold stories about the places where they live so they can be enjoyed by more people, for longer.”