The importance of Cornwall’s arts, culture and heritage has been recognised as national cultural organisations sign a commitment to work closely together to promote Cornwall’s growing creative sector.
Representatives from Cornwall Council, Arts Council England and Historic England have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, committing to work together to the end of the decade.
The agreement was initially signed in 2019 when it was the first of its kind in the UK. The 2024 Memorandum of Understanding renews that commitment to work together to the year 2030.
The Memorandum of Understanding commits the organisations to cooperating on three main themes: improving places in Cornwall, developing the resilience of the creative economy and fostering Cornwall’s cultural distinctiveness. This builds on the Devolution Deal for Cornwall which was secured in 2023 and included £500,000 for Cornish cultural projects.
Together with the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the organisations meet through the Cornwall Culture Investment Board and have supported projects such as:
- Redruth High Street Heritage Action Zone where £1.6 million of Historic England funding has refurbished derelict buildings and attracted further investment for projects like the Ladder in the old library and the Buttermarket.
- Royal Cornwall Museum where £1.5 million of Arts Council England funding will improve the windows and roof of the building, and £2.1 million from the Cornwall Council Good Growth Programme will renovate the main gallery and entrance. These are part of a wider programme to transform the museum in Truro.
- Cornish Caretakers – a project by Edward Rowe/Palores Productions to tell Cornish history through the eyes of two museum caretakers. This production has toured schools, colleges and recently, using Arts Council England funding, libraries across Cornwall.
Cornwall has always been strong in visual arts, literature and community festivals and has a distinctive Celtic heritage. But today, Cornwall’s creative sector is growing, particularly in digital media, film and video games. There are over 6,000 creative businesses and freelancers across Cornwall, providing local jobs and helping to regenerate some of our towns.
Carol Mould, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for neighbourhoods said: “Culture, arts and heritage are important throughout Cornwall in bringing communities together and developing individual’s talents. The cooperation of the national organisations in Cornwall is a recognition of our strong sense of place and the potential to grow creative businesses in the region. By signing the Memorandum of Understanding, each partner is committing to work together to continue to support arts, heritage and culture so that Cornwall reaches its potential as one of the UK’s leading creative economies.”
Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England said: “We’ve invested £19.5 million across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly over the past three years, helping people across the county to enjoy the creatively excellent work of our artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries. We achieve real impact by working with closely with highly committed partners like Cornwall Council and Historic England and we’re celebrating that work today. This is a new chapter for creativity in Kernow that will benefit artists and audiences here for many years to come.”
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said: “The re-signing of this Memorandum of Understanding with Cornwall Council and Arts Council England is testament to the powerful role that culture and heritage plays in shaping successful and creative places of which people can be proud. We’re pleased to have played our part in helping to care for and celebrate Cornwall’s particularly rich and distinctive heritage, and look forward to many more years of partnership working.”