This article appeared in a recent edition of the Cornish Guardian newspaper

The Clay Area Training and Work Centre (ClayTAWC) in St Dennis was founded in 1999 and, on Saturday 31st August, I was at the organisation’s “ClayTAWC Celebration Day.”

Based in the Old School Building in the heart of the village, ClayTAWC (of which I am chairman) has traditionally helped provide training and education courses. It has also been an important community centre for the area. The Parish Council is based at the venue and, in more recent years, our staff (Kerry Merrifield and Chloe Prangley) have ensured that the Centre has matured into a wellbeing hub.

Our lease of the premises ends this year, but we were given the opportunity to purchase the building from its owners (the Church Charity of John Arundell), so that we could continue our good work and safeguard the structure for the community going forward.

This event celebrated our work over the last quarter-of-a-century, as well as our purchase of the Old School Building, which was recently completed. To make this happen, we secured a grant of £96,560 from the “Community Levelling Up Programme” (CLUP) element of Shared Prosperity Funding (SPF). It was match-funded by the St Dennis and Nanpean Community Trust (incinerator fund).

I am grateful that we were able to access SPF monies – which have been invested in lots of projects, large and small, across Cornwall –  but this present round of funding is ending and there is uncertainty about whether there will be a similar funding programme or programmes going forward.

The Prime Minister recently states that his government needs to make “tough choices” and  take “unpopular decisions.” Obviously, he is blaming the Conservatives for the state of the UK – using terms like “rubble and ruin” – while warning that improvements “won’t happen overnight.” In this political climate, I am quite fearful and question whether regeneration funding for Cornwall will be prioritised.

In terms of CLUP, I am aware of a range of community organisations that secured “feasibility” funding to work up projects and, for example, bring forward planning applications. These projects, to use some local government jargon, are or will soon be “oven-ready,” but now they find that a key source of grant funding is no longer there. It means they might not happen, which would be a disaster.

Like many others, I have spoken to some of Cornwall’s new MPs to raise my concerns and I am pleased that they have already been making representations for new funding streams. I hope that their efforts are successful.

Thanks to Derek Williams for the above photograph.