Cornish Lithium awards more grants to community projects across Cornwall

Cornish Lithium, the pioneering mineral exploration and development company supporting the UK’s transition to net zero, has awarded £17,390 to 13 local organisations through the Community Fund it has established in collaboration with the Cornwall Community Foundation.

The Cornish Lithium Community Fund awards grants of between £250 and £2,500 to support the work of local clubs, charities and activity groups that seek to make a positive difference in the Company’s project areas. These currently include Gwennap, Chacewater, St Day, Carharrack and St Agnes Blackwater parishes; China Clay Area and Luxulyan Community Area Partnership region, and the Redruth Tolgus area.

In winter and summer each year, Cornish Lithium invites applications from projects that will enhance skills and education, upgrade social welfare facilities, support industrial heritage and mining history, improve environmental impacts or promote health and wellbeing.

The recipients of the Winter 2024 Cornish Lithium Community Fund awards are:

· Active Plus

· Headway Cornwall

· Imagine If

· Lowender Youth Folk Project

· MEDO Memory Café

· Moorvision

· Redruth Cricket Club

· Roche Brass

· St Denny’s Beaders

· Sunny Days Nursery and Preschool

· Travellerspace

· Whitemoor Carnival

· Whitemoor Village Hall.

Active Plus, located in St Austell, deploys the skills, experience and expertise of injured and retired military veterans to deliver activities that build confidence, improve motivation, and generate a sense of belonging and self-worth, to help people fulfil their potential. This award will enable Active Plus to deliver courses to residents in the china clay area and enhance community connections.

Headway Cornwall in Tolgus will use its award to cover venue hire, wages, specialist services such as physiotherapy and counselling, and equipment to deliver a wider range of activities for those living with the effects of an acquired brain injury to improve their wellbeing and support their rehabilitation.

Imagine If is a wellbeing hub, situated in Chacewater, that aims to reduce loneliness and offers practical advice and signposting about a broad array of issues from healthcare to the cost of living. Its grant will provide a variety of activities including triage for frailty, support for carers, movement sessions, a Menopause Café and a Pop-up Chronic Pain Café.

Lowender Youth Folk Project, based in Redruth, enables young people to learn about Cornwall’s mining, fishing and farming heritage through its traditional folk music. It teaches vocal techniques, rhythm and timing, as well as teamworking and communication skills to help build confidence. Its funding will be utilised to broaden inclusion, celebrate diversity and engender a sense of pride in place.

MEDO is a memory café in the Chacewater/Threemilestone area, which combines dementia and joy in the same room. This is achieved through a well-planned and researched programme of appropriate activities that promote cognitive ability and encourage smiles. This award will be used to secure high quality entertainment to spark memories, bring laughter and enable people and their carers to socialise.

Moorvision is a charity for families with children and young people who are vision impaired. This grant will enable accessible sporting activities to be provided, including rock climbing, sailing, canoeing and kayaking, in a safe and positive environment, with the aim of reducing social isolation, boosting confidence and improving wellbeing.

Redruth Cricket Club will purchase a lithium battery to store solar-generated electricity with its funding. The Club will therefore save money on its energy consumption, generate excess energy to sell back to the National Grid, reinvest in this community amenity and reduce its carbon emissions.

Roche Brass will acquire a Besson Prestige Cornet with its award. Many of its instruments are on loan from brass bands that disbanded after the Covid-19 pandemic and could be recalled at any time. This popular community ensemble raises funds for local causes and plans to buy instruments for its full cohort of players to build resilience and enable musicians from all backgrounds to participate.

St Denny’s Beaders is a craft group that meets weekly at ClayTAWC in St Dennis. It comprises widows and retirees in search of company, but everyone is welcome and its sessions bring people together. This group’s funding will contribute to ClayTAWC’s charge for venue hire.

Sunny Days Nursery and Preschool, based in St Day, will utilise this grant to expand forest school activities for its early years children, fund staff training and purchase equipment to support the delivery of this enriching outdoor provision that stimulates social interaction and fosters an appreciation of the natural world.

Travellerspace aims to break down barriers experienced by Romani Gypsies and Travellers in accessing health education and welfare services. It offers outreach, runs The Teyluva Centre in St Day and will invest its award in new toys and play equipment for children and babies from the nearby Travellers’ site who benefit from the safe and creative play space it offers.

Whitemoor Carnival Committee generates community spirit by bringing local residents and businesses together for its annual event. This grant will fund brass and samba bands to lead the walking procession, as well as a DJ and local groups to entertain villagers in the Carnival Marquee.

Whitemoor Village Hall will use its funding to assist with the running costs of the charity it has established to raise the required funds to build a new community space following the demolition of the village’s original and derelict hall.

“Cornish Lithium Community Fund panel members were inspired by all of these community initiatives, which enhance social interaction, reduce isolation, improve the environment, and promote wellness and wellbeing in the areas of Cornwall where our lithium exploration and extraction projects are located,” commented Cornish Lithium’s ESG & Sustainability Manager, Lucy Crane. “We are immensely proud to support them with awards made through our latest funding round and look forward to learning about the positive impacts that these initiatives will have on local communities.”

"Cornwall Community Foundation is delighted to partner with Cornish Lithium in supporting grassroots projects that make a real difference to local people," added Tamas Haydu, CEO of Cornwall Community Foundation. "These grants will help

strengthen communities, enhance wellbeing and create lasting positive change across Cornish Lithium project areas."

The Cornish Lithium Community Fund is administered by the Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF) and there are two funding rounds each year.

The Summer 2025 funding round opens on Thursday 27 March and the deadline for applications is 9am on Thursday 15 May 2025. A panel will then meet to assess eligible applications, select the projects that will receive grants and award them in late summer.

For more information about the Cornish Lithium Community Fund and how to apply, visit www.cornwallcommunityfoundation.com/news/cornish-lithium-community-fund/

For more information about Cornish Lithium, visit www.cornishlithium.com