Cornish Lithium Awards Over £17,000 to Local Community Projects – See Who Benefited

Cornish Lithium has distributed £17,390 in grants to 13 local organisations across Cornwall as part of its Community Fund, delivered in partnership with Cornwall Community Foundation. The funding aims to support grassroots projects that enhance community life, education, industrial heritage, health, and the environment in areas linked to the company’s lithium exploration and extraction work.

Supporting Local Groups

The Cornish Lithium Community Fund provides grants ranging from £250 to £2,500, with applications invited twice a year. The latest recipients, funded in the Winter 2024 round, include:

• 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

Funding in Action

Each organisation will use the grant to deliver vital community projects:

• Active Plus, based in St Austell, will provide confidence-building courses for residents in the china clay area, delivered by injured and retired military veterans.
• Headway Cornwall, in Tolgus, will fund venue hire, wages, physiotherapy, counselling, and equipment to expand activities supporting those with acquired brain injuries.
• Imagine If, a wellbeing hub in Chacewater, will introduce frailty triage, carer support, movement sessions, a Menopause Café, and a Chronic Pain Café.
• Lowender Youth Folk Project in Redruth will expand access to Cornish folk music, teaching young people about mining, fishing, and farming heritage.
• MEDO Memory Café in Chacewater/Threemilestone will bring in high-quality entertainment to stimulate memories and social engagement for people with dementia and their carers.
• Moorvision will organise accessible sporting activities such as rock climbing, sailing, and kayaking for vision-impaired children and young people.
• Redruth Cricket Club will invest in a lithium battery to store solar-generated electricity, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions.
• Roche Brass will purchase a Besson Prestige Cornet, ensuring continued access to instruments for musicians from all backgrounds.
• St Denny’s Beaders, a weekly craft group in St Dennis, will use its grant for venue hire costs at ClayTAWC.
• Sunny Days Nursery and Preschool, in St Day, will expand its forest school activities, train staff, and purchase outdoor learning equipment.
• Travellerspace will invest in new toys and play equipment at The Teyluva Centre in St Day, supporting children from a nearby Travellers’ site.
• Whitemoor Carnival will fund brass and samba bands, a DJ, and local performers for its annual event.
• Whitemoor Village Hall will put its funding towards the running costs of its new community space project after the demolition of the original hall.

Community Impact

Lucy Crane, Cornish Lithium’s ESG & Sustainability Manager, highlighted the significance of the funding:

“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. 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.”

Tamas Haydu, CEO of Cornwall Community Foundation, also welcomed the collaboration:

“Cornwall Community Foundation is delighted to partner with Cornish Lithium in supporting grassroots projects that make a real difference to local people. These grants will help strengthen communities, enhance wellbeing and create lasting positive change across Cornish Lithium project areas.”

More Funding Available

The next funding round opens on Thursday 27th March 2025, with a deadline for applications at 9am on Thursday 15th May 2025. Grants will be awarded in late summer.

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