What’s Behind the Hedge in Par? The Creation Works Opens with a Big Festival on 24th May

New £1.2m community arts centre launches with free family fun at The PAR-teee

A new community arts centre in Par, near St Austell, will open its doors to the public for the first time on Saturday 24th May 2025 as part of the annual free family festival, The PAR-teee.

Ten months in the making, now ready to open

The Creation Works, known in Cornish as Hwel an Gwrians, has been under construction for ten months. Built on the edge of the field at Par Track, the £1.2 million development is described as sustainable, accessible and residential. Visitors will enter the site through a new 40-metre traditional Cornish hedgerow, which forms part of a 66-metre nature corridor designed to bring significant biodiversity gains to the area.

The new centre will officially launch during The PAR-teee, which runs from 12pm to 4pm and marks the fourth edition of the free festival. Visitors can expect outdoor performances, hands-on activities, food, and the chance to meet some of the centre’s new community PAR-tners.

Supporting Cornwall’s young creatives

The Creation Works is designed to support and retain Cornwall’s artists and connect children and young people with performers from Cornwall and beyond. The centre will offer routes into the creative sector through theatre, dance and outdoor performance.

Miranda Henderson, Co-Artistic Director of The Creation Works CIO, grew up in St Austell and left Cornwall in the 1990s due to a lack of creative opportunities. She returned in 2017 with her company and has since toured performances across Cornwall and internationally.

Miranda said:

“I love working here in my home of Cornwall. With the Creation Works here, we’ll be able to ensure young people don’t have to leave to find opportunities.”

Her team previously performed at Glastonbury, across Italy, Denmark and Ireland, and even at the Qatar World Cup for the British Council’s GREAT DIVERSITY programme.

Locally built and locally focused

The main contractor for the build was Sureflow Building Services Ltd, led by Brendon Cocking, who grew up in Par. The architects behind the design were Helen Brooks of Atelier Helen Brooks and Clare Mackness of Hireth Architects. Other Cornwall-based companies involved include Hewaswater Engineering Ltd, WH Bond & Sons, Saxton Drilling and Leighton Paull, who built the Cornish hedges.

The structure includes a purpose-built studio with aerial rigging, designed for performances like those from Yskynna Vertical Dance Co, who explored the site during construction.

📷Yskynna Vertical Dance Co exploring The Creation Works during construction. The steel frame for the studio is designed to incorporate aerial rigging. Credit Steve Tanner

Who funded The Creation Works?

The project was majority funded by £1,048,000 from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme, part of the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and managed by Cornwall Council. Additional support came from:

• Arts Council England, who provided National Lottery funding for the early stages, including a 2018 feasibility study that gathered input from over 100 artists and organisations.
  Phil Gibby, South West Area Director, Arts Council England, said:

  “We’re very pleased to have invested National Lottery funds into The Creation Works in its early stages… this project offers an incredible and exciting opportunity for Cornwall’s young performers to thrive.”

• The Clare Milne Trust, which funded accessibility features including a wet-room, profiling bed, mobile hoist, and hearing loop.

• The Foyle Foundation, which supported the installation of a full lighting and sound system, with energy-efficient theatre lanterns, speakers, and control desks.

Return on investment for Cornwall

An independent impact assessment found that over 95% of the £1,198,000 invested in the build was returned to the local economy, with just 12.1% of capital investment coming from outside Cornwall. The project has generated a net economic gain of £99,198.89 for the region.

The centre is operated by The Creation Works CIO, a charitable incorporated organisation registered with the Charity Commission. It builds on 25 years of experience from Miranda and her partner Alister O’Loughlin through their companies Prodigal Theatre and the Urban Playground Team, known for their innovative work in performance-parkour and storytelling.

The Creation Works isn’t just another arts venue. As its name suggests, it’s a place designed to bring together different generations to imagine, explore, and create something new together.

📷The Creation Works waits for the public behind its Cornish hedgerows. Credit Alister O’Loughlin