'All of Cornwall should be proud': Rural community charity celebrates 80 years

A CHARITY that has been supporting communities in Cornwall since 1946 is celebrating its 80th anniversary.

The Cornwall Rural Community Charity (CRCC) works across a wide range of areas including community development, environmental initiatives, education and training, fisheries, transport, rural housing and wellbeing.

Its staff work in close partnership with organisations, including the NHS, Cornwall Council, Defra, including the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), Trinity House, the Seafarers’ Charity, Carers UK and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), and also voluntary, community and business partners. 

The charity’s purpose is to strengthen communities and support people to thrive across Cornwall and beyond. Through its work, the organisation plays a role in reducing pressure on public services, supporting local economies and tackling isolation and disadvantage, forming part of the essential, often unseen infrastructure that keeps Cornwall’s communities connected and resilient. 

With offices in Penzance, Newlyn, Truro and Looe, the charity works across three key areas: rural and coastal, education and training, and carers and wellbeing. 

Its key programmes include: Clean Cornwall, promoting environmental sustainability and community action; Learn Your Way and Work Your Way, supporting young people into employment and independence; Rural Housing Enabler and Fishing Animateur programmes, strengthening rural and coastal communities; and Community Gateway, providing guidance, support and signposting for residents experiencing isolation, health or cost-of-living challenges

At present, the charity is also playing a leading role in shaping the future of Heartlands, the mining heritage site at Pool, near Redruth, working in partnership with the National Trust and local stakeholders to reopen the facilities there with a community-first approach. 

The Cornwall Rural Community Charity, which employs more than 100 people and is part of a national network of 38 Rural Community Charities represented by ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England), held a celebration to mark its 80th anniversary at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey.

The charity’s patron Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho, the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, attended the celebration and cut a commemorative cake using a family ceremonial sword.

Staff and trustees from across Cornwall and also the charity’s Swindon Carers Together team, which became part of the organisation in January, gathered for the special event.

Sir Edward said: “It was a privilege to join the team for CRCC’s 80th anniversary celebrations. Quietly and without fuss, the charity helps provide the building blocks of our successful communities, in such extraordinarily wide and varied ways. From keeping our beaches and roads clean to caring for the most vulnerable, from strengthening our fishing industry to helping shape the future of Heartlands, CRCC is there, making things happen. 

“I am proud to be its patron in its 80th year. All of Cornwall should be proud of what CRCC has achieved and will I know continue to achieve in the future.”

Among those attending the celebration were long-serving team members Penwith centre administrator Adam Strowger and design and digital officer Perran Tremewan, who have each been with the charity for 20 years, alongside impact and research lead Gemma Finnegan, who recently marked 15 years with the organisation.