GREAT NEWS: New community building for Indian Queens Pit

For me, the best part of my role as a councillor is submitting grant applications and working to make local projects happen.

I am therefore very pleased to be able to report that over £100,000 has been raised to build a new community building at Indian Queens Pit and work is due to commence in the very near future.

The new building will include a kitchen, display area/meeting room, modern toilets and storage facilities. It will replace an extremely run-down modular building, a storage building (constructed in asbestos sheeting) and a small, outdated toilet unit.

The Clay Country Local Action Group has awarded a grant of £52,000 to the project and the Cornwall SITA Trust has allocated £30,000, while the trustees had previously secured £4,630 from the former Restormel Borough Council.

St Enoder Parish Council has supported the initiative with £10,000 and the members of the Pit Association have themselves raised over £8,000 from local fundraising

It is our hope that the new building will be a hub around which we will be able to encourage more individuals and groups to visit the monument. It will also help us to increase the number of community, music and cultural events taking place at the venue.

We have also received a grant from the FEAST programme to commission a play which will be performed by the community in 2013, and fundraising continues to improve interpretation and educational materials on the site.

The above photograph comprises many, but not all, of the members of our Committee.