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Sara Tipler
Creating a resilient living, working Penwith landscape where farming prospers while protecting natural resources, restoring habitat connectivity and enhancing archaeological heritage.
Penwith Landscape Partnership is a 5-year National Lottery Heritage Funded project to support landscape and communities in Section 07 Cornwall National Landscape.
To create a resilient living, working Penwith landscape where farming prospers while protecting natural resources, restoring habitat connectivity and enhancing archaeological heritate.
Focusing on our work with volunteers and the local community these included That’s Our Parish and Outstanding Penwith. Cornwall National Landscape part-funded these projects.
Focusing on the many footpaths and ancient sites in Penwith these included At the End of the Land, Making Tracks and Ancient Penwith.
Focusing on working with and supporting the local farming community, and Penwith’s unique biodiversity these included Buildings in the Landscape, Farming Futures, Wild Penwith, Penwith Hedges, Up with the Downs.
Focusing on sharing information on Penwith’s landscape with the local community and visitors including Virtual Landscape Hub, Taking Names and Seeing the Landscape.
Our Primary Purpose is to conserve and enhance Natural Beauty.
Our priority is to lead and support projects which deliver under these four key categories.
Working with 11 Parish Councils to develop a Local Landscape Character Assessment for their parishes throughout Penwith to help local people to gain an understanding, knowledge and appreciation of their local landscapes and what makes it so special.
The Penwith landscape contains hundreds of archaeological sites, ranging from ancient cairns to post-medieval farm buildings. During the course of the programme PLP worked on a number of these sites, helping to clear vegetation, survey and record these sites for history.
The Penwith Landscape Partnership offered a range of information, training and support for farmers. Five of their thirteen projects focused specifically on farming, particularly supporting work that enhances the rich biodiversity of Penwith.
The Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust, known as CREST, was founded in March 2023 in to address the need for training in the craft of Cornish hedging and raise awareness of the rich value of hedges for climate in the landscape.
In 2014, a group of community organisations and individuals came together and agreed a vision for the Penwith landscape:
“a resilient living, working Penwith landscape where farming prospers while protecting natural resources, restoring habitat connectivity and enhancing the archaeological heritage; a landscape that is loved, enjoyed and supported by local communities and visitors”.
The Penwith Landscape Partnership Board was successful in getting a generous allocation of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop several projects aimed at conserving and enhancing this unique landscape. A fully developed Landscape Conservation Action Plan was submitted to the National Lottery Heritage Fund in August 2017 and in December that year, the Partnership secured a grant of £2,529,100 to deliver the First and Last – Our Living Working Landscape scheme. Together with additional funding from Cornwall National Landscape and other sources, and the commitment and enthusiasm of many volunteers from the local community, this money was used to conserve, protect and enhance Penwith’s ancient farming landscape and field systems, its archaeology and natural environment for future generations.
Here are some of the activities made possible by the funding
Surveying and improving knowledge of the archaeology and ancient sites in Penwith
Improving access to the landscape through footpaths, bridleways and cycle routes, as well as creating links to public transport
Helping Parishes to survey and care for the heritage and wildlife within their areas
Improving the landscape for wildlife by working with farmers and landowners to promote good soil, nutrient and habitat management
Recording the value of Cornish hedges and ‘upskilling’ volunteers to repair and rebuild hedges
Researching historic place-names to discover what they can tell us about the landscape and the history of the area
Encouraging exploration of the landscape through the arts
Helping farmers and landowners find economic uses for redundant farm buildings and manage rough ground
Supporting the growth of efficient, resilient family-farm businesses through setting up monitor farms and discussion groups
