Par Bay Legacy Projects Plaque
Key Focus Areas
The rest of this page covers all the key focus areas of Par Bay Big Local (PBBL). This is also mentioned on the PBBL page, but more depth is given here.
Environment
Funding was made available to commission a local Green Space Audit which will be used to inform areas of related activity and focus.
Community Garden
In 2015 PBBL was able to lease a rather overgrown garden in the centre of Par. Since then, it has been turned into a vibrant community garden which gives great pleasure to many local people – and visitors – on many levels. It hosts many additional events and activities, such as Swap & Share sessions where people donate time in return for vegetables and plants, and a Gardening Club where members participate in the upkeep of the garden and derive opportunities to enhance their wellbeing.
Par Bay Community Garden has been particularly valuable to the community during the Covid-19 lockdowns. It has provided a great spot to talk during lockdown for residents out for their daily exercise, a place to unload anxieties, pick up a few plants to take home, and grow. Innovative approaches have been developed to reach out from the garden to vulnerable people.
PBBL was approached by a social worker looking for a way to encourage youngsters to follow the stay-at-home rule and came up with Grow Boxes containing easy-to-grow vegetables and fun flowers – everything edible. They have proved very popular and there have been many requests for extra boxes.
Friends of St Andrew’s Wetland Reserve
PBBL have helped with the provision of Interpretation at the reserve which is an area popular with residents of all ages and is also one of the routes adopted by PBBL’s weekly Walking for Health walking group.
Jobs & Employment
Reed in Partnership
For a period PBBL became an established strategic partner with Reed, hosting accessible weekly sessions at Cornubia for the local community, with a growing number of referrals to work routes and a wide range of support and outreach services available (mentoring, cv preparation, online applications, accredited training, etc) helping engagement with employment opportunities and reducing social isolation. Residents were able to avoid having to travel to access such services/facilities in St Austell or elsewhere, thereby saving a significant amount in bus fares/fuel costs.
This Partnership ceased in 2019, however, free access to computers and the internet at Cornubia continues to be available to anyone seeking to use these services, alongside support and guidance from other related providers such as Active Plus / Positive People which continues to be promoted as widely as possible.
MPower Kernow CIC (Formerly Roundhouse Cornwall Ltd)
Collaborative work for this heritage and education project has been undertaken with Shared Assets, thanks to the match funding arrangement with Local Trust; an MoU was prepared, and positive meetings were held with key stakeholders, focusing on STEM training, hands-on engineering experience, and exploration of additional funding streams; because of the feasibility and other work with Shared Assets, the project leaders have changed their name to MPower Kernow CIC and are now focusing their attention on the training and learning aspects of their project and related discussions, rather than the heritage building.
Young People & Families
Kernow Youth
Weekly drop-in advice sessions for local teenagers, funded by PBBL in response to recognised local needs commenced in autumn 2018 and have been well attended by those seeking advice, guidance, and support on a variety of issues.
“I enjoyed coming to the drop-in sessions last term because I needed help with my mental health. I was self-harming, had major anxiety, and had suicidal thoughts. I had no support or friends. Now I know the youth workers are there to support me when I need a chat or help.“
Young Advisors Group
This group comprises of over ten boys and girls, aged between 13 and 21, who attend weekly and are keen to develop their ideas for ways to engage and help their peers and ensure that young people have a voice in the community.
Support from PBBL has been instrumental in the continuation of youth services in the area at a time when local government financial cuts were resulting in the loss of youth provision in many areas.
PL24Reboot
This is a pandemic-inspired project, supported by PBBL, providing free refurbished laptops for home learning in the PL24 area (Par, in South Cornwall) and nearby. There are lots of children in home-learning in the area with inadequate access to a suitable device. Equally, there are lots of unused laptops tucked away in cupboards. The project takes in unwanted computers, refurbishes them for homeschooling, and distributes them to families who need them.
Health & Wellbeing
A Defibrillator
Part-funded by PBBL, this was installed outside Cornubia in the autumn of 2018 and the training was arranged for members of Par Bay and local businesses.
Weekly Health Walks
Running since 2018, walkers enjoy gentle exercise and fresh air, whilst appreciating the beautiful scenery and nature to be found in the area.
Food Poverty / Holiday Hunger / Surplus Food
Projects related to these topics have been undertaken for several years but have become particularly important during the COVID-19 lockdowns. During this period PBBL has formed a partnership with the Community Larder, looking to set up several larders in the PBBL and surrounding area. These community larders are open to everyone, taking surplus food collected from supermarkets and allowing people a chance to use it.
Working With Vulnerable & Isolated Residents
Through the provision of varied activities available at Cornubia, e.g. knitting, sewing, pottery painting, yoga, keep fit, helping them make friends, building contacts and networks they feel comfortable and confident with.
“I am eternally grateful to Carolyn, Sonia, Sally, and the rest of the Cornubia Team for taking me on and giving me the opportunities, I needed to become the confident, productive and hardworking person, I am today.”
Recreation & Culture
Par Track, a Pump Track providing opportunities for cyclists, skateboarders, and others and was part-funded by PBBL. It is a well-used facility, that has finally come about after years of hard work by the local community. Par Track was praised by the Department of Housing, Communities & Local Government as an example of best practice for building stronger communities, following the long-term transfer of assets to the community.
“Brilliant time down the pump track this morning, got there early before the crowds for my little boy to have a go. Absolutely loved it, track works really well, even for a four-year-old.”
Creativity & Heritage
Tex – Textiles with Benefits – (“Inspiration, Inclusion, Facilitation, Connections”)
Free textile-based engagement workshops and events connected with a wide cross-section of the PL24 community whilst working towards future sustainability and saving a huge amount of clothing and other fabrics from going to landfill.
The funding provided by PBBL enabled Tex to run the first Swish event in Cornwall and to secure funding from Lush to run more in the future. The first Swish was held in Cornubia where 107 people turned up, bringing 480 kg of clothing that was potentially diverted from landfill; a repair service was also available on the day.
Art Box – An art gallery in an old unused phone box
This exhibition is hosting local talents from ceramics to fine needlework, from photography to oil painting.
