Cornwall Heritage Awards 2019 - The Winners
We were delighted to host the Cornwall Heritage Awards on Thursday 21 March at Trenderway Farm, near Looe. The event celebrates all of the amazing projects that are happening at museums and heritage organisations in Cornwall. These projects are ones that make these organisations more resilient and improve experiences for visitors.
Innovation Award – sponsored by PH Media
Judged by Julia Le Gallo – Business Development and Marketing Manager at Engine House Animation Studio
Wheal Martyn: Clay Stories
Museum staff pick a theme every other month which is represented across the museum. The Kettle Kid theme last summer included an interactive trail and quiz, workshops, dressing up, and a Kettle Kid cafe menu. It was covered by ITV News and BBC Radio Cornwall.
Old Guidhall Museum and Gaol, Looe: Kids Takeover the Museum
As part of the Kids in Museums Takeover Day, staff went to Looe Primary Academy to talk to pupils about how the museum is run, and the different roles involved. Children researched their jobs and then became stewards, marketing, front of house, artists, managers, education officers, and curators.
Family Friendly Award
Judged by Dr Jamie Hampson – Senior Lecturer in Heritage, University of Exeter
Padstow Museum: A New Museum for Padstow
The museum’s new location has provided level access for pushchairs, a pushchair parking space, and interactive displays for families. They are also now dog-friendly.
Best Project on a Budget
Judged by Alison Elvey – Grants Specialist at Robinson Reed Layton
Saltash Heritage: Volunteers are the Life Blood of our Museum
The museum wanted to enhance their volunteers’ experiences. They set up training sessions, a party, and a fun awards ceremony presenting three bronze stars to be worn on lanyards.
Environmentally Responsible Award – sponsored by Tevi
Judged by Dr Stephen Lowe, Industrial Impact Fellow at Tevi and presented by Tevi’s Dr Edvard Glucksman.
National Trust Godolphin: Energy Reduction at Godolphin Count House
A number of changes including switching to LED bulbs, halving the number of fluorescent tubes, installing PIR switches, and replacing two oil boilers with one biomass pellet boiler, has reduced energy consumption from 54,806 KWh to under 11,000 KWh per year.
Newquay Heritage Archive and Museum: Plastics in the Ocean
This project aimed to create a greater awareness of the danger of plastics in the oceans for the environment and its impact on the town. Working with various local partners, the museum staffed exhibitions to promote awareness of plastic waste and pollution.
Audience Initiative Award
This award was judged by Belinda Shipp – Chartered Marketer at the Cornish Marketing Consultancy.
Royal Cornwall Museum: Truro Foodbank Pilot Scheme
Free-entry passes were given out with food parcels over the summer holidays. It was felt that those who might benefit from the family activities were being potentially excluded by the entrance fee, and the museum wanted to effectively reach out to these members of the community.
St Cubert Church: Sacred Land, Saints and Sand
Artists facilitated free workshops in the church, exploring some of the skills that were used in the making of the church. The workshops were tactile and sensory in nature, as accessible as possible, and went on to form a handling box for sessions in memory cafes and residential care homes.
Heritage Heroes Award
Judged by Hilary Burr – Volunteer Development Manager at Shelterbox
Museum of Cornish Life, Helston: Helston Makes It!
This volunteer team created an exhibition, 17 workshops, an opening event, and an animation produced with the local school. These formed a two-week celebration that was experienced by over 1200 people.
Cornwall’s Regimental Museum: Relaxed Opening
The museum held its first relaxed opening which was designed for people with autism or sensory processing disorders. The volunteer team who helped to plan and deliver the session were crucial to the success of this inclusive and welcoming visitor experience.
Lawrence House Museum: Launceston U3A Local History Group
The group have been working for several years surveying and photographing the buildings within the old walled town and researching their history. The result of this has been the popular ‘Launceston Buildings: Vernacular Buildings within the Old Town Walls of Launceston’ exhibition.
Cornish Object of the Year
Shortlisted by Mark Trevethan – Cornish Language Lead at Cornwall Council. Voted for by the public. Presented by Dr Garry Tregidga – Director of the Cornish Studies Institute.
The Gurney Stove: The Castle Heritage Centre, Bude
Judge’s Special Award
Chosen by Head Judge, Ellie Collier – Museum Consultant. This award is for the project or organisation that merits additional commendation.
The Castle Heritage Centre, Bude
Congratulations to all of the winners. We will be posting more details about all of the projects shortlisted for the awards on our blog over the coming weeks.