National Lottery pulled out of funding Heartlands visitor attraction in Camborne
The National Lottery has revealed it pulled its funding for Heartlands, the mining world heritage centre in Cornwall.
Heartlands is a visitor attraction in the former mining district of Pool near Camborne and Redruth.
On Friday 5 January The Heartlands Trust, the charity which runs the site, and the landowner Cornwall Council issued a joint statement stating that Heartlands was unable to continue to cover its operating costs and facilities at the site will close later this month.
The site opened in 2012, thanks to over £20 million in lottery funding.
Watch Bob Cruwys' report from Saturday 6 January here.
Cornwall Council said in a statement: "Despite its popularity, recent economic conditions have meant that utility costs have considerably increased and income from operations has decreased.
"All of the funding options currently available have now been exhausted and Cornwall Council is not in a position to be able to step in and provide ongoing financial support for the current operation. "
Among the facilities to shut their doors are the Red River Café, Wheal Play soft play centre, meeting rooms and a conference centre, which was used as a popular wedding venue.
The National Lottery Community Fund, which provided the biggest financial contribution towards the running of Heartlands, has revealed that it agreed with Cornwall Council not to release any more funds when it became apparent that the attraction had been unable to cover its operating costs for some time and had become unsustainable.
The National Lottery has made a financial contribution towards the maintenance of the site. The council will ensure the gardens and free adventure playground park – the largest of its kind in Cornwall – remain open to the public.
The Register Office and commercially let shops and offices will also remain open.
A spokesperson at the National Lottery Community Fund said: “Sadly, we have been informed that Heartlands has been unable to cover its operating costs for some time and has become unsustainable.
"We have a small endowment in place with Cornwall Council to support with maintenance at Heartlands and we have agreed with the council not to release any further funds.
“We are disappointed as we always want projects we have funded to be sustainable and successful for the community. However, we have a responsibility to ensure public money is well spent, which is why we have had to make this difficult decision.”
The Heartlands Trust says on its website that it will cease trading at the end of January and “would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their support over the past 12 years”.
Credit: Local democracy reporting service