Pottery receives £715k boost from investment fund
THE Leach Pottery in St Ives is one of six organisations across the South West set to receive a share of £2.6 million through the Cultural Investment Fund.
The Leach Pottery has received £715,000, which it says will fund urgent repairs to the roof and windows, improvements to lift access for disabled people and improve the site’s environmental sustainability.
Elsewhere in the county the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth is to receive £499,000 to repair its roof, which has been leaking in multiple locations for years, replace some high-level windows and install a new ventilation system to ensure the safety of people using its storage facilities.
Gary Topp, chair of the Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust, said: “We’re delighted to receive funding from the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) project, which will help us to carry out vital work to protect the Grade II historic buildings for future generations to enjoy.
“The Leach Pottery has stood on the same site for more than 100 years and is a vital part of the history of St Ives, Cornwall and the international pottery community.
“The MEND funding forms part of our Capital Project which will allow us to develop and expand our learning programme and provide the working pottery with the worldclass facilities needed to increase studio production and bring the story of the 100-year-old pottery to life in a new extended museum.”
Richard Doughty, the director of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, said: “It’s no exaggeration to say when we were notified about the grant it was a ‘Hallelujah’ moment.
“Replacing our main roof has been a top priority for us for several years. However, the costs have remained stubbornly beyond our reach.
“The MEND awards provide a lifeline for organisations struggling to finance essential infrastructure works and we’re deeply grateful to have been given the help we need to address this fundamental issue”.
Arts and heritage minister Lord Parkinson said: “Museums and libraries sit at the heart of their communities, and this vital funding for libraries and museums across the South West will see treasured institutions like the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and Leach Pottery continue to impress visitors from near and far.
“This additional funding underlines the Government’s commitment to culture and heritage in every part of the country, and I look forward to seeing how it helps to improve the infrastructure of libraries, museums and galleries across the South West.”