A new cornet and bal maiden costumes: Cornish Lithium’s 14 grants

A new cornet for a band founded in 1856. Two wheelchair ramps in Fraddon. Fresh flooring in Whitemoor so more people can dance. Some of the smallest grants in Cornwall’s Clay Country are about to go a surprisingly long way.

Cornish Lithium has awarded £21,739 to 14 local organisations through the 2026 Cornish Lithium Community Fund, which Cornwall Community Foundation administers on the company’s behalf.

What the fund is for

Cornish Lithium is a mineral exploration and development company focused on the responsible extraction of lithium from hard rock and geothermal waters in Cornwall. Lithium is an essential component of the batteries that power consumer electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems. The company aims to build a secure domestic supply for UK industry as global demand continues to outstrip supply.

The fund awards grants of between £250 and £2,500 to local clubs, charities and activity groups making a positive difference near the company’s operations. These currently include the Trelavour Lithium Project near St Austell and the Cross Lanes Geothermal Lithium Project near Truro.

It looks for projects that upskill, educate and engage (with a focus on earth sciences and Cornwall’s mining heritage), that advance environmental protection and the move to net zero, or that improve the local landscape and social facilities to boost wellbeing.

The 14 successful applicants

A panel recently assessed all the applications, and the recipients are:

• Chacewater Players
• ClayTAWC, St Dennis
• Cornwall ScrapStore, St Stephen-in-Brannel
• Fraddon Village Hall
• Gunners Kids CIC, St Dennis, Penwithick and Whitemoor
• Indian Queens Band
• Indian Queens Pit Association
• Lowender CIO, Redruth
• Really Lovely Projects CIC, St Dennis Project
• TECwomen CIC, St Dennis and Chacewater Projects
• The Tregargus Trust, St Stephen-in-Brannel
• Wheal Martyn Trust, Penwithick and Boscoppa
• Whitemoor Recreation Ground
• Whitemoor Village Hall

Brass, bal maidens and a preaching pit

Indian Queens Band was established in 1856 and plays the rousing repertoire that sits at the heart of Clay Country culture, teaching brass band music to people from all backgrounds. Its grant will buy an extra cornet, replacement mouthpieces for existing instruments and new sheet music for its training band.

Down the road, the Methodist preaching pit at Indian Queens is one of only three created out of mining hollows. It hosts religious services, fetes, charity fundraisers, concerts and plays. The Indian Queens Pit Association will spend its award on electronic equipment for its community building, aiming to attract more groups needing conference facilities and to bring in income to maintain the historic monument.

Lowender CIO in Redruth celebrates Cornish heritage and builds links with the wider Celtic world. Its award will pay for a shared bank of costumes inspired by bal maidens and miners for Gwerin, the traditional troupe that performs choreographed dances to widen access to Cornish culture.

Really Lovely Projects CIC, a community interest company that runs creative events championing local traditions, will develop a special Clay Country song with children at St Dennis Primary Academy. The children will then perform it at the village’s Christmas Tree Light-up and Lantern Parade.

Valleys, clay works and classrooms

The Tregargus Trust looks after a 35-acre wooded valley near St Austell and teaches visitors about its quarrying history. The grant will fund a website, new wayfinding and interpretation signs, and a printed leaflet explaining the Tregargus Valley’s significance in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Wheal Martyn Trust runs Wheal Martyn Clay Works, the UK’s only china clay mining museum, which tells the story of how the industry shaped lives, landscape and the economy of mid-Cornwall for more than 250 years. Its award will subsidise 1,200 half-price educational visits for local primary and secondary schools.

Social enterprise TECwomen CIC runs events and training for women and girls with a focus on technical, engineering and creative digital skills. Its award will fund an eight-week TECgirls programme in five Cornish primary schools, introducing pupils to Cornwall’s modern mining and minerals sector through hands-on activities and meetings with role models.

Toddlers, families and scrap

ClayTAWC, the community hub in St Dennis, will use its grant to help set up and run Clay Tots, a new weekly toddler group bringing pre-school children together for early learning and play.

Gunners Kids CIC supports families in Cornwall where a parent or caregiver has a terminal illness, helping them make lasting memories together in a safe and welcoming setting. The award will provide tailored sessions for two families and contribute to travel and volunteer costs.

Cornwall ScrapStore collects surplus materials from businesses and passes them on to schools, charities and groups as affordable resources for creative activities, cutting waste along the way. The grant will cover the charity’s operational costs for a year so its mobile service can reach further.

Halls, stages and a picnic bench

Chacewater Players put on pantomimes, plays and musicals in the village hall. Their award will upgrade the stage lighting to energy-efficient LED, cutting maintenance costs and carbon emissions.

From indoor athletics and ballet for tiny toes to quilting and karate, Fraddon Village Hall hosts activities for every generation. Its grant will pay for two wheelchair ramps to make the building more accessible.

Whitemoor Recreation Ground has a children’s play area, tennis courts, exercise equipment and events, all run by a small volunteer committee. The money will go on a new picnic bench and waste bin, a safety inspection, utility bills and general upkeep.

And Whitemoor Village Hall is raising money for a new community space after the village’s original, derelict hall was demolished. In the meantime its committee has bought and renovated a second-hand portable building, which opened earlier this year as a meeting place with its own calendar of activities. The award will replace the flooring in one room, making it safer so more dance classes can be added.

What they said

“The Cornish Lithium Community Fund exists to benefit residents in our project areas, strengthen communities and create an enduring legacy for Cornwall,” said Penny Bulkeley, ESG Engagement Lead at Cornish Lithium. “We are immensely proud to fund so many projects that improve leisure and welfare facilities, inspire learning, conserve Cornish cultural heritage and increase social interaction, and hope that the grants we award will make a positive and lasting impact on local lives.”

Projects funded in earlier rounds are listed on the Cornish Lithium Community Fund page.

Tamara Sherston-Baker, Development Director at Cornwall Community Foundation, said: “Many of these groups run on small budgets and a lot of goodwill, so a modest grant towards a wheelchair ramp, new band instruments or safer flooring can make all the difference. It is also good to see the fund supporting Clay Country’s past and its future side by side, from a brass band founded in 1856 to girls in local primary schools learning about careers in modern mining.”

📷The Whitemoor Village Hall committee at its recent open day. Credit: Whitemoor Village Hall