Cornwall Communities Invited to Submit Living Traditions for UK Cultural Heritage List

Cornwall’s communities are being encouraged to share the living traditions that shape daily life here, as submissions open for the UK’s new inventory of intangible cultural heritage.

UK Callout Opens for Expressions of Interest

A UK-wide call for Expressions of Interest is now live, inviting people across Cornwall to put forward the cultural practices, customs and skills that matter to them. This follows the UK Government’s ratification of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2024.

From festivals and community rituals to traditional music, dance, dialect, foodways and craft skills such as pasty making and dry stone walling, communities can now nominate the practices they would like to see recognised in the UK inventories. The process aims to capture the breadth and diversity of everyday culture as it is lived and valued by the people who keep it going.

This callout marks another moment for Cornish communities to highlight their distinctive heritage. The Cornish were granted national minority status in 2014 under the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and Cornwall Council recently called for Cornwall to be recognised officially as the UK’s fifth nation.

📷A reveller smiles at Penglas, meaning ‘grey head’, at Golowan, a midsummer festival revived in Penzance. Photo © Perran Tremewan

Lowender Steps In To Support Communities

To help people participate, Lowender has been appointed as a Community Support Hub. The organisation will offer guidance, workshops and resources for anyone wishing to make a submission.

Jowdy Davey, Chair of Trustees at Lowender, said:
‘Cornwall’s living traditions are at the heart of who we are. This national call gives us an opportunity not only to celebrate our culture but to ensure its safeguarding for future generations.’

‘Our culture is not something in a museum, it’s a living, breathing part of Cornish life. Recognising it at a UK level is an important step in safeguarding what makes Cornwall unique, and we’re proud to support communities that choose to put their heritage forward.’

‘For Cornwall, this is more than an administrative process, it’s an opportunity to champion our identity. By supporting communities to share their living heritage, we can strengthen pride, visibility and understanding of what Cornwall brings to the cultural life of the UK.’

For information or guidance from the Lowender Community Support Hub, email ich@lowender.co.uk or visit lowender.co.uk/ich.

Cornwall Council Launches Its Own Living Heritage Inventory

Alongside the UK list, Cornwall Council is creating a dedicated Cornish Living Heritage Inventory. This will give communities a space to record traditions in their own words and ensure they are celebrated on Cornwall’s own terms.

People across Cornwall are encouraged to take part in both processes, either by submitting a tradition themselves or by helping spread the word.

To submit an Expression of Interest for the UK list, visit the Living Heritage EOI page.

To take part in Cornwall Council’s intangible cultural heritage survey, visit the Let’s Talk Cornwall survey.

The announcement adds momentum to wider efforts that aim to promote Cornwall’s heritage on a national stage while empowering communities to continue nurturing the customs that shape everyday life across the region.

📷Marchers playing at Lowender, Cornwall’s cultural festival in Redruth. Photo © Perran Tremewan