Community Levelling Up awards over £93,000 to fund improvements to the Old Bank in Camelford

We are excited and proud to announce that we have been successful in our Community Levelling Up funding application and been awarded £93,732 to make significant improvements to the Old Bank building in Camelford.   

This funding has been allocated from Cornwall Council’s Community Levelling Up Programme.  The Community Levelling Up Programme is part of the Good Growth Programme, which is delivering the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly.  

Cornwall Council portfolio holder for economy Cllr Louis Gardner, said: “This is exactly the kind of project that the Community Levelling Up Fund is designed for – a community initiative that will benefit so many local people. From those looking for support to get a job, to care leavers and young people looking for advice, this extremely important community hub will boost the provision of services and activities for so many residents and help all age groups to start well, live well and age well.” 

The Old Bank charity was set up to prevent another empty building on the high street and to use the building for the local community. Trustees and volunteers work very hard to keep the building open which is not easy with such an old building. Over the last few years the building has deteriorated to a point where over the last few months we have only been able to use part of the building and the Old Bank was in desperate need of improvements.  

This funding will allow us to fully refurbish the building making it up to standard so we can offer more activities for the local community. We will be increasing the services we provide to include a job club; the community kitchen will be back open; we will be putting on cooking courses aimed at cooking on a budget, we have numerous organisations lined up ready to offer a whole host of services. We will eventually open a community café. The building will then be available to hire at very affordable prices, this includes the smaller rooms or the main room which can hold 60 people. The Old Bank is run by the community for the community. If you would like to volunteer with us, then please get in touch.  

We have also been fortunate to secure some match funding from Cornwall Community Foundation.  

This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cornwall Council has been chosen by Government as a Lead Authority for the fund and is responsible for monitoring the progress of projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025.  The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.  

For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)