CREATIVE Kernow is celebrating 40 years of supporting the Cornish creative community this month.

The cultural support organisation is hosting a 40th birthday party at Krowji on Friday, June 28, from 2.30pm, and they are inviting anyone who has been a part of their journey.  

The event aims to bring together many people who have played a part in the evolution of Creative Kernow with creative workshops, music and comedy performances, exhibitions and much more. 

Creative Kernow has been a part of the rich tapestry of Cornwall’s creative landscape since the early 1980s, providing support to thousands of artists, performers, makers and creatives since its inception. 

In the last decade, it has secured around £20-million in funding to help support and promote the Cornish creative industries and delivered more than £30-million into the Cornish economy. 

Fiona Wotton, chief executive for Creative Kernow, said: “For the last 40 years Creative Kernow has championed creativity as a force for positive change in Cornwall. I am so proud of our small team – it is heavyweight in terms of connections, expertise and energy which have catalysed a new confidence in Cornwall’s cultural identity and helped grow our creative economy. 

“We have a lot to look forward to with excitement building for our Krowji Phase 3 development, the launch of our new creative business support programme and numerous projects in the pipeline.  In these uncertain times, we need creativity more than ever to solve problems and make sense of the world and I can’t wait to see what challenges we tackle next.” 

Established in 1983 and now halfway through its 40th year, Creative Kernow started as Cornwall Arts Centre Trust and was set up by arts activists to save the old City Hall in Truro from being sold for a supermarket site.  

The campaign began for the creation of an arts venue for Cornwall resulting in the city hall being rescued from developers and reopening as Hall for Cornwall.

Ross Williams, former director of Creative Kernow, said: “I joined the company as director back in 1991, when the previous director left I was delighted to be appointed to what was then a very modest role, with just two part-time colleagues.  I had no idea that I’d be running the organisation for nearly 30 years and that it would have evolved into what it is today – one of the key cultural bodies in Cornwall, supporting creative practitioners and Cornish communities in a multitude of ways.  

“I’m incredibly proud of what’s been achieved over the years thanks to the hard work and dedication of hundreds of people – fellow employees, trustees and all those who helped to develop Creative Kernow’s range of services and projects – and it was a privilege to be part of that journey.”