86 RURAL CULTURE REGENERATION
to relate to our global mission – how does it respond to the planetary emergency?’ Within Cornwall, Curson cites a host of
recently launched and booming spaces for art and creativity. CAST (which stands for Cornubian Arts and Science Trust) is foremost among them. Set in the struggling market town of Helston within a simply refurbished Victorian school, it offers artist studios, a fully equipped ceramic workshop, a meeting/ events space and café. Founded by Teresa Gleadowe as an
education charity, it runs Art Lab sessions for primary schools, free holiday workshops, and a Saturday club for youngsters aged 12 to 16. CAST was one of the first organisations to win substantial funding from the Arts Council England’s Ambition for Excellence scheme (underpinned by £35.2m funding from the National Lottery), aimed at supporting a more ambitious arts infrastructure outside of London. Gleadowe clearly understands that the stronger the collaborative spirit, the richer the ecosystem. Tus, in delivering a three-year project with international artists, it partnered with local arts organisations including Kestle Barton, Newlyn Art Gallery & Te Exchange, and Tate St Ives. Te Eden Project’s Curson says that
when cultural initiatives are most effective as economic triggers it’s where there is an existing ecosystem that new projects can tap into. She cites many longstanding small organisations in Cornwall, such as the Miners and Mechanics Institute – a community centre that programmes music, film and screenings – as one of the longest- standing, as well as art schools in Plymouth and Falmouth. She says: ‘Tere’s a will to create culture and participate in culture here. Trough these spaces being available there’s an opportunity for everyone to live a rich and meaningful life, enjoying living costs that are generally cheaper than in the big cities.’
Sussex Modern Sometimes it takes a crisis – economic or otherwise – to reveal the existing networks of sympathetic businesses and generate among them a desire to work together rather than compete. Such seems to be the case in another picturesque region of the UK. Sussex is a county with rolling countryside, vineyards, historic houses, charming villages and so much more than the coast, to which most tourists from the capital or further afield usually direct their attentions. Sussex Modern is a new initiative to draw tourism through and across the region, harnessing the attractions of both counties – East and
Right Wiston Estate has completed a £6m refurbishment through ECE Architecture to create substantial wine storage and tasting facilities plus dining spaces, repurposing farm buildings in a way that celebrates the regional materials and typologies
Far right, top and below Tinwood has added small but cosy cabins among the vines, a short stroll from a new restaurant
West Sussex – under the banner ‘art, landscape, wine’. Yes, wine. Sussex vineyards, it seems, are
benefitting from global warming. Te layer of flint over chalk that typifies its geology, giving an optimal mixture of good drainage with moisture retention, is very similar to that of France’s Champagne region (which is now struggling to produce traditional yields against increasing episodes of drought and higher temperatures). While most vineyards
concentrate on sparkling wine, there’s a chilling moment in the ‘tasting’ experience of our Sussex Modern press tour when we’re told: ‘Soon, we expect to be able to produce still and even red wines.’ Hmmm. Is this a ‘silver lining’? Not for everyone. However, the Wiston Estate is already producing a very decent rosé. Many of these English vineyards
have taken a leaf out of the world’s major wine-producing regions (including the
WILL SCOTT PHOTOGRAPHY
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