The Treverbyn Community Trust, which has supplied a free community larder and a range of clubs and services to promote well-being, is suspending its operations because of a lack of funding. It said it had supported about 20,000 people a year from surrounding communities, including Stenalees, Treverbyn, Penwithick, and nearby villages.
Heartbreaking decision amid fierce competition funding
“It’s very sad, devastating for the staff, the trustees, all the people in our community that we had to make that decision to have a temporary pause so that we could look at our finances, what is needed in the community and then reset it. During Covid and just after Covid, there were a lot of available grants out there, so we were able to maximise that, but now that’s not so,” said Gillian Wilson, chair of the trustees.
She also spoke of their concerns and how their application was met with great competition. Over 3,000 charities were bidding for the same, but they didn’t get it. According to her, the competition is high, and she compares it to a battle of getting funding, making decisions, and letting people know.
She acknowledges how their best shot is given, noting that they are all volunteers, including the board of trustees.
Treverbyn Community Trust: A call for support
“It is not a closure of the hall or the trust in Treverbyn, it is a reset while we look at the continued activities and what more we can do in the local and surrounding areas. We will no longer have paid staff to continue some activities and are not alone in this challenge, we are just a tiny charity fighting against many others, and we want to be able to continue the good work we have been doing, but it’s become increasingly hard,” said Jane Cox, secretary of the trust.
Kirsty Willcocks, who volunteers and runs the Arts Cafe, expresses how sad they feel and how much they intend to do something about it. According to her, they’ve been told it’s a lack of funding for community projects, and a lot of the arts funding has, for some reason, gone to Penzance and St Ives, and some has gone to Redruth, which is excellent for Redruth, but there is nothing in the St Austell area. She hammers the importance of art-focused facilities because they help connect people across different age groups.
Another volunteer, Clair Payne, spoke of how honestly annoyed they were saying they had just been dumped. She said she remembers it being said at the AGM that it would be carrying on until June and how rudely shocking it was for its abrupt stop.
Hope for the future
As uncertainty hits Treverbyn Trust, it’s worth noting that its leadership remains committed to finding and securing funding so that its vital services can be restarted. This heart to serve the community is remarkable, like Vernon Building Society’s £100,000 fund for charities in Wirral as part of its Community Stars initiative. The trust calls on the support of donors, businesses, and community members to help keep its mission alive.