13 connecting with community

The community of Helston has come together to transform a derelict supermarket into an innovative health and wellbeing space at the heart of the community. After several years of uncertainty, in April 2023, one medical practice in Helston returned its contract and wished to retain their building. This left the remaining practice with the difficult, but right, decision to take over the contract to provide care for this population. It did however present a huge challenge of recruitment and the need to find new premises for March 2025.

Meanwhile, planning applications were submitted to develop a supermarket and a green space on the outskirts of town. Many local councillors and community members opposed the planning applications for the green space, including Dr. Jim Tait who wrote a letter outlining the potential human health and environmental impacts of such a development. His explanation joined the large body of evidence submitted to the owners of the land and Cornwall Council, to consider other much healthier and sustainable uses for the space, supporting an alternative appreciation of what "value " to a community can and should look like. The planning application was rejected by Cornwall Council and the landowners reversed their decision to sell the land - instead reaching out to the local community for ideas about how the land could be of benefit to people and nature.

Supported by Cornwall Council and with UK Shared Prosperity Funding, local community group South Kerrier Alliance CIC acquired the derelict building to refurbish it and create a large, new GP surgery alongside community space. The new ‘Cober Valley Health’ surgery is the anchor tenant with this rental income supporting broader community facilities in the lower ground floor and ensuring the project’s sustainability.

The project is being part-funded with almost £2.75m from the Good Growth Programme, which is managed by Cornwall Council, with a further £500,000 from the council's Town Centre Revitalisation Fund. Cllr Linda Taylor, Leader of Cornwall Council said “This is a great example of our Good Growth Funding programme empowering local organisations to work with the public sector to address the real needs within their communities. These two significant capital funding awards will help deliver a new facility that will make a real difference.”

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South Kerrier Alliance (SKA) is responsible for the development and ongoing management of the building once complete. A registered Community Interest Company (CIC) created in 2008; SKA is a Not-For-Profit organisation which manages several local community assets. This structure will ensure that any surplus from running the building will be invested back into its operation. This innovative approach has transformed the 1980’s supermarket into a carbon ‘net zero’ building, creating an exemplar for sustainable construction. The project has been delivered by local people for local people, with the capital spend supporting the area’s tradespeople, and procured through management contracting at 60% of the benchmark capital cost. SKA has recently secured funding for the lower floor, with a target date of July 2025 for project completion.

Dr Jim Tait said, “it feels great that I helped contribute to that change, a change that if it hadn't occurred, wouldn’t have allowed all of those planets to align and join South Kerrier Alliance in the creation of something that will make such a difference to our community".

Find out more in this video.

There are many community groups who work hard to support vulnerable communities and individuals. For example, we work with Community Energy Plus , who come out to community venues such as church halls and flu jab clinics to offer advice on how to keep warm, and cool, to all patients.

Roseland Surgery in Cornwall wanted to develop a small practice garden, but did so by developing an innovative partnership with Roseland Community Centre - who used the funding secured by Roseland's Social Prescriber to create a fabulous permacultural space - which is just growing!

An EV Charger was installed by Age UK at Millenium House, a community hall next door to Pensilva Health Centre, near Liskeard. Age UK relocated their programme, meaning that the EV Charger was made redundant. Our N&E Climate Resilience fixer, Emily, brought together the Health Centre, Millenium House, Drive Energy and Age UK, and it was agreed that the charger could be passed over to Millenium House and that Pensilva HC could make use of it too. A happy ending for what would have been an unusable charger! Millenium House are hoping to get a Electric Mini bus for community activities, and Pensilva HC in the future would love an electric prescription delivery vehicle.