© 2025 - St Ives Town Deal
Based at the St Ives Community Orchard and Wildlife Reserve, 30 acres of beautiful green space overlooking the town, this project provides a vibrant community asset, delivering environmental education, mental and health therapy, community events and nature based training to individuals, local groups and schools.
A new environmentally sustainable building provides daily workshops and training all year round on subjects such as permaculture, beekeeping, willow weaving, herbal remedies and cosmetics, natural dyes, brewing and grafting: all using materials grown and produced on site in an expanded community garden and orchard.
The project is creating new jobs and providing opportunities for local self-employed trainers to share their knowledge and skills as well as a community space for meetings and a repair cafe.
You can find out more about the project on the Community Orchard website https://www.stivesorchard.co.uk/
LATEST PROJECT NEWS
The official opening of The CORE, the new learning centre at St Ives Community Orchard and Wildlife Reserve, took place on the afternoon of Friday, 19 April 2024.
Although the Town Deal funded project to construct the Core building has been officially completed, we continue to watch what is happening with this amazing project with great interest.
We were delighted to be invited to the opening of the new Penbeagle nature reserve in May 2025. The 28 acres of land above the new community orchard, now officially designated as a nature reserve, will be a great resource for the local community.
The Orchard is continuing to stage community activities and workshops, with recent events including eco -printing, scarecrow making and singing and folk dancing workshops, together with a well-attended Beltane event. It also hosts the popular Repair Café and some regular volunteer events.
The Community Orchard team received £345,538 from the Town Deal Fund to construct the environmentally sustainable facility on Penbeagle Hill.
The building was the first of the nine St Ives Town Deal funded projects to be opened to the public, marking a very exciting milestone in the Town Deal programme.
Among those attending the opening event in April 2024 was Libby Buckley, Vice chair of St Ives Town Deal Board, who said “The Community Orchard was the first St Ives project to be given a grant from the Town Deal in 2023 and it is fantastic to be able to attend the official opening event and see what has been achieved. “
The Community Orchard is led by Directors Phoebe Sampson, Elise Langley, Rupert Manley, Josh Quick, and Elise Worrall.
Among those involved in the project were local architect / sculptor / rammed earth builder Paul Connell, who drew up the original design; Carbis Bay company Post & Beam Cornwall, Penzance timber frame specialists Norsk Carpentry and Building Ltd, and Truro based company Marnick Roofing who were all involved in the construction of the inspiring dodecahedral timber framed building and St Ives electrician Dean Mackay.
You can find out more about the plans for The CORE at www.stivesorchard.co.uk.
There is an Expression of interest form for those interested in providing nature-based workshops at the community learning centre.
© 2025 - St Ives Town Deal