Museums across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly came together for an afternoon and evening of celebration at the Cornwall Heritage Awards ceremony, which took place at the Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro. 

The awards, which were hosted by BBC Radio Cornwall’s Daphne Skinnard, included an afternoon symposium before the awards ceremony where 120 people had the opportunity to meet colleagues from other organisations, potential collaborators, and sector leaders.

The symposium also featured panels and presentations from shortlisted organisations and included discussions on top tips for collaboration, what innovation looks like in Cornish museums, and how museum activities support well-being.

The symposium also featured panels and presentations from shortlisted organisations

The awards were livestreamed via the Cornwall Museums Partnership (CMP) YouTube channel, which 123 viewers watched from the comfort of their homes, as well as across the Chaos digital channels, which supported the awards with AV and live-streaming services.

Daphne Skinnard said: “It is always a great honour to be with you for the celebration and wonderful to hear about the museum community in Cornwall. 

“The work that is done locally to keep heritage alive is incredible and it’s brilliant to be able to recognise those who dedicate their lives to making sure others are able to be immersed in it.”

The Cornwall Heritage Awards have been developed to commend museums and heritage organisations’ achievements, and aim to bring together the best projects, collaborations, initiatives, and teams from organisations all over Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The awards have been organised by Cornwall Museums Partnership (CMP) in collaboration with South West Museum Development and were made possible by the support of Rodda’s, Cornwall and West Devon Mining World Heritage Site, and the University of Exeter’s Institute of Cornish Studies.

CMP museum development officer Stephanie Clemens said: “So many people, many of them volunteers, work tirelessly to care for Cornwall’s heritage and make it available for all of us to enjoy. 

“It was wonderful to be able to bring everyone together to share their excellent work, celebrate their achievements and say thank you to them.

“There are more than 70 heritage sites in Cornwall, including museums and archives, all offering something for their communities.” 

This year Cornwall Museums Partnership received an impressive number of entries with 41 projects, people, and teams nominated from across 20 different organisations large and small. 

All organisations who submitted a nomination were invited to join CMP at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro. 

The recording of the livestream can be found on www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7IWmrm