You may remember last year we received funding from the Cornwall Council’s Community Capacity Fund; part of the Good Growth Programme, to carry out a feasibility study to inform a new project about the unsung work of women. We were one of 144 community- based organisations that have received funding from this pot, which was awarded £1.84m. Communities could apply for funding for projects such as energy audits, architect plans, ecological surveys and feasibility studies – the sorts of things that often need to be accomplished before the real work starts!
Along with a wonderful range of organisations and groups from around Cornwall, Storylines were invited to attend a day of celebration at County Hall. We were also asked to find a way of gathering stories and personal reflections from those who received funding. Of course, this was right up Storylines street, so we were delighted to have been asked. This then gave us the challenge of how to best capture all these stories, at a huge event with lots of participants, and make it eye-catching and accessible to all.
Mapping Stories
In the end we designed and printed a HUGE cloth map of Cornwall. We then made badges to represent each funded project and positioned them on the map. After many years working all over Cornwall we thought we knew it well, but we still needed to consult maps to ensure no one’s badge ended up in the wrong place! We used colour coding corresponding to the categories each project best fitted under, for example green spaces or community buildings. So by the time we’d finished mapping it already looked pretty eye-catching.
Ripples and pebbles
pebble prompts
We loved the idea of ripples and it became a very important symbol for us when it came to collecting the stories. We saw ripples as the energy of all the funding rippling out to impact individuals, communities and ultimately Cornwall. To help people fill their ripples with stories, impacts, dreams and reflections, we created a number of prompts in the guise of pebbles. After all, you throw a pebble in the water and watch as the ripples spread. These pebble prompts helped to get people reflecting and included questions such as…
“If you were to dream big what ripples would come out of this funding for your community?”
On February 28th County Hall was awash with excited community members, looking forward to meeting others and taking part in the planned workshops and talks. Falmouth Food Coop, another recipient of funding, provided an amazing lunch for everyone and in turn further opportunities for sharing as people queued down the hall.
Our map looked magnificent and was certainly hard to miss! As more and more people came to talk with us, the ripples spread. It was such a privilege to hear about the absolute commitment and never- ending effort of grass roots organisations and individuals whose focus was on improving their communities. In these challenging times, what shone through time and again was sheer determination and unquestionable love of people and place.
some of the many ripples captured
Listening to the far reaching benefits that would now ripple out from this funding was truly heart-warming and we went home rippling with joy! Thank you to everyone who came and shared so openly with us, and to the Cornwall Capacity Fund team for inviting us to be part of it.
