21/10/2026
An inspiring visit to The Beat in Bodmin today, representing Launceston at the Cornwall Creates Place workshops with Cornwall Council.
We discussed the places, spaces and culture of Cornwall, and the importance of working collectively towards a shared vision. Festivals, high streets, heritage buildings, infrastructure and creative spaces are all a huge part of Cornwall’s cultural life, but there is still a real need to strengthen connections between communities, organisations and creatives across the county, particularly in North and East Cornwall.
One of the biggest things we took away from today was the importance of continuing what we're already doing, but thinking bigger about the networks around it.
We already work with some brilliant organisations, venues, community groups, artists and individuals locally, and conversations through Cornwall Creates have also helped us build connections further afield, including with existing organisations such as Feast Cornwall, Redruth Buttermarket, The Pearl Exchange and The Ladder. There is huge value in these organisations knowing one another, sharing knowledge and opportunities, and making it easier for artists, ideas and projects to travel between different parts of Cornwall.
We also talked about the need for some radical thinking about what culture actually needs in order to thrive.
Culture doesn't only happen in galleries, museums or designated arts venues. It happens in pubs, community halls, empty shops, laundrettes, on our streets and in all sorts of unexpected places. Buildings and venues are important, but so are affordable places to live and work, opportunities to experiment, and spaces where people can simply meet, exist and be creative without everything having to be monetised.
Our high streets have historically been places for people as much as business, and perhaps their future lies in making room for that again.
That means being prepared to try things. To run pilots, test ideas, take risks and occasionally get things wrong in pursuit of something better.
For Make Stuff Happen CIC, that means continuing to develop opportunities across Launceston, Callington and the surrounding area, while building stronger connections with places like Liskeard, Bude, Tavistock, Okehampton, Plymouth and with the wider Cornish cultural network.
We still have ambitions for what dedicated cultural space in Launceston could look like in the future, but the bigger picture is about continuing to create the conditions for culture to grow by connecting people, sharing resources, opening doors and building on the work already happening around us. We're incredibly fortunate to already work with and alongside organisations and initiatives including Adept Living Foundation - ALF, The Orchard Centre Elmsgrove Community Arts CIC Folk Club Launceston Town Council Launceston Chamber of Commerce Music Callington MayFest Sounds Launceston Life Community Development Trust Youth Musical Theatre Buildings Preservation Trust Visitor Information Centre
Cornwall Orchestra Town Plan Group Camera Club to Moor Community Area Partnership - and that's only part of the network of people making things happen locally.
Lots to think about, and lots to build on.
We'll report on what we hear regarding outcomes from today.
