Duchy Opera is honoured to have been invited to sing at the launch of the prestigious new Heartlands attraction and World Heritage site. We shall be there on Sunday April 22nd at 11.30–12 & 1-1.30. Everyone is invited to this free event which lasts all weekend. Watch out for the specially commissioned 4m² heart-shaped blimp which will rise into the sky over the 19 acre site.

“Special guest, Newton Faulkner joins line-up for three-day opening celebrations at the UK’s first free cultural playground”

BRIT nominated, acoustic guitar virtuoso Newton Faulkner was today announced as the special guest of honour at the launch of Heartlands, the new free visitor attraction and World Heritage site in Cornwall, which will open to the public on Friday 20 April 2012.

The musician, who will be playing two concerts in nearby Falmouth on Sunday 22 and Monday 23 April, will perform a small live acoustic set on the Saturday afternoon as part of the three-day party to celebrate the opening of this inspirational new 19 acre site, which has been created to help regenerate one of the poorest areas of Cornwall.

As well as performing, Newton will also leave his mark on the Totem Circle within Heartlands, a new events space dedicated to buskers and new talent. Twelve totems surround the circle; each with two sides left blank for performers to graffiti their initials. On carving his initials, Newton will kick-start this ritual and begin the Totem Circle’s story.

Newton joins a large and eclectic line-up for the Heartlands Magic Myth and Mayhem Launch Party, which includes music performances from (amongst others) Dalla, John Dowling, The Viewers, Hedluv and Passman, and Duchy Opera; theatre from Rogue, Bish Bash Bosh and Squash Box; dance from The Big Dance Company, CScape and TR14ERs. The event will also include special lantern, flag making and dance workshops, storytelling, face painting, aerial performances, acrobatics, skateboarding, BMX, fire show and fireworks.

The weekend will begin with a Hearty Party Parade on Friday 20 April as over 800 schoolchildren, local community groups, businesses and colleges formally open the site. Once open, a specially commissioned 4m² heart-shaped blimp will rise into the sky and fly over this, the former mining heart of Cornwall for the remainder of the weekend.

Vicky Martin, Chief Executive of Heartlands said:

“We are honoured that Newton was able to take time out of his busy tour schedule to pop in to see us at Heartlands and we can’t wait to see him perform. Our three-day extravaganza brings together an eclectic and exciting mix of music, dance, theatre and spectacle and we are looking forward to opening Heartlands in style.”

Heartlands is based on former derelict mine land at Robinson’s Shaft in the village of Pool. It is hoped the £35 million Cornwall Council-led development, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, Cornwall Council, the Homes and Communities Agency and the European Union will support the regeneration of Pool, Redruth and Camborne – an area containing over 10% of the Cornish population which has struggled to recover from the closure of the tin and copper mines (and related industries).

• Heartlands became a reality in 2007 when it was awarded a £22.3 million grant by the Big Lottery Fund, the biggest grant BIG has ever given to a single project in England. It was one of only three projects in the UK to receive the grant under BIG’s Living Landmarks scheme.
• The free attraction will be run as a social enterprise by the charity, the Heartlands Trust and includes:
• World Heritage Site state-of-the art exhibitions
• Restored Engine House with 80” Beam Engine (the last Cornish engine to work on a Cornish mine)
• Biggest Adventure Playground in Cornwall (themed on Cornish myth and history)
• Diaspora Botanical Gardens (each relating to a country that the Cornish have emigrated to)
• Red River Café and Bar
• Art and Craft studios
• Chi an Bobel (large community, conference and function hall)
• Totem Circle (small amphitheatre for music, dance and theatre performances)
• Market Square
• Events Arena (for large scale outdoor festivals)
• Interactive art installations including graffiti-me totem poles and Red River paddling stream
• 19 one and two-bedroomed sustainable homes
• Biomass boiler, photo voltaics, rain-harvesting system and wind turbine
• Year-round programme of events
• Newton Faulkner first entered our world back in 2007, when his debut album Hand Built By Robots rocketed up the charts all the way to the number one spot. Since then, Newton has toured relentlessly around the world and 2009 saw the release of his second full-length album, Rebuilt By Humans. Currently Newton is working hard on material for the eagerly anticipated third album, due for release next year. For more information, visit www.newtonfaulkner.com

The Big Lottery Fund (BIG)

• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Big Lottery Fund Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030, Textphone: 08456 021 659. Full details of Big Lottery Fund projects and grant awards are available at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
• Big Lottery Press Office: 020 7211 1888. Out of hours: 07867 500 572

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is the single, national housing and regeneration delivery agency for England. Its vision is to create opportunity for people to live in homes they can afford in places they want to live, by enabling local authorities and communities to deliver the ambition they have for their own areas. This is achieved by:

• Understanding the needs and aspirations of people and communities through close working with local authorities on local investment planning
• Enabling local delivery through the channelling of expertise and investment
• Working effectively with the market, housebuilders, investors and other stakeholders