Fishermen's bid to save Cornish cove from developers raises £100k in a week
The Cadgwith Fishing Cove Trust's campaign has had so much support, it has raised its Crowfunding target to £300k
Last updated 26th Feb 2021
Cornish fishermen, fighting to save their cove from the "ever-present threat of development", have raised £100,000 in just one week.
The Cadgwith Fishing Cove Trust has launched a Crowdfunder campaign to stop historic buildings being sold.
Three are used by the fishermen to store their gear and process their catch.
They also house a popular art gallery and two shops selling fish.
The charitable trust has had so much support for its campaign, the fundraising target has been raised to £300,000.
Posting on their Crowdfunder Page, organisers said they would be "very grateful" for any help anyone can offer.
"We are the Cadgwith Fishing Cove Trust, and we are a charitable trust whose objects are the improvement maintenance and protection of the historic communal fishing facilities in Cadgwith Cove in the parish of Grade Ruan.
"We are trying to put together the funding to buy all three buildings to keep them safe from the ever-present threat of development, which here would mean conversion into yet more second homes and holiday lets.
"Cadgwith is visited each year by thousands of holidaymakers. If our fishing activity ever came to an end, the tourism industry would shrink and many local residents would lose their main source of income. The fishermen are at the heart of our strong sense of community and we are doing whatever we can to support them.
"Our master plan is for the local parish council to take the freeholds of the buildings in order that they may be held in perpetuity for the fishermen and then for our not-for-profit charitable trust to look after the day-to-day management of them.
"There will be covenants requiring the buildings to be used by fishermen as long as they are so needed and preventing them from being sold for anyone's private gain. The parish council will still exist in fifty or one hundred years time and will use the buildings for other community purposes if there was no more fishing out of the cove.
"There can be no element of subsidising the fishermen. They will pay an economic rent, enough to cover all expenses of maintenance and repairs.
"We are already well into realising the plan. The council is raising a loan to buy one of the buildings and there is widespread support from parishioners even though the loan repayments may cause a small increase in their local council tax.
"For the other two buildings, we have had professional surveys and valuations that tell us we need to find £300,000 to buy and repair them.
"This crowdfunding project will hopefully be large enough to form an essential component of that funding.
"If you are able to help us, we and the fishermen of Cadgwith will be very grateful for your assistance".
The Cadgwith Fishing Cove Trust
"It is just possible that we can now buy these buildings outright just with crowdfunding donations. What an amazing thing that would be !
"We are all astounded at how much love there is for Cadgwith and for preserving the future of our fishermen.
"We are so grateful and humbled with the strength of public support in reaching our original £100,000 target 22 Feb, and then only 3 days later, smashed our £150,000 target with £172,000 of donations 25 Feb.
"Thank you to every single one of the 5,125 people who have given us a donation so far.
"The fishermen have renewed hope and a spring in their step. They are beginning to believe that this threat to their future can be removed, and that they have a future fishing from the cove, which is what they all love to do.
"Let's make it happen".
The Cadgwith Fishing Cove Trust