Colleagues joined me, briefings were given, and we toured the site with the fire service. The first thing they showed us was the Creative Kernow offices. Water had poured through the ceiling, piling debris onto our desks, computers, files and equipment.
The North Light Building was still smouldering under a constant arc of water; it was hard to recognise any of the colourful, creative spaces that had previously been there, now consumed by the flames. It is a painful memory to revisit and I can only imagine the sadness which the artists who have lost their studios feel looking at the shell which now remains.
So instead of it being a day of hope, May 16th was a day of loss. I’ve written in previous blogs about being optimistic in the face of the challenges which Covid brought along, but the additional anxiety, extra work and logistical challenges in the wake of the fire have been sorely testing.
I want to say a humble and personal thank you to everyone who has reached out to us. We were overwhelmed by the offers of support, donations of cash and equipment for the Krowji tenants, and messages of hope and of sympathy. We thank you for your patience and hold this love and compassion close to us as we navigate the challenges ahead. I also want to thank all the staff who have adapted to yet another obstacle with grace, patience and good humour and particularly the Krowji team who are managing this crisis alongside day-to-day site business and who have put their own distress to one side to offer support to members of the Krowji community.
Thanks to public support from the two JustGiving campaigns and donations from Cornwall Community Foundation and Real Ideas, we have been able to distribute £50,000 in donations directly to the artists. This has helped with emergency costs and provided a contribution towards replacing lost equipment and materials. We are also connecting the artists to advice and financial support from our Cultivator Creative Business Development programme.
If you haven’t already, please consider supporting and sharing our Krowji Recovery Campaign. We are continuing to raise funds for the artists who lost their studios to support them in recovering their practice and business at this difficult time.
For Fiona’s full blog post on the Creative Kernow website, visit here.
