70 jobs to go at Eden Project (From Falmouth Packet)

70 jobs to go at Eden Project

6:23pm Monday 28th January 2013 in News

In a blow to the Cornish jobs market, The Eden Project has announced that up to 70 jobs could be lost at the iconic attraction.

The project is reported to be aiming to reduce annual costs by £2 million. Staff have been informed of the losses at the site near St Austell.

A statutory consultation process is due to begin on Wednesday.

Sir Tim Smit, founder and chief executive, said that no sugar-coated pill would “ease the anguish for those affected”, adding: “ all we can say to those of you who will be leaving is thank you so much for all you have given Eden and we hope you will depart feeling a great deal of pride in all you have achieved in creating a very special place, for now and for the future.”

Eden currently has over 430 full-time equivalent jobs and reports are that all aspects of the business will see job losses.

The job losses have been blamed on far fewer visitors coming to Cornwall in 2012 due to "a combination of the Olympics, poor summer and autumn weather and the lasting effects of the recession".

This, coupled with "enormous pressure on income in the charity sector and the well-documented challenges of fundraising in the current economic climate" have made it necessary to make substantial cuts to the cost base.