The National Trust is to launch a £65,000 fundraising campaign in the Helston and Lizard area as it prepares to create a new stretch of footpath.

More than 80 people attended an open day in Porthleven on Saturday to see the plans for the new pathway between the port and Loe Bar. This will divert around a section of path that fell into the sea during storms in January and has been closed off ever since.

In total around 600 metres of new pathway will be created, starting and finishing close to the existing access points and running parallel to the current path.

The walkway will be around 1.5 metres wide, only around half the width of the previous path that was a former byway, but will have the same surface of stone aggregate, rather than grass, to make it sturdy underfoot.

The project will cost around £35,000 to complete, which includes going through a legal process to extinguish the former byway and create new footpath rights. This will involve applying for planning permission from Cornwall Council, but if successful work should hopefully start in June.

At the same time, the trust wants to create a new link from the Higher Penrose bridleway to lead down to Loe Bar, which it is estimated will cost a further £30,000.

Greg Cross, a Penrose National Trust ranger who is responsible for overseeing the project, said that volunteers would be removing some of the fencing in the run up to work getting underway, with a team from RNAS Culdrose also offering to help out.

At the public drop-in session on Saturday a number of volunteers were signed up, as well as people keen to take part in a guided walk of the route.

Mr Cross said: "The day was brilliant. There was some really positive feedback and everybody was really understanding about what we were thinking."

He encouraged people to keep checking the National Trust Penrose website, where a map and full breakdown of the route would be posted in the next few days.