The hard work of five different community groups which have come together to protect Porthtowan's sand dunes has been celebrated in a short film produced by Cornwall Council.

The Porthtowan Beach Management Group was set up by the council to bring the community together, focusing on improving the sand dunes since they were damaged by storms in 2012, and enhancing the local economy.

As told in the short film Cornwall Council helped the Beach Management Group to become a Coastal Community Team. This means they are eligible to apply for grants from the government’s Coastal Community Fund, which supports the economy in coastal areas. As a result the group has been awarded government funding to support projects within the coastal village ranging from helping to restore the sand dunes to improving access for all to Porthtowan Beach.

The community groups featured in the film are the Porthtowan Dunes Community Group, the Porthtowan Beach Association, Porthtowan Surf Life Saving Club, Porthtowan Village Hall and St Agnes Parish Council.

To encourage the dunes to reform, the Porthtowan Dunes Community Group has worked with Cornwall Council on a long term initiative to re-establish plant growth and prevent sand from blowing from all over the village.

To help draw visitors to the beach, the Porthtowan Beach Association has led the work to achieve the prestigious Blue Flag status for exceptional quality and cleanliness since 2004. The association is behind the initiative to improve access for all to Porthtowan Beach which includes the Porthtowan Beach Management Sign that has braille as part of a welcome message.

To help save lives on the beach – whether by prevention or by rescue from the sea – members of the Porthtowan Surf Live Saving Club provide a service to the RNLI. The club, which is the third oldest surf life saving club in the country, has a dedicated programme which trains teenagers to be surf lifeguards.

To attract younger locals and visitors to play in the village’s play park, the Porthtowan Village Hall Committee takes care of the park and equipment which includes inspecting it weekly. The committee welcomes more local volunteers to rake the sandy surface in the play park so it’s the correct depth around the equipment.

To keep St Agnes parish councillors up to date about the work of the community groups the two local parish councillors, Pauline Barrow and Lynn Davies, are members of the Porthtowan Management Group and attend the bi-monthly meetings.

Joyce Duffin, Cornwall councillor for Mount Hawke and Portreath, who is involved with the Beach Management Group and is the chair for the group’s bi-monthly meetings, said: “I’m delighted that the short film showcases the efforts and commitment of the local community groups. The Porthtowan Beach Management Group is a great example of peoples’ different areas of expertise coming together to help the beach environment and local economy. As the film shows, the community groups in Porthtowan are working hard together and looking at projects that can benefit the whole village. With the support of the community area manager from Cornwall Council’s localism team we’ve been able to apply for funding to help stabilise the dunes system and make other projects within the village happen.”

The short film and other information about the work of the Porthtowan Beach Management Group is available on the council’s website at cornwall.gov.uk/porthtowanbeach