As Hall For Cornwall formally handed over the keys to its building to mark the start of work on its

exciting £20m redevelopment last week, 11 year-old Maisie Crick summed up the feelings of people across Cornwall by telling the contractors Kier “Please look after our theatre”.

Maisie, who performed in the last Hall For Cornwall Christmas show, stole the hearts of guests with her heartfelt plea as she handed the keys to Chris Couch, Kier’s Area Manager for Cornwall.

Accepting the keys, Chris Couch assured the youngster and assembled guests, including HFC Chair of Trustees Chris Pomfret; Bob Egerton, Cornwall Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Economy, HFC supporters and staff, that he would take great care of the building during its two year transformation.

This was an evening led by young people as members of the HFC Youth Theatre and Youth dance groups gave a series of stunning mini performances as guests were taken on a tour of the theatre. As HFC staff outlined the background to the project, one young person read a poem he had written about the secrets contained within the walls of the theatre, while others performed a choreographed dance to mark the end of an extraordinary era, and delivered a short piece of theatre highlighting some of the key moments of the past 20 years.

Thanking people for their support, Chris Pomfret said that the evening had been a very emotional one as HFC staff locked the gates to the existing building for the last time ahead of the redevelopment and the keys were formally handed to the building team.

“This is a key milestone in our journey to create a world class venue which will provide

Cornwall with access to the very best performing arts to rival anywhere in the country, as well as creating jobs and boosting the local economy” he said. “As we look to raise the curtain on our future, it only seems fitting to celebrate the spirit of all the audiences, performers,

directors, writers and technicians who have made the magic happen over the last 20 years”.

Cornwall Council has provided some of the funding for the £20m project and Bob Egerton said he was looking forward to seeing the transformed building in two years’ time. “This project has been a long time in development and I am delighted to be here to mark the formal start of the works. This is the start of a race, rather than a sprint, but I have no doubt that the wait will be worth it – not only for Truro but for the whole of Cornwall."

As well as having a rare opportunity to see behind the main stage, guests also visited the former Flourish café next door which will be brought back into the main building as part of the

redevelopment.

The space, which was previously the site of a police station, complete with cells, a fire station and a bank with the sturdy vault door still in place, will become a general hosting area in the new building.

Other highlights included a special performance by The Suitcase Singers of three songs

commissioned by Hall For Cornwall to celebrate the achievements of three famous Cornish women.

These included “Jenny Mopus”, a song which tells the true story of Jenny Davies, an 18th century

ferrywoman who ferried people from the Roseland Peninsula to Truro and whose portrait hangs in the Royal Cornwall Museum; famous Cornish rower Anne Glanville, who famously led a team of female rowers who beat teams of male rowers from Cornwall before repeating their achievement in France; and a song about Dolly Portreath, reported to be the last native Cornish speaker.

Once construction formally begins, HFC will work alongside Kier to organise a series of hard hat tours, open days and events which will encourage people from across Cornwall to visit Truro to see the progress of the redevelopment and enjoy other amenities offered by the city. Details of these dates, alongside information on how to book, will be released on Hall For Cornwall’s website.

HFC has worked closely with Truro BID, Kier and local businesses to create visuals for the hoardings surrounding the construction site which will act as a central focus of interest for the public by telling the story of the redevelopment alongside celebrating the building and Truro’s history and heritage visually. Local businesses in the immediate vicinity will be supported by the inclusion of orientation and ‘open for business’ messaging, as well as inclusion of a large Visit Truro map of the city for use by locals and visitors alike.

Research from other parts of the country which have carried out similar projects suggests that the refurbishment will deliver long lasting benefits to both Truro and the wider Cornish economy.

The completion of the project will provide capacity for an extra 300 seats in the new auditorium,

attracting the very best productions to Cornwall. Whilst more people will be able to attend, the space will also offer greater flexibility of use for more intimate and experimental performances.

Plans are also being developed to increase the number of tourists visiting Truro by highlighting the history and heritage of the HFC building and the important role it plays within the City. A Heritage

Lottery Funded project will include a series of heritage interpretation activities and events that will drive the daytime economy.

The project also includes the development of a new ERDF & LEP funded creative business hub which will provide office and meeting spaces expected to attract up to 40 new small and medium sized creative businesses, generating around £15m for the local economy.

An economic impact study carried out by Oxford Economics concludes that the redevelopment of Hall For Cornwall will add £35.6 million to the Cornish economy by 2025/26 and create 165 jobs a year after it re-opens in 2020.

This is in addition to the impact of the construction works which are

predicted to contribute £7.8m to the local economy and create 106 jobs over the life of the project.

Although 90% of the £19.8m re-build target has been raised, HFC needs to raise a further £1.8m to turn its aspirations for a new theatre into reality.

Over the coming months the organisation will be launching a series of initiatives for people to get involved and support the project. Details of these will be provided as they are

confirmed.