A charity which provides leadership for up to 70 of Cornwall’s small museums and organisations has announced that “with great sadness” it is to close.

Cornwall Museums Partnership (CMP) has issued a notice of closure after the Arts Council withdrew a conditional offer for National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) 2023-26 funding in January this year.

The Krowji-based charity in Redruth was offered transition funding to help it to either wind itself down or move towards a different way of funding itself.

However in a statement issued by the board it said an “extensive strategic business and funding review” had clearly shown that a move to a new operating model did not exist within the current challenging funding climate so they had taken the decision to close.

This means all the staff will be made redundant and freelance contracts terminated.

“The CMP Board has therefore made the difficult decision to commence a phased closure process,” the statement said. “This means that, over a planned period, all members of the team will be made redundant and freelance contracts will cease at the appropriate points.”

As part of the phased closure, the Museum Development Officer role will continue until the end of this financial year. It says The Cornwall Heritage Awards will go ahead on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 and applications remain open until Sunday, November 19 2023.

The statement says that CMP is exploring ways to ensure the continuation and integrity of its exceptional work.

It says this evolution of CMP’s work will ensure that critical funding can continue across the whole of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly’s museum and heritage sector.

“It will also ensure that the powerful CMP legacy and the year-round support for 70+ small Cornish museums and organisations, will continue.

“For now, everyone at CMP would like to take this collective opportunity to thank all themuseum team members, funders, partners, collaborators, consultants, colleagues, board members, councillors and friends who have been part of CMP’s story to this point.

They would also like to thank the current team and the Board for their navigation, leadership, and empathy throughout this unexpected and challenging transition process.

CMP is an independent charitable incorporated organisation, formed in 2015 to provide leadership for Cornwall’s museums; to support them, represent them and give them a voice.