An independent Cornish charity is celebrating two decades of investing in communities to improve the lives of others in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF)’s 20 Years of Giving Celebration will be held on Tuesday at Truro Cathedral. Funded projects, funders and volunteers will gather to share stories and highlight the impact projects have on their communities.

The Launceston-based foundation supports grassroots groups making a positive impact in helping others to overcome challenges of disadvantage, exclusion and poverty for all ages. Since 2003, it has awarded over £20 million to more than 8,000 local organisations. 

CCF works with more than 70 funders and countless donors, volunteers, assessors, and partners to support work that improves education, health, wellbeing, and the relief of poverty and sickness.

Keynote speakers on Tuesday will include youth worker Mari Eggins, who founded Carefree Cornwall in 2005. Carefree works with young people aged 11 to 25 who are in or leaving care. Its aim is to help care-experienced young people have a good life, through positive relationships, support with transitions and enabling young people to have a voice.

As a former teacher, foster carer and the manager of a young women’s centre, Mari understood the needs of young people in care. “Carefree began as an idea,” she said.

“My foster daughters, and other young people in care, were telling me they often felt ‘different’ in school. They wanted to meet other young people who understood what it was like to be a child in care, and helped me to plan a summer event which introduced them to eight more young people.”

The group applied for its first CCF grant in 2006 and was awarded £7,000 through the Local Network Fund. This enabled it to train young people, offer peer mentoring and lead activities where young people in care could join in and feel they belonged.

It has since made 40 applications to CCF and received £360,000 from 21 different funders. The charity helps an estimated 500 young people per year throughout Cornwall.

“As a tiny charity, we would not have survived without CCF and would not be thriving without them now,” said Mari.

CCF chief executive Tamas Haydu said: “The need for organisations like Carefree Cornwall is enormous. It is so inspiring how the wonderful team is helping young people.

“We are very proud to be able to support so many community projects and individuals across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and we are looking forward to celebrating the people behind them.”