2025 has been a bumper year for the Museum of Cornish Life. Here’s a round-up of some 2025 highlights in numbers…

In the Museum 2025

• 20,000 people visited the museum
• 1148 pupils have taken part in schools workshops, visits and activities
• We worked and collaborated with 58 freelance professionals such as performers, visual artists and makers across our exhibitions and engagement programmes
• 5 temporary exhibitions and 1 online exhibition tour of Whity Lore plus 6 mini exhibitions in our Link Corridor
• 2 festivals, Animate Helston in February and Helston Makes It! in September
• 1 award for wining ‘Object of the Year’ at the Cornwall Heritage Awards for Henry Trengrouse’s Life Saving Equipment.

Behind the Scenes 2025

• 1 Esmée Fairbairn Collections Funded project ‘Farmers will like it’ addressing Cornish farming heritage has allowed us to work with Museum Development South West to develop our conservation skills and knowledge. We also released a film sharing our commission to make a new Wassail Bowl for Cornwall
• 8 research stories shared by our volunteer researchers exploring stories from the Titanic to Tea Treats to Man Traps to hand-tools to farming cyclopedias
• 61 windows painted and repaired thanks to MEND funding awarded a grant by Arts Council England with funding provided by DCMS
• 1 new set of steps being installed to connect the museum to CAST thanks to TRIP funding of £151,317 by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with additional match funding of 25% (£50,439) came from our own funds and the generosity of CAST, Helston Place Shaping Board and Helston Town Council including support from the Mayor’s Fund.

Museum of Cornish Life Team 2025

• 1 Community Engagement Curator and 1 Collections Curator funded through mc⁷ a collaborative museum in Cornwall project funded by Arts Council England
• 1 Research Curator leading research and collections work supported by Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund
• 1 Finds Liaison Officer delivering the work of the Portable Antiquities scheme across Cornwall until end of March 2025
• 1 Museum Assistant (Collections) on a work placement from University of Exeter, 1 Customer Service Apprentice supported by Cornwall Marine Network, all as part of our commitment to supporting career progression
• 19 students supported in their studies of history, visual arts, archaeology and medicine
• Over 10,000 hours dedicated by the museums team of over 60 volunteers including 6 young volunteers.

The Museum in the Community 2025

• 695 people of all ages have participated in off-site activities including talks, memory cafes, care home visits and community events such as Falmouth Week and Helston Pride Picnic
• 3 young people supported to undertake Duke of Edinburgh and 5 young people on work experience
• 1 new book published Citizen Curators: A Guide to Museums and Collections for Beginners. Written by our Research Curator Tehmina Goskar, the book is a simple and easy to follow guide for anyone new to museums but curious to learn more about how they work and their fundamental principles and ethics. 
• 1 collaborative project with TREVOW Helston CIC where our team of volunteers explored the historic part of the graveyard and researched some of the people buried there. The story of Eliza Gilbert, who became the queen of the American gold mining world was brought to life over a two-episode performance on 26 February at the museum and then on 27 February 2025 at Helston Old Chapel.
• 6 interactive workshops for schools exploring Cornish traditional and contemporary music, dance, drama and the Cornish language through stories of historical characters from Helston. The workshops delivered by MADE celebrated Speak Cornish Week.

The Museum as a Charity in 2025

• Over £1000 raised through our museums supporters scheme
• Over £12,000 raised through donations in the museum
• Over £20,000 raised in income through purchases in the shop
• Over 1500 people attended our Cornish Summer Fair and Christmas Craft Fayre
• Delivered a collaborative project called mc⁷ , funded by Arts Council England, providing £80,000 a year
• In October 2026 joined the portfolio of organisations supported by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Art Fund.
• Funding of £15,000 secured from the Association of Independent Museums to conserve and stabilise three beautiful windows in the collection, our 17th Century Window, Olivers Sign and Titanic memorial stained Glass window