The Meadow Barns Education Centre

The Meadow Barns Education Centre

The Meadow Barns

The barns and sheds of our centre sit at the heart of a small hamlet, called Penpell. The name dates back to 1196 and is Cornish for ‘Distant Height’ … a quick glance at our photos will quickly show what an apt title this is, given we have coastal views that take your breath away.

What is less obvious is the connection with mining, going way back 2000 years BCE. Penpell was first a centre for tin streaming, then iron excavation and later housed workers for one of the most productive copper mines in the world. This industrial heritage underpins our work in Science or STEM and helps us focus on finding hopeful solutions for the future well-being of people and our beautiful planet.

Our purpose is to offer courses, activities and materials for education.

Autumn 2025 – Creating an Army of Folks to Care for Cornwall’s Future

As we approach October half term, we are pleased to announce 3 events in North and East Cornwall, perfect for helping people of all ages grasp the STEM of new mining. The topic ‘Rocks & Ores, Metals & Money’ is part 1 of the study programme mentioned above, ‘Full STEAMS Ahead to Net Zero‘, which was fully tested and approved in tandem with the Camborne School of Mines at University of Exeter and funded by the UK government a year ago.

The Locations, Costs and how to Book

You will find all the facts you need with these links, but if anything doesn’t work please just send an email to enquiry@themeadowbarns.co.uk. The price to reserve a place in advance is £10, but we also ask you to bring real money, most of which you can reclaim. Notes and coins are vital if we are to offer everyone Happy Treasure Hunting activities!

Tuesday 21st October – 2 Mount Folly, Bodmin, in conjunction with the Bodmin Town Museum and supported by the Town Council. Two chances to enjoy a session, morning or pm, of training for adults and suitable sixth form students, in the expectation that they will take the learning back to a community or school group for sharing. www.trybooking.com/uk/FKCK                                                                            

Sunday 26th October – is a Treasure Hunt activity at the Jubilee Field, Upton Cross, promoted in conjunction with the STERTS Centre for Arts and Environment and next door Linkhorne Village Hall booking team. Again we have a morning or an afternoon session on offer, with spaces for 4 teams of Family Members and/or Friends, to hunt rocks and metals. https://www.trybooking.com/uk/FKIY

Tuesday 28th October is back at Mount Folly, with a similar day to the Upton Cross one, only we happily can add the extra dimensions of engaging with rocks and money in the Museum collection, and being able to pre-order discounted refreshments, from Flory Cafe, across the road. https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/94982

Continuing the Studies, to qualify next year

Once an individual or family get started (and always supposing they feel it is worthwhile and enjoyable!), we will do all we can to offer chances for taking the rest of the course. If close to Meadow Barns then that is most likely the easiest way to go, but gradually (fingers crossed as we say this), we expect to have more centres available across the county.

In November & December we offer opportunities for part 2 of the course, with Streaming and Smelting, using Fire for Cooking and Chemistry. There is a definite element of Scandinavian Hygge here! Warming the spirits, it includes singing and stories of Tin and a few Christmas Carols too.

In January & also February half term we will explore the Mechanics of Mills and Mines, especially the world of Wheels. Where possible a relevant walk e.g. to a Waterwheel installation or a Railway or Steam Engine STEM Centre, is included. The Wheal Martyn waterwheels, with clay and railway stories, are likely to feature strongly for this section.

For March & April the stories will go Deeper and Darker, including a Drama of Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria and our local mine owner, Joseph Treffry. This is the crux of everything, when fossil fuel burning and other polluting processes began to warm up the planet and damage our natural world.

In May & June we will be out visiting beautiful woodlands, river valleys, and/or moorland areas to study trees and the recovery of nature, after mining. We respond by writing short poems and planning for a greener future.

In July (& possibly into August) we’ll conclude with a series of public events, setting out the stories of All That’s New. This will cover Fuels, Heat and Power, New Metals such as Lithium, and New ways of Mining old Metals, Re-cycling of Metals, Storage of Power and Transport!! It’s quite a big list, and we hope each Unit will find their own way to share to the community.

If you imagine that you could set up a Unit, with other locals, and get involved to go Full STEAMS Ahead please firstly find our Guide, in this Policies folder Policy Docs, then to move forward and make a booking, or have your questions answered either give our Director Caroline a quick call on 07967 653346 or email your enquiry@themeadowbarns.co.uk.

Caroline Cares – A statement

At the age of 30 I was studying music, (conducting and jazz) at the University of Denver. Obviously the thing I cared most about at that time was music and creativity. It was my career and I loved having music as a kind of tool to help other people enjoy life and develop confidence.

I refer to it now, because in retrospect, I realise that one of my lecturers really understood what makes me tick. He endorsed my ‘scholarship’, which remains very important to me, and something else that’s fundamental, about setting goals and never giving up:-

Caroline has ‘’a superb background and training in performance and scholarship …

(she is) one of those rare individuals who seeks a challenge and always rises to meet it …’’

Vincent C. la Guardia, Director of Orchestral Conducting, University of Denver

Since retiring as a music teacher I have chosen to use my skills for causes that are not music – causes I care deeply about. I have given 5 years to developing educational materials, songs, story-walks and associated exciting outdoor activities, but now (2025) it feels right to review how things have gone. I can see I need to consolidate things and conserve my energy, because I can only make a real difference by collaborating with wonderful colleagues and partner organisations, who share my passions.

So that is why this new web site, has 6 main sections all focused on the things I care about and 3 more to explain how you can get involved.

1. I care about Penpell, the place of fields looking out to sea, where my grandpa & father farmed, and where I grew up. My partners here are a mix of professionals in the field of eco construction and green energy systems, such as Duratite and Eco NRG, along with my team of paid staff, wonderful neighbours and volunteers.

2. I care about the Industrial Heritage close by – the ingenious structures rotting away, plus the ordinary and extraordinary people who lived and worked here in the past. My partners in this regard are Bob and David, the colleagues who outshine others in their passion and time commitment for restoring heritage in Luxulyan Valley area, plus the wonderful John, who has recently set up a business called Dog World at the historic St Blazey Foundry, PL24.

3. I care about the need for enjoyable STEM learning (Science Technology Engineering and Maths), for all ages but especially the very young. This is where my Arts, Music and Stories can bring things to life, in the method about Mining and Sustainable Energy Systems, called ‘Full STEAMS Ahead to Net Zero‘. In the Summer of 2025, we were celebrating the Joy of Stories at Meadow Barns, explaining answers to the question, ‘What’s the Future 4 Cornish Mining?’ The full course content and final certificate is supported by top organisations in the world of future mining – Imerys British Lithium, Exeter University/Camborne School of Mines and many colleagues in the Cornish Mining and Geo-Resources Alliance. But if that sounds a bit stiff and starchy, nothing could be further from the truth. It is loads of fun, for all ages!

  • Care for Penpell & Construction
    History of a little hamlet and residents through the centuries, where metal mining and water machinery have provided vital employment …
  • Care for Industrial Heritage
    The Industrial Landscape of PL24 is the main resource for learning at our site. But every section of its World Unique elements is decaying and in desperate need of restoration work.
  • Care about Fun STEM Learning
    Discover how our Family Learning Club model, ‘Full STEAMS Ahead’ to Net Zero came about and why you should come on board.

4. I care deeply about Building Great Teams, with Support for their Well-being and Future Prospects, especially those struggling with financial or health challenges. Through the projects about mining we aim to help create ‘People Panels’, with representation for all relevant organisations and groups in a community. Each session is planned to act as a stepping stone to higher learning and careers and this alone can help mental health, But another tool in our armoury is to partner with community groups and local churches or other faith leaders, as we strive to bring a spiritual light into troubled lives. The events may be outdoors, such as rescuing tree trunks with a heavy horse, but also – for special occasions – we go indoors for lighting candles and that spiritual element in ‘Ceremonies of Climate Hope’. The image shown is from a Chinese New Year multi-cultural event in Truro, which was filmed by ITV in 2024 (you may see the film on our YouTube channel). As the Director and main author, I also will continue to provide a hope-filled Newsletter every month.

5. I care that as many people as possible, regardless of financial status, should feel able to join in our activities at the Centre and when we operate further afield. However, I have seen too many times that people do not value what is given for free, which is why we do ask everyone to pay a moderate amount as reservation fee for a session, non-refundable. But after that, it is fine to pay what is genuinely affordable in notes, coins or even old mobile phones!

6. Where I see other people and organisations doing good things for their community and with a high sense of environmental responsibility, it matters a lot that we should build connections and support each other. This school year, 2025, I will go out of my way to help create new learning opportunities at partner locations, such as the upcoming ones with Bodmin Town Museum, Wheal Martyn Clayworks Museum, St Austell Library, St Blazey Foundry, Sterts Arts & Environmental Centre and Linkhorne Village Hall.

  • Care for People in Great Teams
    Whoever we work with, regardless of age, status or any other category, we aim always to celebrate their skills, give them courage in the face of adversity and bring out a sense of fun!
  • Visit a Partner Centre or Event
    Working with partners is changing our impact beyond what we ever dreamt would be possible. We are grateful for every opportunity you offer.

7. I care about Farming & Food and the excellent farm businesses around me. I seek out and promote their environmentally responsible practices and the best quality produce that they provide for us … another small but important group of partners, which includes Colwith Farm Shop and Distillery, Leyonne Farm, Coppergon Produce, Paul’s Fresh Fish of Mevagissey and Westcountry Mussels of Fowey. Working with them I can share knowledge and celebrate tasty cooking, at a Wednesday lunch-time Mid-Week Meet Up at the Foundry.

8. I care about Woodland and Trees. The Temperate Rainforest areas around me are wonderful, but there is very little understanding of what they are and how to look after them. Equally, no one seems to realise that letting the best trunks of fallen old trees rot away is bad. In any year on our planet more CO2 is released by this decay than by all the fossil fuels we burn. How can this be? I am delighted to have the promise of working, in this category, with such major partners as Newquay Orchard, Kernow Horse Logging, Kernow Training and a growing group of individuals, especially Simon and Jenny, who make useful and beautiful items from wood.

9. Finally, I care that we operate to the highest standards for safe-guarding, for healthy, safe outdoor activities and represent our commitment by using Penpell image as a kite-mark, for this quality experience.

  • Care for Good Food and Farming
    As a farmer’s daughter I am well aquainted with the Good elements, but also the Bad and Ugly aspects of what farming has been. Happily, I sense that today there is a quiet but amazing revolution underway …
  • Care for Woodland and Trees
    Temperate Rainforest areas are hidden in glades and quarries around PL24. Greater awareness is needed and team efforts of locals, to look after it.