History of Friends of the Towans

Friends of the Towans was created so that local people could become involved in practical conservation work. This was not a straightforward process, because of the fragmentation of ownership and management of the Towans land and beaches.

In 2000, the Towans Partnership was established as a forum to improve communication between the different landowners, statutory and voluntary conservation agencies, tourism businesses and the local community. It was also part of the role of the Towans Partnership to apply for funding.

A Towans Ranger was subsequently employed to coordinate action on the ground: the post was funded by Hayle Town Council, Gwinear-Gwithian Parish Council, the National Trust and two holiday parks. Friends of the Towans – initially an informal group of volunteers – was set up to support the Towans Ranger’s work.

In 2020, a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund by Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the Towans Partnership resulted in funding under a three-year national project, Dynamic Dunescapes. This additional money enabled the Towans Ranger to increase the number of practical habitat management days, and to develop new opportunities for people to learn more about the ecology, wildlife and history of the Towans through guided walks, workshops, survey work and an art club.

However, as the Dynamic Dunescapes project was time-limited and the Towans Partnership could not provide substantial long-term funding, it was agreed that FOTT should apply for charitable status, in order to access grants, and in 2021 it became a registered charity. The same year, Save Our Sand, an unregistered charity set up to monitor the condition of Hayle’s beaches, was brought under the management of the trustees of Friends of the Towans.

Following the departure of the Towans Ranger in 2023, a temporary part-time Volunteer Coordinator has been employed while the trustees seek funding to employ a new Towans Ranger.

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