Kimberley Park Lodge, located at the lower entrance to Falmouth’s beautiful Kimberley Park Gardens, had not been in use for several years.
In early 2020, following a desire by Falmouth Town Council to revitalise the building for the benefit of the community, the Council, working in partnership with the local, award-winning, community radio station, Source FM, conducted a consultation and drew up plans to turn Kimberley Park Lodge into a community café, recording studio and training facility.
The newly named Re-Source project was enthusiastically received by the community at large; including Falmouth & Exeter Universities, local schools, and Cornwall Music Trust.
SPF will be used to remodel Kimberley Park Lodge. The plan proposes two community uses: a community café and a suite of recording studios. Two of these studios will be geared up for radio production, both live and pre-recorded, as well as podcasting. The third studio will be a flexible space that can either be used as a rehearsal/recording studio or for community projects and activities.
The aim of the Re-Source project is to create a community space to not only act as a broadcast hub but also, as a resource for all age groups providing education, training, and support on all types of media as well as a meeting place for people to connect and share stories. It also has the potential to facilitate town-wide broadcasts during festivals and major events; tying in with the Smarter Cities digital platform which is proposed as part of Falmouth town centre’s improvements strategy.
Source FM has a long history of community engagement and is focused on reaching a broad local audience. Further community engagement will be achieved through the recruitment of a Community Engagement Outreach post, also funded by SPF, for the duration of the project.
The remodelled building will be fully accessible and will align to the Council’s zero-carbon aspirations. It will also enhance and breathe new life into an otherwise underutilised area of one of Falmouth’s most beautiful parks and gardens. All building works are due to be concluded by Spring 2025.