Strategic alliance signed 2023. Sustainable housing, net zero, rural economies and Celtic culture and language.
About
Of this place
Stretching out into the Atlantic, Cornwall is what it is because of where it is. The land, the sea, the ancient geology beneath – these elements aren’t just the backdrop. They’re the reason for everything.
They gave Cornwall its industries. Those industries built its communities. And from those communities grew a culture, a language and a people shaped by the same stuff as the place itself.
Cornwall — Kernow. Here then. Here now.
Cornwall.uk offers you a window into the whole of Cornwall. We welcome many visitors, but few will be aware of the considerable investment opportunities that exist here and the long track record of our Celtic nation. From our unique position as a clean energy eco-system, including across critical minerals, geothermal and offshore wind, Cornwall has over £10bn of investable opportunities.
Through Cornwall.uk, we welcome you to get to know a different side to Cornwall.
Onen hag oll
Meaning ‘one and all’, these three words have been Cornwall’s motto for centuries – woven so deeply into the language, culture and character, it’s closer to a way of life.
And it shows. Cornwall is a place that has always made room for the people who find their way here. A place that has always said: come as you are, stay as long as you like, leave things as (or better) than you found them.
The Cornish welcome is real – like everything else here.
History & Engineering
Shaped by here
The story of Cornwall is the story of its place.
Industry here has never been invented -
it has always been drawn from what’s here.
The Cornish mined the minerals, farmed the land and fished the sea.
They sent tin across Europe to supply the Mediterranean world, making this small peninsula one of the earliest and most far-reaching exporters in history. Each industry demanded its own knowledge, its own resilience; and the Cornish built both, generation by generation.
Centuries later, that same ingenuity drove the Industrial Revolution. Humphry Davy and Richard Trevithick – both Cornish – gave the world the miners’ safety lamp and the high-pressure steam engine, two inventions that changed the course of industry forever. Rowena Wade, visionary and innovator built the Minack Theatre, and pioneering 19th century botanists, Elizabeth Warren and Emily Stackhouse’s work has left a valuable record of Cornwall’s diverse native flora. What began here, shaped the world out there.
Culture, Art & Diaspora
Of this place
The landscape that defined Cornwall’s industries shaped its culture just as deeply. For artists, the raw coastline, the sharp light, and the exposure to the elements gave them a specific way of seeing, anchoring the schools of Newlyn, Lamorna, and St Ives on Cornish turf.
That same geography created space for a distinct identity to survive.
The culture and the language, Kernewek, grew directly out of life on this peninsula. It’s a heritage hardwired into communities, taught in schools, and written into law.
In 2014, the Cornish were formally recognised as a national minority – standing alongside the Scots, Welsh and Irish. Today, Cornwall is positioning itself as the Fifth Nation of the UK. Not a new ambition. Just a long-overdue recognition of what was always true.
MODERN AMBITION & ECONOMY
The next chapter
Cornwall’s past and its future are made of the same stuff. The natural assets that drove the Bronze Age trade and powered the Industrial Revolution are now at the centre of the global energy transition – and Cornwall knows exactly what to do with them.
The Cornwall Good Growth Plan sets out how Cornwall will build a productive, pioneering and environmentally responsible economy by 2030, moving away from grant dependency and towards a future grounded in its own assets and ambition. The minerals are being extracted. The turbines are being built. The talent is here and growing.
In 2026, the UK Government confirmed it will work with Cornwall as a Foundation Strategic Authority, backing that commitment with a £30m Kernow Industrial Growth Fund. Cornwall is a nation positioning itself for a bigger role – not by reinventing itself, but by doing what we have always done. Working with what’s here.
International framework
Global Cornish
Cornwall has always looked outwards. In the 19th century, Cornish miners and engineers spread across the world so widely it was said a ‘Cousin Jack’ could be found in every mine.
Today, that diaspora is an estimated six million people – ten times Cornwall’s current population – connected to the region through origin, heritage or association. The Global Cornish initiative is harnessing that network as a ready-made community of investors, mentors and champions.
Closer to home, Cornwall is building formal partnerships that reflect its place as a Celtic and Fifth Nation, forging relationships with Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and beyond.
International framework
Partnerships
Cornwall has long looked outwards for connections, opportunities and partnerships. As the fifth Celtic Nation of the UK, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Celtic Nations, building strong relationships and leveraging our distinct identity and assets to drive investment and growth across Cornwall.
Inter-Celtic Business Forum
British-Irish Council MOU
Signed March 2025. Cornish language, culture and heritage. The Leader of Cornwall Council is now invited to British-Irish Council ministerial meetings as an advisor on the Cornish language.
Ukraine (Zakarpattia Oblast) Memorandum of Intent
Signed March 2025. Economy, agriculture, trade, education, language and culture — a commitment to strengthening ties between two resilient, outward-looking regions.
Brittany–Cornwall
Sharing a longstanding partnership rooted in shared Celtic heritage, the formal Brittany–Cornwall MOU expired in March 2024. Both regions are actively pursuing its renewal, so watch this space.
Inter-Celtic Business Forum
Cornwall hosted the fourth iteration of this forum in April 2025, which covered economic cooperation across Celtic nations with leaders from Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, Brittany, Galicia and Asturias.
Inter-Celtic Festival de Lorient, 2026
Cornwall has been named Honoured Nation for the 2026 Interceltic Festival de Lorient – one of the world’s great Celtic gatherings, drawing 900,000 people to Brittany every August. A moment of international recognition that speaks for itself.
Britain’s Leading Edge
Founded by Cornwall Council in 2020, this is a network of 14 rural upper-tier authorities advocating for peripheral regions across the UK.