Mine research is about to begin near Helston at the same time as the company behind it raised close to £1million pounds in just a few hours to help fund it, making almost £3million in total.

Cornish Tin is planning an initial exploration drilling programme this year at the Great Wheal Vor group of 26 former producing tin and copper mines in the Mining District of Breage.

These last operated in the 1800s, with the company describing it as "one of the most important mining areas in Europe."

It opened up a fundraiser on Crowdcube last Monday, to those who had previously registered interest in purchasing shares, and within a hours the entire allocation was oversubscribed, raising £900,000 in the process – an oversubscription of more than 250%.

It follows on from the £1.9 million raised privately in the final quarter of last year, from a mix of mining professionals and private individuals, creating a shareholder group.

Company CEO Sally Norcross-Webb said: “This demonstrates the depth of support for Cornish Tin including many investors from Cornwall.

"It was always our plan to open up this opportunity more widely, and we now have over 300 new shareholders, many of them local.”

Permission has already been granted for the first phase of mine exploration work, after Cornwall Council – as Mineral Planning Authority – granted Cornish Tin the necessary planning consent in 2021 to implement the programme, under a General Permitted Development Order (GPDO). Details of the permission, including an ecological impact assessment can be found on the Cornwall Council planning portal under application number PA21/06669.

Ms Norcross-Webb added: “The area is one of the most important mining areas in Europe.

"The future potential extraction of the underlying minerals is safeguarded by Cornwall Council’s Mineral Safeguarding Plan. In addition, information about the mineral rights position and the subsurface mine workings in the area have been freely available for many years, including by reference to title deeds or carrying out mining searches.”

The first phase of the drilling programme will consist of 33 exploration boreholes. These will be “diamond drilled”, which the company says means no pneumatic or percussive drilling, and no blasting.

The process essentially uses hollow tubes, with a diamond impregnated cutting edge (the drill bit), to extract cylindrical cores of rock, for research purposes.

The diameter of each hole at surface is approx 125mm (similar to the diameter of a rabbit hole), reducing to approx 96mm within ten metres of the surface.

Cornish Tin describes the rigs as "small and low noise", with straw bales to offer screening for further noise mitigation.

Clive Newall, the chairman of Cornish Tin, said: “The ongoing appalling events in Ukraine and Russia, and the 'Belt and Road' projects being implemented by China, which seek to control as much as possible of the world’s critical metals, make it more crucial than ever that we in the UK develop our own secure, sustainably produced supply of critical minerals.

"The world desperately needs more tin, to achieve the electrification of our global economy and win our fight against climate change. Everything with a printed circuit board in it cannot be made without tin. It’s in every smartphone, computer and electric vehicle, for example.

"In its day, Cornwall led the world in tin production. The Great Wheal Vor group of mines was last worked in the 19th century. We look forward to unlocking the secrets of this famous mine, and subject to successful exploration we hope to develop it for the benefit of Cornwall and the UK, but this time, powered by clean energy."

Last week Cornish Tin issued a question and answer document about phase one.

Ms Norcross-Webb said this included details of the:

• Methodology for the safe sealing of the boreholes

• Low noise and impact on the amenity of the area

• No contamination to ground water supplies

She also stressed that the programme was "currently exploring, not mining", adding: "If in the future planning consent is granted for a mine, the company will contribute to a Community Fund for the benefit of the area."

Copies of the Q & A are available on the Breage Parish Council and Sithney Parish Council websites, and the company’s website.

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