Lost Gardens of Heligan cutting jobs

One of Cornwall's most famous tourist attractions has announced a round of job cuts. The Lost Gardens of Heligan near St Austell has confirmed it is set to shed a number of staff following a round of consultation.

The award-winning attraction, which was famously taken on and restored by Eden Project co-founder Sir Tim Smit in the late 1990s, said the redundancies were necessary following a merging of two department. The attraction, which employs about 125 staff, said bringing together the retail and admissions teams would result in up to 10 people losing their jobs - which represents about eight per cent of the total year-round workforce.

A spokesperson for the Lost Gardens of Heligan said: "In line with many businesses, we constantly consider how we might enhance our operational efficiency and visitor experience. As part of this development, we identified that the joining together of retail and admissions teams would drive a better visitor experience for this season.

Read next: Axed Christmas festival traders lose £50K in deposits as festive market axed

Read next: Prominent beach restaurant and nightclub in iconic spot go up for sale

"Following the correct legal process, we are now consulting with the teams affected. This does mean that a small number of people (i.e. less than ten) will likely end up leaving Heligan in due course."

The spokesperson added: " This is truly regrettable and not a decision that we took lightly given the impact on individuals. However, we are taking this approach now, such that any changes are bedded in ahead of the main, busy summer season and with an eye on the long-term sustainability of our operations."