You will now see that our web
site is vastly improved and getting better by the day. We have Alan
Richards to thank for this: he gives us his time freely and is dedicated
to the cause. Please sign our guest book – watching the counter of hits
I can see that the site is more and more visited.
Indeed, I don’t know about you, but
I have the impression that all things connected with the Dasserghyans
Kernewek (Cornish Renaissance) are moving faster. (For those of you who
don’t know, our logo ‘St Piran Dasserghi’ means ‘St Piran Renaissance’, or
even ‘Rise Again St Piran!’ – dasserghi is the Cornish for ‘revival,
or rise again’. Cornish verbs are used also as nouns.)
The weekend of March 5 was active
all over Cornwall – you will see photos on the web site of the procession on
Perran Sands, but also of jollities in the east of the country in St Cleer
and Launceston. (The bit I love best on this occasion is hearing parents
yelling ‘Perran!’: for my first 50 years I was a lonely Perran, but the name
is now more common.) If you have any photos do send them in and we will post
them. There were good reports in the press, and they mentioned the Trust. We
met many of our supporters, and also got a sense in general of the
strengthening of support for what we are trying to do.
Our next big occasion is on May
30th, in Launceston. We are holding a major fundraising day at the castle.
Why Launceston, I am asked? Well, two related reasons mainly. First, so many
Cornish events take place in west Cornwall, and people in the east sometimes
feel that they are distanced from them – I know; I live near Liskeard and am
always having to make the trek west! Second, of course, is that the Trust is
concerned with St Piran in all of Cornwall – you can see Pol Hodge’s
ingenious explanation of the connection between St Piran and Launceston on
the web site – I won’t spoil it for you by printing it here. The castle is
managed by English Heritage, and we are working in partnership with it to
put on the event.
Angela is coordinating the Trust
side of the event. Adrian Carter of the Ring o’ Bells Brewery will brew a
special beer for us; lots of musicians will be there; Pol Hodge will write a
play. Please support us – if you want tickets email Angela at
angela@st-piran.com or Eileen.
We are in strong partnership also
with the archaeologists of the Cornwall County Council, as I mentioned in
the last newsletter. The Historic Environment Service is putting together a
large package of funding for the excavation and preservation of the Second
Church. With Dick Cole’s help we have now got a programme of action for
this, and we expect the works to begin in September this year, perhaps
earlier. Our financial contribution is £7,500, and we need to raise this
sum. So please send any contributions, no matter how small, to Eileen Carter
at Rosenwynn, Chapel Hill, Bolingey, Perranporth, TR6 0DQ (
eileen@st-piran.com ). We will shortly be posting on the web site the
list of our supporters.
As for the Oratory, there is no new
news. But those of you who have been to the Sands lately will have seen no
water, and St Piran once again had to arrive by land in the play! While this
might detract from the drama, it is a sign that the water level seems to
have fallen. As I said last time, the piesometer evidence is also pretty
clear – there seems to be no connection between the pan with the shoredock
in it and the site of the Oratory, meaning that draining the Oratory is not
likely to affect the rare plants on the either side of the hill. We are
awaiting Dave Watkins’ (previously of the Camborne School of Mines) final
report and then will discuss it with English Nature.
Finally, what of the Round? We
really want to get some activities taking place there this year. At present
we have taken responsibility for the care and insurance of the Round. Our
broad strategy is to raise sufficient finance to develop the infrastructure
(services, sanitation, parking facilities, etc) so that playing groups will
be attracted. We are currently supported with an annual grant from English
Heritage to maintain the grounds, which finishes in December this year, and
we have received some funding from ITV Westcountry, for which we are very
grateful.
Maeve has been very active in
raising funds, and has organized a number of events. The first event is on
25 June at the Memorial Hall in Perranporth and is a Cheese and Wine Supper
with lots of quizzes. Hopefully there will also be a small group of local
musicians playing and plenty of opportunity to socialise. The cost is £6 a
ticket, with all profits going to our Round fund. We need help selling
tickets, so let us know if you would like to have some – contact Maeve at
maeve@st-piran.com .
The second event is to be held on
September 10th, and is a dance with a buffet supper, again in the Memorial
Hall in Perranporth. The cost is the same. There will also be band.
Both events begin at 19.30 until
23.00. The 10th is also Carrick Heritage Day, and we hope to organize a day
time event at the Round – check on the web site for further news. Don’t
forget also that we hope the dig at the second church will be taking place
during September.
We are always looking for people
to help. In particular, getting the Round into action is going to be
difficult, requiring time and patience, so please let us know if you are
interested in helping.
Finally, there are many other
interesting things happening in the Cornish Renaissance, on the language
front, and on the culture front. You will find some links on the web site.
Let us know what you think.
Perran Penrose
Chairman
St Piran Trust
