CORNWALL
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HELSTON CHAMBER FORMED A new chamber of commerce and industry is being formed in Helston. Local business owner and town councillor Gareth Looker believes that businesses in the area need to have their voices heard in the future development of the town and believes a chamber of commerce is the ideal vehicle to communicate their hopes and aspirations. He said: “It’s been several years since Helston last had a forum where local businesses could compare notes on what is affecting them. The new chamber of commerce will help businesses work together to achieve success for the good of themselves and the town. “Having spoken with several business owners and managers in Helston I believe the time is right to establish a new chamber of commerce that can help make our business community stronger.”
Cornwall’s bid to be the UK’s City of Culture 2025 has moved a step closer after being longlisted with seven other parts of the UK. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which runs the fouryearly competition, confirmed last month that Cornwall had made the longlist from an initial 20 expressions of interest from around the UK. The other cities/regions include the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Bradford, County Durham, Derby, Southampton, Stirling and Wrexham County Borough. DCMS will now award Cornwall a grant of £40k to support a full application before a final shortlist is announced in early 2022, with the winner expected to be revealed in May. Announcing that Cornwall had made the longlist, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “Culture is for everyone, regardless of their background and I’m delighted that the bids from our eight longlisted places
FULL MARKS FOR MISH A Cornish business has made history by being the first retailer ever to be awarded full marks in every category of the Drapers award for Best Customer Experience.
the very best independent fashion retailers from across the UK and Ireland and the bestselling brands that make them so successful.
This makes Wadebridge-based lingerie retailer Mish “the best customer experience” across all retail fashion outlets in the UK and Ireland. The awards celebrate the achievements of
Founder of Mish, Michèle Poynter, said: “We are thrilled to receive this prestigious award and to be told that we received 100% in every judging category is just such an incredible achievement.”
will help areas across the UK level up by increasing access to culture. I wish all our successful bids luck in the next phase of the competition. Cornwall’s bid showed huge promise and I look forward to seeing what they have in store.”
and the transition to a low carbon economy and society at its heart. The bid explores how culture can foster conversations and community responses to some of the biggest challenges facing the world today, including climate change.
Glenn Caplin-Grey, chief executive of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, which is spearheading Cornwall’s bid, added: “This is fantastic news and cements Cornwall’s position among the top cultural and creative regions of the UK. We’ve already shown we can stage worldclass events from the G7 Summit in June to the recent Tour of Britain race, and City of Culture status would put a national and international spotlight on Cornwall’s culture and creativity for a whole year.
Bidding for the City of Culture title has been shown to have a very positive impact on a place, with previously longlisted locations bringing together enduring partnerships to share a vision for an area and attract investment.
“Ours is very much a collaborative bid, working hand in hand with the creative sector, and we look forward to developing our proposals in the coming weeks.” Cornwall’s bid has the themes of ‘people, place and planet’, with the environment
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And the benefits of winning the title are significant, showcasing a location to the country and the world in a year-long celebration of culture. Coventry, which is UK City of Culture 2021, has attracted over £100 million in capital investment to support cultural projects, while Hull saw more than 5.3 million visits in 2017.
CORNWALL ON CITY OF CULTURE LONGLIST
