News: Cornwall supports Ukraine - plus how to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee

Object of the Year

Support for Ukraine

Cornwall residents have shown their solidarity with the people of wartorn Ukraine. On Sunday, February 27, the Bishop of Truro conducted a service in Mylor Bridge at a cross built by Ukranian refugees escaping persecution after the Second World War (see page 38). A scratch orchestra gathered on Truro’s Lemon Quay on Sunday, March 6 to play The Great Gate Of Kiev by Mussorgsky to massed crowds, and individuals and removal firms travelled to the Ukrainian border to offer skills and donations of warm clothing. Companies created special collections to raise funds to help refugees: Cornishware released a range of yellow and blue crockery, while Flotsam Flo created badges in Ukrainian colours from paddling pools destined for landfill.

Truro Cathedral Choir has recorded and filmed Ave Maria by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov in support of their Crowdfunder appeal for UNICEF’s Protect Children in Ukraine - you can hear it now on the choir's YouTube channel. l The Cornwall Heritage Awards took place on February 9, hosted by Cornwall Museums Partnership. The Object of the Year, decided by public vote, was a rare 19th century dip needle from the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society – otherwise known as The Poly in Falmouth. Designed by Cornish Quaker Robert Were Fox, this compass enabled ships to traverse the seas safely. Its four worthy co-finalists were a pair of Cornish fishwife’s pattens from the National Maritime Museum Cornwall; an 1868 telegraphy cable from PK Porthcurno; a half-hull model of the schooner “Doris” from Wadebridge and District Museum; and the Dancing Girl of Naukratis from the Museum of Cornish Life in Helston. Other winners included Isles of Scilly Museum, Leach Pottery St Ives, and the Old Guildhall and Gaol Museum in Looe. l

The Spring Story

Spring in Cornwall was officially announced on February 22, marked by six champion Magnolia Campbellii trees having over 50 blooms. Founded by The Nare Hotel in conjunction with The Great Gardens of Cornwall, the Spring Story saw Cornwall’s most westerly magnolia tree at Trewidden Garden achieve its target first, with Trebah, Tregothnan, Trewithen, Caerhays and the Lost Gardens of Heligan not far behind. James Stephens at Heligan said: “Even though Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin tried to scupper the early arrival of spring, this really is proof that the milder winter we experience in Cornwall means we get to enjoy an extra month of spring.” l

Port Isaac crowdfunder

Fishermen have warned that the picturesque village of Port Isaac will be at risk of regular flooding if its harbour is not repaired. A large chunk of concrete has come off the outside of the eastern breakwater, with the cost of repair estimated by the harbour commission to be “eye-watering”. The responsibility for repair traditionally rests upon local fishermen, of which there remain just two, who cannot afford the extensive work. The village has been made famous around the world by the TV series Doc Martin and the performances of the Fisherman’s Friends on The Platt. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise £60,000 towards these repairs, as well as work on the 16th century fish cellars. l www.gofundme.com/f/port-isaac-harbour-repairs

Gardens: see page 32

Gorgeous Godrevy

The South West Coast Path Photographer of the Year 2021 competition has been won by a beautiful image of Godrevy Lighthouse, captured through a natural rock frame with rockpools reflecting the pink hues of dusk. Lensman Christian Coan has visited Godrevy every year for the last 18 years, and checked the tide times and the weather before searching for the perfect spot from whch to shoot. Over 1,200 entries were judged by critically acclaimed seascape photographer Rachael Talibart. Christian takes home not only the title, but also a four-day Canoe Trails kayaking adventure on the Jurassic Coast and £250 worth of adventure-friendly kit courtesy of Bamboo Clothing. l www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk

Setting the spark

Golden Tree Productions - masterminds of The Man Engine and Kerdroya: The Cornish Landscape Labyrinth – are leading a new cultural adventure in Redruth, exploring the notion of the town having a plen an gwari once again. This would be the first medieval-style Cornish amphitheatre to be built for 500 years, to serve as an important community hub, a beautiful green space and an exciting performance venue with a rolling programme of cultural events.

Hellfire Kernow will be the community engagement and cultural animation strand of the plen an gwari research project, with Kap’n Kryw (‘Crew Captains’) and Krefter Kryw (‘Crew Makers’) working closely with young people from Redruth School, leading a series of workshops to prepare for the first trial event in May 2022: the inaugural Redruth Hurling Championships, with costumed, colourful crews each supporting their team with chants and 'haka'-style encouragements. l Find out more at goldentree.org.uk

Rare birds on the up

Rare birds once close to extinction in the UK have been spotted on National Trust countryside in Cornwall following positive measures to improve numbers. Yellowhammers and cirl buntings are among Britain’s most colourful farmland birds, but loss of habitat and food has attributed to the steep decline in numbers and both are now ‘red-listed’. However, careful site management at Tregew on the Trelissick Estate, near Truro, has resulted in recordings of both birds. The National Trust has worked with tenant farmers to ensure hedgerows are cut on a rotational basis, allowing them to fruit, seed and grow both wide and dense, providing food and shelter for birds and mammals. l

City of Culture 2025

Cornwall has lost its bid to be City of Culture 2025. It was dropped from the longlist along with Armagh City, Derby and Stirling, leaving Bradford, County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham to battle it out on the shortlist. The winner will be revealed in May. l

Platinum Jubilee fun

Communities come together to celebrate HM The Queen’s historic 70-year reign over the extended bank holiday - Thursday, June 2 to Sunday, June 5. Below is a selection of events taking place across Cornwall – check the interactive map for more (and remember to add your own) at platinumjubilee.gov.uk/events/

• Beacons will be lit on Thursday, June 2 in more than 1,500 towns, villages and cities throughout the UK, as well as in UK Overseas Territories and Commonwealth countries. If you are planning one, register and find tips at www.queensjubileebeacons.com • Also on Thursday, June 2, an informal celebratory Jubilee Parade is planned to take place in Truro, leaving St George's Road at 12.30pm. Bude will take a retro approach to proceedings, with Petticoats and Rockabillies taking over The Castle Lawn from 11am until 6pm. In Port Isaac, you’ll find an all-day party in the village hall.

• On Sunday June 5, the Big Jubilee Lunch will see flagship events at the Eden Project (where the idea originated) and in London, while over 200,000 neighbourhood events are anticipated across the UK – for example, at the Princess May Recreation Ground in Penzance. Pride of place will surely be given to the newly crowned Platinum Pudding. Make it official: register your event, order a free pack and find out more about an entire Month of Community at www.thebigjubileelunch.com

• Also on Sunday, June 5, 70 cars - one for each year of The Queen’s reign - will travel 70 miles from Bodmin to Penzance. • Cornwall Heritage Trust will join the national beacon lighting event at 9.45pm on June 2, lighting beacons at Sancreed, near Land's End, and Castle an Dinas near St Columb Major.

• The Cornish Street Food Festival will run across the entire four-day bank holiday at Barrowfields in Newquay – see page 68. l

12 THINGS TO DO IN APRIL AND MAY 14 DOG-FRIENDLY CORNWALL 16 THE MINACK AT 90 18 SUSTAINABLE CORNWALL 25 THE WANT LIST 26 ADORE MY STORE: CIRCA21 30 MOTHER’S BOY 32 NATIONAL GARDENS SCHEME 34 ST DAY OLD CHURCH