A Cornwall Civic Award goes to St Juster …………

A Cornwall Civic Award, for 2020, goes to St Juster, Daisy Carlyon Gibbs!

Annually, residents that have made a difference to their Cornish communities get nominated and recognised with a Civic Award, with an appropriate ceremony and reception at County Hall. I nominated Daisy Gibbs, back in March before the Pandemic had taken hold. The ceremony got postponed from April then abandoned in September. However, I’m pleased to say that the Chair of Cornwall Council, Hilary Frank, came to St Just to thank and honour Daisy in our own Plen-an-Gwary.

This is part of my nomination of Daisy, for the award:

Daisy is a local young woman who has thrown herself into our local community from birth! Whether performing in the local pantomime or taking her place on the streets of St Just during the annual Lafrowda Festival, more recently being a member of the organising committee. 

She recently got elected to St Just Town Council describing herself as: Young, Passionate, Community Minded Independent.

On her 30th birthday, in 2018, she had her head publicly shaved, raising £7,000 for Penhaligans friends. She also donated her hair to make wigs for children undergoing cancer treatments. 

She is a fundraiser to replace St Just Skate Park and is known locally as an environmentalist. She was involved with St Just becoming plastic free and recently set up a monthly Care and Repair café. 

She is an active member of Extinction Rebellion, taking part in action in London, striving towards a sustainable lifestyle off grid and helping others in the community make changes in their lives. 

Her goal, from her election leaflet: “To support and encourage young people to be more involved in our community and also help St Just and Pendeen become self-sustaining towns. I really believe in helping each other and working together and that isn’t hard to realise in this, the most fantastic of communities.” 

If given a Cornwall Civic Award she will be an inspiration to other young women to be active community members and perhaps stand for election. 

Since my nomination back in March, Daisy has done so much that I felt I had to update the Chair of Council with the following:

My nominee has (and no surprise) stepped up in these unprecedented times and set up a network of wardens (around 100) to ensure every street has a contact if they need help. She achieved this as we went into lockdown. She used the Falmouth card and one went through practically every door. Her name is Daisy so it was called our Daisy Chain network. 

She has also become Chair of the Voluntary Committee responsible for the Nancherrow Youth Centre and project. I know that with Daisy involved the project will go from strength to strength involving our young folk in its future development.