My Outreach Contribution for August & September

My Outreach Contribution for August & September is below or you can read the whole of the magazine on-line at Pendeen Outreach Magazine

Sue James, with St Just Town Council News

I always find it a challenge when I sit down to start drafting words for you that good things to report on are about to happen and will have happened by the time you read this! It feels as if I’m always telling you yesterdays news and, assuming people out there are reading this, you are left thinking “…but what about…..?!”

One such bit of future news is the name of our new Town Clerk. We interviewed and made a unanimous decision on 10 July, but as the candidate has to accept and we have to take up references, it would be wrong to share the name. All I can say is, we interviewed 4 people and all had something positive they could offer Town Council and our community although one stood out as being able to hit the ground running on all fronts.

Reading what I wrote last month, I realise I should have come to a view on Mayor’s Sunday….whoops! Well we have a Town Council meeting on 24 July so that will become my new deadline. It will be community focused and I will aim to bring it to Pendeen.

Some old news is that, as ever, our local Old Cornwall Society organised the midsummer bonfire event, at the top of Chapel Carn Brea brilliantly……..well except for the windy and rather chilly evening weather. If you have never attended then do look out for it next year on 23^rd June as there is a wonderful atmosphere up there, tremendous views (as long as it’s not foggy) and the past and present collide in a ceremony from the past that we continue with today and into the future. I think I’ve attended most years since 2008 and I’m still not bored with it! The challenge for the Flower Girl is to throw quite a large bunch of flowers on top of the lit Beacon and I cannot help thinking a Netball champion would be a good find!

Lafrowda week is about to get into full swing with a wonderful event at the Chapel in St Just already  kicking things off. I was amazed by the efforts of those that dressed up and had their faces painted as clowns (we’re talking adults not children here), to meet the circus themed brief; and Reverend Matt Fugill, our fairly new minister entered fully into the spirit of circus ring master.

I’m now going to tell you about the Emergency Plan for the Parish. The Plan is designed to be activated when there is a major incident in our community that it might be difficult for emergency services to respond to based on their day to day activities and resources. So, it is a plan we hope we never have to activate but if we do, it will probably mean there are residents that are going to need support and likely evacuation to places of safety.

The Plan names a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) who will activate and co-ordinate the response to any emergency, calling and supporting emergency services as required although, in most emergency situations we would expect at least 1 emergency service to have already been mobilised before any of us become aware of the situation. Flooding is the most likely emergency scenario but of course a large fire or a rare event like a plane crash, could also trigger it.

The CERT consists of me, as your Mayor taking the lead role and also leading as co-ordinator for Carnyorth. There are 2 co-ordinators for St Just, Councillor Robert Chadder and Neil Taylor who many will know is a retired Police Officer. Andrew Buckingham (also retired from the Police) is the co-ordinator for Botallack, and Tregeseal and Councillors Farmer and Jess Morris are co-ordinators for Pendeen and Trewellard.

Well you and I get a month off in terms of communicating through Outreach but if you cannot wait until October to hear the latest news then catch up through the Town Council or my websites.

I’ll end with Land Trust rather than Town Council news and that is that we have secured £21,300 Community Capacity funding* to start securing all the necessary works to submit a planning application on Cornwall Council land in Lafrowda Close, St Just for 3 sustainable, affordable homes for local people. We are working with Agile Properties on this project and if anyone wants to know more then let me know and maybe come along to our AGM on 12 September.

*This funding has been allocated from Cornwall Council’s Community Capacity Fund. The Community Capacity Fund is part of the Good Growth Programme, which is delivering the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly