Trelawny Plate
It is indeed an enormous honour to be given this most prestigious award,
particularly following such outstanding people as Bishop Bill Ind and Tom Henderson,
the founder of Shelterbox..
Since becoming Lord –Lieutenant I have been in the position of handing out awards
to other people, not receiving them, and it is somewhat daunting to be standing here
and trying to express in words what it means to me to receive the Trelawny Plate -
something I never expected
. I know you will all agree that Bishop Trelawny played a significant role in the
history of Cornwall - and what a special character he was: single minded,
courageous, defiant and a leader who really encapsulated the spirit of Cornwall. No
wonder he is remembered by us all and it is humbling to be receiving his plate.
Quite soon after I became Lord-Lieutenant back in 1994 Sir John Trelawny got in
touch about his ancestor and finding a use for his plate At that time I felt it might be
something the Bishop might lead on but the time was not right and it was nearly ten
years later that I was approached again by Sir John and Michael Galsworthy and I
felt that Bishop Trelawny was such a very, very special Cornishman that his memory
should be kept alive with the Trelawny Plate Award – and Michael has done a
wonderful job in setting up and organising the Award for the last six years.
. But first of all, who is this woman standing here giving her views on what is so
special about Cornwall? Sadly I do not have a drop of Cornish blood, though luckily
my husband has a tiny drop as he had a Killigrew ancestor some centuries ago, but I
am a Celt being half Irish and half Scottish, so that helps!
I have lived in Cornwall for 52 years and hopefully have picked up some knowledge of what makes Cornwall tick, initially through my service with St John Ambulance, which came about through a family connection, then my work as a Magistrate and with the Probation Service, as a governor of Truro School and Cornwall College. I was a member of the Health Authority, even a director of South West Water and a Bank, and also for a short time a television company, and, most importantly ,the Cornwall Chairman of CoSira which became the Rural Development Commission. I have links with many charities and then for over sixteen years have been your Lord-Lieutenant. I have looked on the role of Lord-Lieutenant as an enabling and supporting role – I can’t change anything but sometimes I can help people and organisations to make changes – I hope for the better.
I have been privileged to work with and meet a great many of the people that live and work in Cornwall and to learn a great deal about our wonderful county, its beautiful countryside and beaches and to realise how special a place it is and how careful we must all be to treasure what is so special, build on the talents of the people who live here and make sure that our children have a future here.
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Historically Cornwall’s industries have been mining and related industries, farming and also fishing. Not many years ago prospects for mining here looked bleak but with commodity prices so high, driven by apparently insatiable demands from China and India who knows what may yet happen. There are exciting prospects of using the waves, hot rocks, the wind and sun for energy – what other county could produce this variety of natural sources of energy, We hope there will continue to be a sustainable fishing industry in Cornwall, which enjoys access to the species rich South Western approaches. However the future of farming should be assured. I think there are great opportunities here with world food shortages and increased food productivity, and hopefully the government will encourage national self sufficiency Now, I am told, only 60% of our food is home grown - we should be able to increase this to 70-80% or even 90%. Returns to farmers must increase, there should be less political interference and we need to build on the strong farming community. I have enormous faith in the initiative and drive of the young Cornish farmer – my husband lectures me on this subject. They are prepared to find new markets and new uses of land. We have farmers who have turned to wine making, growing of vegetables, and selling them, starting up bakeries and much else. We must encourage our next generation of farmers to stay on the land and make sure they make a good living – their care of the land is so important to all of us who enjoy and benefit from the countryside.
What I find interesting as well is how often it is a member of the farming community who are members or Chairmen of the Parish Councils, run the WIs and are involved with village and county activities, and are so often the backbone of the community.. We should nurture them!
And of course in some ways our growing reputation for producing excellent food from Cornwall is linked to the farming industry – I am so delighted when I see Cornish products, including of course the Cornish Pasty or Cornish cream, in London or elsewhere- a real success story. And all this is helping our tourist industry, another growth area which is so important for the Cornish economy. We only have to look at what has been achieved in the last ten years or so – the Eden Project, Tate St Ives, the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, the World Heritage Site status - and we mustn’t forget our wonderful gardens , to see why people come here all year round now, not just for our beaches in the summer, even though they are fantastic!.
Our musical heritage is so wonderful as well, are there any other counties that have such magnificent choirs, male voice choirs, brass bands and the special St Endellion and Prussia Cove Classes and concerts?
We are still a county with a very high proportion of small businesses and self-employed people – but there is so much quality in these businesses and I am so encouraged by the enthusiasm of those who work in them. And we are so lucky to have such good educational standards and facilities. . Cornwall has one of the highest proportions of secondary schools rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted anywhere in the country, our colleges are also highly rated and we are so lucky with our new University campus at Tremough and the other higher education facilities we now have at Cornwall College and Truro and Penwith Colleges. And we mustn’t forget the Peninsula Medical and Dental School at Treliske – a real bonus to the county.
We do have some problems – the high cost of housing, lack of and cost of rural transport, the below average wages and real poverty that is still with us. . The average cost of a house in Cornwall in 1995 was £54,606 – in December 2010 it was £189,274, having peaked in 2008 at £207,928. It is very difficult for anyone with an average wage of £22,500 to buy a house at that price.
Our population has grown by over 100,000 during my time as Lord-Lieutenant and the post war baby boomers who were still working when I started as Lord-Lieutenant in 1994 are now in their early sixties and looking to retirement. We have a problem with an ageing population to look after and even if we are keeping more of the younger people in the county through our excellent higher education facilities we are going to have to find ways to afford the care our older population will need.
But what I feel is so special about Cornwall is its community spirit and the high level of volunteering that we enjoy. The statistics I have been given show over 32% of the population do voluntary work, the highest level of volunteering in England out of all the unitaries and county council areas. . We also, I believe ,donate more per head of population to charity than any other county, though we may be beaten by the Isle of Wight!
At this point I must mention two trusts that I am very proud of initiating .The first is the Cornwall Community Foundation, of which I was the first chairman, and which hopefully can grow into an umbrella charity that can really make a difference to the communities of Cornwall – and the second is the Lord-:Lieutenants Fund for Youth. Michael did so much to help me set this up and I am very proud of the number of really talented young people with limited finances that we have been able to help, including of course Ella O’Neill, who is here today.
Both these organisations must thrive and continue in the future and be an important source of funding to help the people of Cornwall.
All this mix makes up the wonderful place that is Cornwall – a place of beautiful and often historic countryside and inhabited by people that care for the place that they live in and for the history and traditions of the past that make Cornwall today so very special. We are the present custodians of Cornwall and need to make sure that we conserve, not preserve, all that is so unique - there is no where else in the world that can compare with our county. The spirit of Cornwall is all around us - we are all privileged to live here and be part of the Cornish community and it is that which makes me feel so proud to be your Lord-Lieutenant and even more proud to be receiving the Trelawny Plate.
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