Golowan - better than Glastonbury?

When 18-year-old Ben Clunie was elected the new Mock Mayor of Penzance on Wednesday night, he proclaimed Golowan was “better then Glastonbury”. He is two years younger then the festival itself, and most of his friends had made their way to Somerset to watch Dizzee Rascal, Muse et al, yet he was in no doubt just how important this event was to his home town. And after witnessing the Mazey Day for the first time this weekend myself, I have to say that I’m inclined to agree.
For many of the 50,000 people who took to the streets over the weekend, Glastonbury and even England’s disastrous World Cup defeat were something of a sideshow. The event, celebrating its 20th year as a modern revival of the old Feast of St John, was a fantastic display of community involvement with everyone in the town playing their part. Dozens of local performers, hundreds of volunteers and thousands of schoolchildren had put their heart and soul into the week-long celebrations, culminating in the spectacular bustling Mazey Day parades on Saturday and the more leisurely Quay Fair event on the promenade on Sunday.

I’ll resist the temptation to compare Mazey Day to Rio Carnival, but it was seriously a sight to behold. The giant images, particularly these sea horses from Graham Jobbins and Mounts Bay School, alongside multi-coloured bugs, sea creatures, snakes, pirates and, courtesy of Trythall School, the largest collection of Cornish Choughs you’re likely to see in one place at the same time were incredible. Market Jew Street, free of traffic and full of stalls and people was transformed into Carnaby Street, or something even better.

Even the England game failed to keep thousands away from the promenade the following day for Quay Fair Day, with Penzance’s new synchronized swimming team, The Jubilees, splashing into the art deco pool for their second stunning display, local restaurant workers battling it out in the inaugural Waiters’ Race and a wonderful performance in PZ Gallery by the 50 Degrees Choir, before the gallery turned into an unusual venue to watch the game on the big screen.

Fireworks, a torchlight procession, the Mazey Ball, bands in the Ritz and the Acorn, street music and displays, impromptu gigs and performances and smiling faces everywhere made for a week to remember in the town. The community spirit which pulled together so many people and allowed such a wonderful event to be put together on a shoestring made me proud to be in Penzance. There are fears that after recent budget cuts from Cornwall Council it could face even further funding difficulties next year. I hope those with any influence witnessed this year’s event and will make sure it gets the support it deserves. Better than Glastonbury? I know where I’d rather be…

A difficult decision to make

The increasingly bitter debate over Penzance Harbour reaches another important milestone tomorrow. Three months after the strategic planning committee voted against the listed building consent for a combined freight and passenger terminal, those same plans are returned to the table. It seems absurd that just because the decision didn't go in its favour, Cornwall Council would bring the plans back again, with no change, until the 'right' decision was made, but that's exactly what seems to be happening.
It's impossible to tell how the committee will vote tomorrow, but the momentum in the build-up to this vote certainly seems to have shifted. While the December 2009 vote came in the wake of a huge campaign against Option A by the Friends of Penzance Harbour, it seems it's the opposite side who are running the most vociferous campaign now.
Mike Waters, from the Chamber of Commerce, has helped set up the 'True Friends of Penzance and the Isles Of Scilly', attracting thousands of signatures to his petition to save the sea link. Meanwhile, a second group of local businessmen have set up the Facebook group, 'A Future for Penzance', which has also gathered more than 3,500 'fans'.
Many have argued this is evidence of a shift in the attitudes of local people to the harbour. And perhaps they're right. But with the Falmouth gun to their head, it's hard to tell whether people actually like Option A or whether they'd just accept anything that kept the sea link in Penzance for fear of ruining the town.
But there is an alternative. MP Andrew George has helped another new group, the Penzance Business Network, draw up Option PZ. The plan was officially unveiled last Wednesday to a packed audience in the Methodist Church on Chapel Street. It was said to be an extremely positive meeting and the plans, for all the criticism that they've been thrown together in a few weeks, were reportedly very well received. They would involve a big compromise from both sides, but it's that sort of compromise that could be necessary to move forward.
Unfortunately, Cornwall Council is still insisting it's Option A or nothing. So will the committee agree to Option A on this basis? Is it too late for any other plans? If councillors are told that to vote against Option A would signal the end of the historic sea link between Penzance and Scilly, would they really be prepared to vote against it on the off-chance that another plan, labelled by some 'Pipedream PZ', might just get off the ground?
It's a really difficult decision to make. I hope those involved can see through the spin to the real truths and make the right decision for the town. We need to repair the divisions that have opened up and unite Penzance again. And keep this sea link where it should be - in our town.

Tweetally ridiculous to criticise

Arguably the most interesting local authority debate for years was started this week by an article on
www.thisiscornwall.co.uk on the self-proclaimed "Twitter Gang" of Cornwall Council. Cllrs Alex Folkes, Andrew Wallis, Steve Double, Jeremy Rowe and Rob Nolan had been labelled the "naughty schoolboys" of the council after it was revealed they had been tweeting from meetings.

Now, as a newbie tweeter myself, I was fascinated to see how this debate went. And it seems people have been really upset by it. Yes, it was childish to make fun of the chairman and ignore her instruction to turn off their mobiles. But it was also quite funny. And actually, I think many of the positive results of their tweets have been overlooked by people who think councillors should just be sitting, nodding, jeering and shaking their heads at meetings on their behalfs.

On Monday, I was actually following Cllr Andrew Wallis as he posted regular Twitter updates on the discussion in Cabinet about the future of Penzance Harbour. At no point did he give an opinion on what was taking place (his position on the strategic planning committee would have made it difficult for him to openly comment), he just gave a straight report of what was going on in occasional one-liners from his Twitter account. And I, for one, thought it was brilliant. I felt as though I was almost part of that meeting because I could find out what was going on in real-time.

He described himself as a "sort of at the scene Twitter reporter" in his blog later that day. And that's exactly what he was. Like millions of others across the world who are starting to inform the future of news through social media in this way, he was reporting what he saw and heard and informing the public. Now, I won't go into the debate over what effect these so-called "Twitter reporters" might have on newspapers as I'll be here all night. But I will say that I think keeping people informed in this way - or any other - can only be a good thing.

As for the audience for these "Twitterers", well it will have got a whole lot bigger with our recent stories. And the bigger this audience gets, the more worthwhile their tweets become.

The reason it's got everyone's knickers in a tweet is because it sits against the usual image of stuffy local politicians. But I am struggling to see how we can really criticise a group of councillors who are actually making an effort to create a more accessible face of politics. Surely if they can find a way to engage the "Big Brother" generation and anyone else who wants to be informed, that should only be applauded.

I may be a "blow-in" but I love this town

Driving "over the top" from Penzance to St Ives always gives me that feeling that I'm in the most beautiful place in the world. Particularly on a glorious day like today, nothing beats that view of the early morning sun shining on St Micheal's Mount. Making that journey this morning, that incredible view looking out from the layby at Castle Gate had me humming The Carpenters's Top of the World at full volume and feeling even more excited than usual.
Because yesterday, my partner, Andy, and I had an offer accepted on a house in Penzance. We're finally buying a place, getting the cats and the chickens, and settling down. And I don't wish to jinx it, but there's nowhere on this earth that I'd rather be.
Today was a brilliant example of just what we've got here. The day started with a rather strange and stilted interview with MP Andrew George and former BBC correspondent and independent MP Martin Bell, of white suit fame, at the Tregenna Castle Hotel. While both were more than pleasant, I couldn't help but wonder why exactly Mr Bell was here. His interest in ridding politics of sleaze is more than apparent but his interest in West Cornwall was nowhere to be found.
I returned to Penzance feeling like I needed to seize the remains of the day. He might not realise why this part of the world was so special, even looking out across St Ives Bay from that beautiful hotel, but I certainly did. So I badgered Andy to join me in a little trip to Sennen where I squeezed into my wetsuit and, body board in hand, ran into the sea. The feeling was amazing. Lying on the board, waiting for a wave, I almost had to pinch myself to appreciate just how lucky I was to be there.
We followed it up with tea with friends Nick and Jacqui in Sancreed - friends who have been lovely to us since we moved here - followed by a walk with their three boys. Again, looking across from Sancreed Beacon to the sea, picking edible plants, making whistles and chatting, I was again struck by what we had. This place has so much to offer. I know I'm not the only one to realise this. And I've not even started on all the backstreet bits of Penzance, the bars, the cafes and the people, that have made me feel so welcome.
The day ended back at home, on our one little sofa in our rather bare living room, with a fantastic drop of Sicilian red, and a small toast to what we hope will be our new home. There's still a long way to go, as there always is with these things, but fingers crossed we'll have made this wonderful town our permanent home by summer. And I can't wait. I may be a "blow-in" from Devon, but Penzance is now my home, our home, and I couldn't be more excited.

If you've got nothing good to say, say nothing...

Giving people an opportunity to post their immediate reactions to news stories is a fairly recent phenomenon. Up until a few years ago, the only conversation a newspaper could really have with its readers in public was on its letters pages. They have always been among the most popular pages in a paper because people love to know whether others agree with their views. So it’s unsurprising that the introduction of web comments on stories has been a massive success. And sometimes the most unexpected stories elicit the most bizarre responses.
Take Rachel Picken's blog, Cornish Career Girl, uploaded on www.thisiscornwall.co.uk this week. The author, a Truro girl who had set up here own PR company, posted how delighted she was that 'Career Girl' was about to become 'Working Mum'. It was a celebratory post - she was sharing happy news with readers.
But it seems not everyone saw it that way. At time of writing, there were 45 posts in response to Rachel, starting with Mary of Polzeath: "Isn't she joint managing director of marketing, public relations, advertising and design agency, MPAD. Her husband was named as Best Individual in the 2009 Cornwall Sustainability Awards. Hardly what I would call a working mum." Now, where did that come from?
Utterly leftfield. And a bit spiteful. Rachel handled it pretty well... "I am very lucky to enjoy my work and I'm excited about what 2010 will bring, not to mention apprehensive because this is all new to me. I would appreciate it if everyone laid off the negative comments."
But why do people feel the need to be so negative in these comment posts? Is it because it's essentially anonymous and they can get away with saying anything they want to?
Up until now, we've mainly moderated our comments - publishing them only when we believe there's nothing racist or offensive or libellous within them. But we shouldn't have to. Why do people feel that the web should give them carte blanche to say to people what they would never say to them face to face? It's a real downside of this multimedia age.
Personally I'm all in favour of people engaging more with the paper and our website and with each other in response to our stories and posts, but I feel there's no need for all this negativity. If you've got nothing good to say, please don't say anything at all.

Penzance Harbour poll - a "complete farce"?

Penzance Harbour. It's been the biggest issue facing this town since I joined The Cornishman six months ago. And it shows no signs of being resolved. Every week the paper is bombarded with letters on the subject and every week the story takes another turn. (To see a little of what I'm talking about, log on to www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/penzanceharbour - I promise not to mention this subject too often!)
Now, I feel there's been ample opportunity for people to make their views heard on this subject. And they have - in several public meetings; in a Cornishman vote; and in a strategic planning committee, which saw the plans for a combined freight and passenger terminal rejected. But, in light of threats by Cornwall Council that if Penzance did not get its act together and bring back the latter proposal, known as Option A, the Isles of Scilly sea link could move to Falmouth, we decided to see whether people in Penzance had changed their minds.
The words "can" and "worms" spring to mind. For campaigners have allegedly asked all of their contacts to persuade their friends, family members and in turn their contacts to vote against Option A. There is, of course, nothing to stop anyone voting, but if, as alleged, many of those contacts are outside the county, the result is unlikely to be an accurate reflection of feeling in Penzance. And as such, with the votes standing at 30% in favour of Option A and 70% in favour of looking at alternative options, the poll has been dismissed by one councillor as a "complete farce".
So what next? How do we truly gauge public opinion on this? Is an internet poll representative of public feeling? The Chamber of Commerce took to the streets this weekend with a petition in favour of Option A and gathered more than 700 signatures. But they say, like the council, that there is no alternative to Option A and therefore gave people no alternative. So is this an accurate reflection of public opinion? Or is it what people will accept when left with nothing else?
It's hard to see where this will all end. All I want to see is the best solution for Penzance. If everyone would sit down together and talk about this in a rational and calm manner, then maybe we could find a way forward for the good of this town.

Welcome to my blog

As the snow finally melted across Cornwall and 2010 ground into action after a much-delayed start, this week brought inspiration from every corner. It started with the idea of a club for readers to give people a chance to get more involved with The Cornishman and ended with a flying visit to London for a journalism conference at which I met some of the most innovative people I've ever come across. And last night, sitting in Mousehole surrounded by a group of the finest creative people I've met down here, with the storm battering against the windows of the Ship, I decided to get blogging.

So, here I am. I've been at The Cornishman for six months now and it's been an incredible journey. The paper has gone from strength to strength and I hope it will only get better over the next year. And for me, becoming part of this community has made me realise there is nowhere else I'd rather be.

This blog will be all about Penzance, The Cornishman and the community, as well as a few snippets about what I get up to on a day to day basis. I'll let you in on a few secrets and hope you will get involved too and let me know what you're up to and what you're talking about.