Last Saturday, I attended the St Piran’s Day celebrations
at Heartlands. Despite the blustery weather, it was a well-attended event and a
true celebration of our Cornish culture and identity. Heartlands had a
difficult start, but has very much found its feet at the very heart of our
community. Other local events were also very well attended, including the
annual St Piran’s Day Parade in Redruth.
Over the past few years, we have seen a growing interest in
Cornwall’s history and culture. Camborne, Redruth and Hayle are at the very
heart of this revival. The new Cornish archive, Kresen Kernow, is really taking
shape on the site of the old brewery. I lobbied hard to ensure that Redruth,
home to most of the world-wide Cornish diaspora, was chosen as the location for
this project, which will create new jobs, housing and continue the wider
regeneration of the area.
I am pleased that the Government has committed £100,000 to
a Cornish Culture Fund. This will be used to fund culture and heritage projects
across Cornwall. I am hopeful that some of this money will be spent on the
Cornish language.
Before 1996, students taking their GCSEs used to have the
option of studying Cornish, but it was discontinued due to a lack of
participation. I now think the time is right to reintroduce the Cornish
language as a course. The evidence shows that there are benefits to learning a
second language which go beyond the learning of the language itself, and while
some students may feel uninspired by French or Spanish, they may feel more
enthusiastic about studying their native language.
