This past weekend was one of the most enjoyable and encouraging weekends I can remember in a long time. On Friday I was privileged to join 90 others at the St Ives Mayoral Reception in the Guild Hall, on Saturday, the Veterans Breakfast at the Fire Station and on Sunday, the start of the Tour of Britain.
What made the weekend enjoyable and encouraging was the opportunity for large numbers of people to come together to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company. We have not eliminated Covid but we are certainly not cowering from it and the weekend was like taking a deep breath of fresh air after too long in an enclosed space!
I recognise that many are still anxious and I understand this but there is something very important and life-giving about being in the company of others and I hope more and more people will feel able to take an opportunity to come together to celebrate soon. I also hope this week, as our children return to school, they can enjoy a similar freedom to mix and learn together without the backdrop of Covid impacting and curtailing their experience.
Returning to the Tour of Britain those that worked so hard over recent years to secure the start of the race and ‘prepare the set’ are to be congratulated. Bringing together over 100 elite cyclists with their teams and all the other parts and people that make such an event go off smoothly is quite a challenge, the logistics mind boggling. From where I was standing everything seemed to go exactly as planned and Penzance Promenade is the perfect location as everyone seemed able to get close to the action despite the massive crowd.
Later on, as I watched the riders make their way through Cornwall on the TV I felt immensely proud that this prestigious race was finding its way through our towns, villages and country lanes and pleased that once again we can show-off our heritage and natural beauty. For too long some have sought to talk Cornwall down. With the success of the G7 Summit and now the Tour of Britain, we have reason to be proud of our small part of the world and be confident in our efforts to make sure it is a place for people to live, work and prosper.
This week I will be hosting eight ‘drop-ins’ and details can be found on my web-site. The closest to Penzance will be at 9.30am on Saturday in my office adjacent to Iceland in the Wharfside. The purpose of these ‘drop-ins’ is for people to have the opportunity to raise any ideas, concerns or issues you have or just to say hello. From this week through to November I shall be hosting these in most villages and every town. For a private ‘one-to-one’ appointment please contact my office as these ‘drop-ins’ are not suitable for this. Thank you.
