A play at the St Ives Cornish weekend and a new book (Kernewek), Cornish Language Creche (English)

BBC Radio Cornwall visits Melbourne

Prior to his broadcast from Melbourne on Cornwall's Breakfast program, interviewer Denis Nightingale visited Bendigo. Here he is pictured standing in front of the town's statue to the Cornish Miner with the Mayor of Bendigo Cllr Rod Campbell, George Ellis and Tom Luke of the Bendigo Cornish Association.

He also visited St Just Point, where it is hoped that a monument will be erected to the Cornish miners who made Bendigo the richest goldfield in the 19th Century. Also in Newquay on the 20th February, the massed Cornish Male Voice Choirs held a concert to raise funds for it.

Sadly St.Just Point and it's little Cornish miners' cottages was razed in the tragic fires of Black Saturday in February 2009.

Gorsedh Kernow (The Cornish Gorsedd) is being held this year at St Ives on Saturday 4th September.

To coincide with the event, the Gorsedd's Archive and Publications Committee is working with the St Ives Trust Archive Study Centre to produce a collection of short biographies of around fifty deceased bards who had some connection with St Ives, Carbis Bay or the surrounding area. This booklet will be launched during the week leading up to the Gorsedd.

Whereas plenty is known about such bards as Robert Morton Nance, Peter Lanyon and Barbara Hepworth, the same cannot be said of others, many of whom have been largely forgotten.

Part of the brief of this project is to celebrate the lives and achievements of these lesser-known bards. Those researching them would, therefore, welcome any information about the following:

Annie Bainsmith (1951), Captain Bruce Bainsmith (1951), Jane Hollow Curnow (1953), Richard Bernard Fishwick (1943), Catherine Gyles (1951), Henry Hodge (1949), May S. James (1931), Reginald Jennings (1963), Jane Kelynack (1935), Alfred Mata (1931), Charles Short Murrish (1937), Florence Nankivell (1962), Margaret Ricketts (1980), William Sandow (1955), Ethel Shakerley (1950), Dorothea Sophia Smith (1960), Margaret (Marjorie) Thornley (1953), Mamie Townsend (1979), Ivah Treffry Westlake (1938), Joyce Wigley (1963), Edith Williams (1951)

The St Ives Trust Archive Study Centre
Upper Parish Room, St Andrew's Street
St Ives, TR26 1AH, Cornwall
Tel: 01736 796408
Email: supervisor@stivestrust.co.uk

A Thank You to Glywys Venta - Ted Chapman

During Ted's time as manager of the Gorsedh website, he has worked tirelessly for its success by directing traffic to it with regular updates, news items and innovations such as video clips, whilst constantly adding to the information archives. He has kept the world in touch with the Gorsedh, in particular Australia where descendants of the diaspora eagerly await news from Cornwall.

He has put much care into the website's content and its small but important details, and we are so pleased he agreed to remain on its committee. With his unfailing good humour, kindness, friendship and support, his work over the last 8 years is much appreciated and we thank him and wish him success with his new projects.

Pat Miller - Myrgh Jowna, Website Manager

We are fortunate Ted Chapman has worked for many years to strengthen and beautify our website. Ted is lucky he can take a little rest now. And we are certainly fortunate that Ted is to continue on the website committee.

Well done, good and faithful comrade.

Mick Paynter - Skogynn Pryv, Grand Bard

Bards attend Constantine Event

Tolmen Centre, Constantine, January 2010

Three Bards of Gorsedh Kernow participated in the annual Heritage Centre event.

Merv - Telynor an Weryn and Alison Davey - Corolyores held a dance workshop and Professor Philip Payton - Car Dyvresow delivered an interesting talk about John Betjeman in Cornwall

Kanow Flehes / Children's Songs

In spite of horrendous rain 8th December 2009 was a splendid day at the Marlborough School in Falmouth when the Grand Bard, Mick Paynter launched the book and dvd Kanow Flehes/Children's Songs in the School Hall. The Grand Bard spoke in Cornish and in English to the children and gave a copy of the book to every class in the school saying that they were stars every one. He praised them for their important work for the language.

The children then sang some of the Cornish songs from the book and dvd and also Happy Birthday to the Grand Bard who had been born on that day many years ago.

Holyer an Gof Trophy 2010

Entries are invited for this annual Gorsedh Award, which includes seven preliminary sections, plus two major overall awards, for prestigious publications on Cornwall or Cornish themes, from the calendar year 2009 only.

Closing date 15th February 2010.

Full details are available from:

Ann Trevenen Jenkin, tel 01736 850 332 or email pellgowser@btinternet.com.

Gorsedh Kernow 2009 Essa / Saltash DVD-R

A 2 hour video has been compiled from 5 camera angles. It includes the installation of the new Grand Bard, and Deputy Grand bard. All the new Bards, Council Award and competition winners appear, and there is a brief taste of the evening concert.

All profits from the sale go to the Gorsedh.

The price is £5, plus £1 p&p in the UK, £2 p&p Europe, and £3 for the rest of the world. It is European PAL format on a DVD-R, color printed disk. It comes in a DVD Library case with color printed sleeve.

Contact enquiries@gorsedhkernow.org.uk

Summary of October Gorsedh Kernow Council Meeting

The new Bardh Meur outlined his vision for the next three years, including support for Bewnans Kernow (the new Cornish Cultural Partnership), strengthening ties with Wales and Brittany and supporting Esethvos Kernow.

Approval was given for the manufacture of a new sword for the ceremony of the sword, re-introduced into the Open Gorsedh to symbolise unity and friendship with the Brittany and Wales Gorsedhow. This is to be paid for by an appeal to bards.

The list of meeting and ceremony dates for 2010 was agreed.

The resignation of Website Manager, Ted Chapman - Glywys Venta, was accepted with a strong vote of thanks for his work over the years. Pat Miller - Myrgh Jowna was appointed as the new Website Manager.

Discussion took place on the issue of archives and work to support this will be ongoing.

Council supported Bardh Meur’s desire to review the range of classes for the Gorsedh Awards. The Administration Working Group will carry out this work in the first instance in consultation with the Awards Sub-committee.

A donation was approved for the ‘Steps to Copenhagen’ campaign led by Howard Curnow.

Reports from all officers and sub-committees were received.

The date of the next GK Council meeting is 6th February 2010.

Click here (in Cornish only)

Council signage

At its recent meeting the Cabinet of Cornwall Council adopted a policy on the Cornish language which includes the provision of bilingual street signage for new and replacement signs as well as an undertaking to give consideration to the use of Cornish in documents and other council usage.

This policy builds on work already carried out by the old Kerrier council and extends to the whole of Cornwall.

New Archdruid for Wales

Abergwaun

Poet and playwright T James Jones - Jim Parc Nest his Bardic name, has been nominated as the next Archdruid of Wales. He will succeed Dic Jones - Dic yr Hendre who died in August 2009

Raising the bar for Cornish Culture and Arts

The Gorsedh Kernow Annual Conference 2009

Bert Biscoe - Vyajor gans Geryow and Ross Williams - Map Crowan organised the day which was attended by more than 70 delegates consisting of Bards and guests.

The conference began with a presentation on the Region of Culture project by Miranda Bird. This is a Cornwall Council led campaign to persuade the EU to create the designation of RoC to match Cities of Culture.

The afternoon was dedicated to a presentation by Gorsedh Administrator, Colin Roberts, who is also charged in a partnership between the new Council and GK, with setting up Bewnans Kernow - the Cornish Cultural Partnership. It included a plenary discussion on the future role of GK in this process.

Between these two sessions were featured three practitioners who are engaged in different ways in extending and developing Cornish arts.

• Pol Hodge on film making and the Cornish language.
• Jowdy Davey on the opportunities and challenges of developing Lowender Peran for the next generation.
• Neil Davey on the challenges and achievements of managing and promoting Dalla.

Climate change Video Report and Cornwall Film Festival 2009 Video Report - click here

The 31st Inter celtic dance festival in Peranporth had a large and varied program.

A speaker at the "Celticity" seminar had found people in Cornwall (who) do not regard Cornwall as part of England, or at least, query it. Many Bards support the Festival which has a very pleasant atmosphere, thanks to the Directors who answer every query or problem with a radiant smile.

The "Flash" format video clip gives a brief insight into the 5 day festival.

The 2010 Gorsedh Kernow competitions are now under way. There are classes for both adults and young people in poetry, prose, Cornish studies, music (in English or Cornish), art and photography.

Full details of the classes and rules for entry are now available on this site. The closing date is 17th April 2010 and the awards will be presented by the Grand Bard at the Open Gorseth in St Ives on the first Saturday in September 2010.

For full details click here for adults, and here for young people.

Laura Hardman

At the September Gorsedd ceremony in Saltash, a special certificate was presented to Laura Hardman's parents. Written on it were the words, "To Laura Hardman to acknowledge her special and unique contribution to Cornish Culture, above all through the Cornwall Film Festival and her great support for the Cornish Language."

Gorsedh 2009 - Essa

On Saturday 5th September the 2009 Gorsedd was held at Saltash.

In the morning the Lostwithiel Town Band led a procession of Bards, local dignatories and the Mace bearers carrying the ancient town maces. The Mayor Cllr Sue Hooper M.B.E. wecomed the Gorsedd and presented Gwenenen with a framed picture showing all the historical sites in Saltash.

The afternoon ceremony took place in Longstone Park with more than 300 Bards present including 6 from Australia.

The gorsedd was opened with the customary cry of peace. Delegates were present from Wales and Brittany, and included in the ceremony for the first time was the joining of the sword, a symbol of the uniting of the three Celtic nations.

For further details click here.

Gwenenen

For a tribute click here.

click here.

For Gorseth and other Cornish video clips please visit www.golowva.headweb.co.uk.