A group of fearless fire fighters from Cornwall have set off to conquer ‘Island Peak’ in Tibet’s Himalayas and raise thousands of pounds for three worthy charities.

James Marks, Phil Hoare and Mark Smith from Bodmin are being joined by Falmouth’s Justin Smith and Simon Martyn.

They are flying into the world’s most dangerous airport at Lukla, before setting off on their 19 day trip with sherpas to climb the 6200 metre high mountain. Once they reach the summit, they will have an amazing view of Everest, just 6 miles away.

Some of the fire fighters are treating this adventure as a practice for the world’s highest peak – which they hope to attempt sometime in the near future. The team chose Help for Heroes as one of their charities after team member Justin Smith recounted his experiences as a marine in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was blown up and injured by a bomb, but has fortunately made a full recovery.

“Since leaving the Royal Marines, I’ve seen many friends injured – lost limbs, and I’ve also been to a few funerals over the years. So, Help For Heroes is a charity very close to my heart.”

The six are being sponsored by Richfords Fire and Flood. Business Development Director, Michael Cooper, says it is an honour to support this challenge: “We work closely with Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service all the time, so we are well aware of how dedicated these guys are to helping to save lives and property. It is right that we should now say thank you to them by helping them to raise money for the Fire Fighters Charity, as well two other campaigns that they are passionate about.”

So far, they have raised £12,000.

Listen to their thoughts as they left Bodmin Fire Station on Tuesday 6th March 2012…

Cornwall Brand has had a ‘Brand Ambassadors’ breakfast briefing at Trelissick Gardens on the topic of how to beat the downturn. It was delivered by Anthony Edwards, Director of Communications Planning & Integration, Euro RSCG London:

His career began as a media planner in a creative agency, and his subsequent experience over the past 15 years working within the Communications Planning industry has focussed on delivering creative media thinking and strategy for blue chip brands, such as News International, Nike, COI, ITV, Pepsi, Land Rover, Dulux & Nestle. Winning creative media awards for Land Rover, Pepsi & 3.

More recently helped develop the social media centric campaign for Dulux: The Let’s Colour Project’. The campaign scooped the inaugural TED Ideas Worth Spreading Award and over 20 other industry awards.

His current role focuses upon not only planning, but delivering organisational strategies and ideas to help Euro deliver the kind of integrated systems, processes and insights that the new digital environment demands. In the last 12 months he has launched and managed digital, social and search businesses for the group.

Anthony is a regular commentator on industry issues, and is a visiting lecturer in Marketing at the University of Southampton.

There is an indigenous tweets group on Twitter which follows Cornish language messages – currently leading the field by a long way is Rod Lyon (@RodTLyon).

I have also set up a group on Facebook to get people to pledge to become more fluent in Cornish through 2012. The group has 92 people who have made a personal promise to boost their Cornish this year. It has also turned into a very useful learning tool.

Social media is also a benefit for helping communication within a very dispersed Cornish language speaking community. Geographically, Cornwall is a very long country. People in the east do not mix with those in the west that often. Furthermore, many Cornish language users live outside of Cornwall, but still feel the need to be part of an active Cornish Gaeltacht or Kernewegva. So many of us use chat and messaging in the Cornish language on Facebook. One of the most active of these forums is the pledge group I mentioned earlier.

There has been a press release issued from Canada on how a phone app is teaching an endangered indian language.

BBC article on digital tools for minority languages

More comment on the use of Cornish language online can be found on www.magakernow.org.uk

A celebration event was held in Scorrier, Cornwall to look back on the Enterprise Facilitation project that has been running in the former districts of Penwith and Kerrier. It has been run by Bryn Hackland and Rubina Khan, based on methods of working developed by Ernesto Sirolli of the Sirolli Institute.

Here is Bryn and Rubina talking about the successes at the celebration event:

Tina, Wendy and Mike have received mentoring in the past year from the scheme. They reveal some of the key things they have learnt about running a business:

About South West Enterprise Facilitation

SWEF has been established because it is recognised that there is a real need for on the ground business support that helps small business owners and entrepreneurs achieve their dreams.

There are resources available in your local community to help you on your way. By working with you to identify what you are really passionate about SWEF can help you to build your business and overcome the barriers that you may face.

SWEF believes that the future of every community lies in capturing the talent, energy and imagination of its people hence it specialises in responsive approaches to Local Development that grow the community from within, transforming passionate people into successful entrepreneurs.

SWEF works with the international Sirolli® Institute to deliver Enterprise Facilitation® and training in the Trinity of Management® to other organisations who provide business support.

Contact Bryn or Rubina through www.swef.org.uk

Presenter: Matthew Clarke
Music: Matthew Clarke
Poet: Bert Biscoe

Cornwall’s only city and its administrative centre is Truro. Among the stops on this tour, a visit to the cathedral and a hidden garden:

Presenter: Matthew Clarke
Music: Leski
Poet: Bert Biscoe

Hotel Nebula, Liskeard

We used be taken straight through to the back room by Daph, where Gran Spiers used to spend the daytime in front of a large open fireplace. We used to bring her gifts such as marsh mallows as they would be easier for her to eat with her false teeth (which I don’t seem to remember her wearing that often). If you remember the comedian Les Dawson, the women’s character he used to do reminds me very much of how my gran used to be. The facial expressions and the big gummy mouth were very similar.

At that time, I was always impressed by her great age. I used to sit and listen to her talking in that backroom of the Hotel Nebula in Liskeard, while Auntie Daph brought us copious amounts of tea and buscuits. I rebuke myself now that I cannot remember anything of what she wver told me. The only thing I really know about her life come from talking to my mother.

Gran (Lilly Spiers) was born in 1898 (so I seem to remember) and spent time living in a caravan as well as going on a cruise around the world. I always think of her sat in her rocking chair and crocheting little mats and dolls clothes. I also remember Daph’s grey/black poodle that she kept at Nebula. It was a lovely dog, but had weird growths on its body that made it difficult to shear its hair.

In the last years of gran’s life, Daph and her moved out of Hotel Nebula in the middle of Liskeard, and bought a house outside the town. I cannot actually remember where this house was exactly, but it was on a country lane heading out of the centre. I can recall the last time I saw her back in 1984. The family went to see her at this house and took a photo of all of us:

Mother, Gran, Amanda , Me

After visiting gran at Hotel Nebula, we often headed down to Chacewater, where my great uncle Les Spiers used to live with his wife Connie. They had a lovely little cottage just off Station Road. Once again, memory really fails me in details apart from how well kept the garden was, and what a darling labrador they had.

Con & Les Spiers at Chacewater

Eventually Les and Con Spiers moved to Mount Hawke when Les retired from working in a Truro hotel. One of the topics that often came up was whether or not our Spiers family was related to Michael Spiers in Truro and Plymouth – or not. I often visited him at Mount Hawke, where we chatted about all sorts of stuff. Eventually, Con died, leaving him a widower. He filled his time helping to run the community centre at Mounte Hawke, playing bowls, and baking cakes. His victoria sponges were particularly well done. Even after Con’s death, he continued to keep the garden incredibly tidy. What else could he do, when all of his neighbours did so too?

He died in 1999 – and was buried in the graveyard of the local church at Mount Hawke. I saw that as a big moment, as the Spiers family I had in Cornwall ceased to be – leaving me to carry on the local family history.

Accountancy firm Bishop Fleming hosted an event at Kingsley Village focusing on funding alternatives to high-street banks on 18th January 2012.

It featured presentations from funding and business support organisations, including providers of grants, loans, equity investment, and asset-backed lending.

If you could not make it to the event, but still want to find out about the advice focussing on such issues as graduate recruitment, export, rural diversification, premises, training, mentoring & coaching, energy reduction, collaboration networks, productivity gain, and superfast broadband – then you will find event podcasts published on this page.

Here is an event summary podcast, followed by individual presentation podcasts:

Ewan McClymont introduces event

Ewan McClymont of Bishop Fleming is behind the event:

Among the people at the event offering advice was Paul Holmes from Clear About Carbon…

Paul Holmes and Andy McKenzie

Ewan kicked off the presentations…

Carleen Keleman gave an inspiring presentation on Convergence funding…

John Harvey in discourse with Carleen Keleman

Brent Treloar from Cornwall Development Company spoke about business investment for growth…

Bruce Colley from Pegasus gave this presentation on raising finance…

Philip Tellwright from SWAIN speaking about equity funding…

David Ashton of Centric Commercial Finance speaking about Asset Backed Lending…

David Rodda from Cornwall Development Company speaking about the Rural Development Programme…

Richard Hoskin is from the Department for Communities & Local Government. He spoke to the conference about grants for business investment…

Gallav. My a yll dos.

Na allav. Ny allav dos soweth.

A wre’ta dos omma yn fenowgh?

Gwrav. My a wra dos omma yn fenowgh.

Na wrav. Ny wrav dos omma yn fenowgh.

A vynn’ta prena an desenn joklat ma?

Mynnav. My a vynn hy frena.

Na vynnav. Ny vynnav hy frena.

A garsys eva te?

Karsen. My a garsa eva te.

Na garsen. Ny garsen eva te. Gwell via dhymm eva koffi.

Yw hemma dha glappkodh?

Yw. Ow klappkodh yw.

Nag yw. Nyns yw ow klappkodh.

Os ta lowen?

Ov. My yw lowen. / lowen ov vy.

Nag ov. Nyns ov vy lowen.

A wodhes’ta kewsel Kernewek?

Gonn. My a woer kewsel Kernewek.

Na wonn. Ny wonn kewsel Kernewek.

A welydh’ta an tiek na?

Gwelav. My a wel an tiek na.

Na welav. Ny welav an tiek na.

A glywydh’ta son an tren usi ow tos?

Klywav. My a glyw son an tren usi ow tos.

Na glywav. Ny glywav son an tren usi ow tos.

A woslowydh’ta orth Radyo an Gernewegva pub seythen?

Goslowav. My a woslow orth Radyo an Gernewegva oll an prys.

Na woslowav. Ny woslowav orth Radyo an Gernewegva mann.

A wre’ta konvedhes Spaynek?

Gwrav. My a wra konvedhes Spaynek.

Na wrav. Ny wrav konvedhes Spaynek.

A gonvedhydh’ta Frynkek?

Konvedhav. My a gonvedh Frynkek.

Na gonvedhav. Ny gonvedhav Frynkek.

A yll’ta kana?

Gallav. My a yll kana byttegyns ny wonn vy kana.

Na allav. Ny allav kana.

A wodhes’ta kana?

Gonn. My a woer kana.

Na wonn. Ny wonn kana.

Eus neppyth der an bellwolok haneth?

Eus. Yma an nowodhow der an bellwolok haneth.

Nag eus. Nyns eus travyth der an bellwolok haneth.

Usi ev ow tos?

Usi. Yma ev ow tos.

Nag usi. Nyns usi ev ow tos.

A gerydh’ta Essa?

Karav. My a gar Essa.

Na garav. Ny garav Essa.

Collaborate Cornwall Conference

The Collaborate Cornwall Conference 2012 was held at the Lighthouse Cinema in Newquay on 19th January.

Follow this page for podcasts from the event:

You can find the full agenda HERE.

HERE IS THE OVERVIEW PODCAST:

BELOW ARE INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATIONS AND DELEGATE FEEDBACK.

Tim Bryant of Partner to Succeed opens Collaborate Cornwall 2012…

Nick Jankel of WeCreate gave the main address to conference (three parts on audioboo):

Nick Jankel of WeCreate addressed Collaborate Cornwall. We spoke to him afterwards to summarize…

Roland Harwood of 100%Open was also a major speaker (3 parts on Audioboo):

Martin Crump of Evolution NLP talking about his collaboration with Shelterbox

Rupert Eveleigh of TigerX talking about collaborating to create a 3D cgi fly through of mines…

Cornwall Council chief exec Kevin Lavery talking about the need to collaborate and his tips…

Rupert Eveleigh of TigerX and James Jobling Purser BEng PhD ACSM of 3Dmsi in conversation with Tim Bryant…

Nigel Tipple of CPR Regeneration and Mark Yeoman of Convergence Partnership tell us what lessons can be learnt from the Collaborate Cornwall 2012 conference…

Tom Wyness led a session on capacity. If you missed it, here is his summary…

A quick whip around the delegates at lunch to see what they thought about Collaborate Cornwall 2012…

Here is a closing Q&A session, chaired by Tim Bryant, and involving a panel consisting of: Nick Jankel, Peter White and Roland Harwood:

Tim Bryant and Carleen Keleman (Convergence Partnership) closed Collaborate Cornwall 2012: