I was born and grew up in St Ives attending what was then The St Ives Secondary Modern School at the Belyars.
After leaving school I trained as a carpet fitter working for BW Knights and Sons for a number of years. During my first year 1976, my mentor was also a retained firefighter and during that sweltering summer that I spent many an hour sat in the old fire station waiting for him to return from one of the many gorse fires that the County suffered that year. It was during that period I gained a passion for the fire service and wanting to make it a career, firstly when I became a retained firefighter at St Ives and then I was fortunate to be selected as a wholetime recruit firefighter in Cornwall Fire Brigade where I served a total of 32 years at various location throughout the County.
Married to Suzanne (formerly Suzanne Clatworthy) who is Hayle born and bred, I have lived at Penmare Terrace for the last 26 years and together, we have four children and six grandchildren, soon to become seven.
I feel honoured and very privileged to have been elected as Mayor of Hayle. I thank my fellow councillors for their support and, to Suzanne my wife in agreeing to become Mayors Consort.
I wish to pay tribute to all of the hard work undertaken by our former mayor, Clive Polkinghorne during the period that he has held office, a period that went on a year longer than expected because of the COVID-19 pandemic spreading across the Country. And of course when thanking Clive we must be thankful to Sue, Clive’s wife for her support to him during that period.
The last 14 months since the first lock down have certainly been challenging for us all, for the council that has been no different. We have had to re-think the way we work, the way we hold meetings and how we have communicated with each other. It has presented Ellie our Town Clerk and her team some challenges to overcome but, overcome them we have. Without her dedication and the dedication of her team I think as a council we may have found delivering or even maintaining services even if they were a reduce service, almost impossible. So I very much would like to place on record my thanks and the thanks of the whole council for their efforts.
As I write this message, the 19th of July 2021, a day some are calling ‘Freedom Day’ I want to put on record the councils thanks to our community, for all front-line staff who have been going to work every day to provide the service that they deliver. NHS staff, care workers, shop workers, public service workers, far too many to list but all equally as important.
To the volunteers and community organisations within our community who have assisted in providing help to those who have needed it, by collecting shopping, picking up prescriptions, providing and delivering meals and supporting the food banks to ensure food has been available for those in most need.
I’ve said it before, but a simple ‘Thank you’ will never seem enough, but I am extremely proud of our town and its community, the people within it and the care that has been shown by them.
As we continue to come out of the Covid-19 restrictions, I ask that we are understanding and tolerant, people have been affected by Covid in many different ways and the speed we individually start to recover may also be at a different speed.
Priorities during my period as mayor will be to promote and raise awareness of local housing needs, to raise the awareness of the public to the work and services provided by our council, including, hopefully by extending and enhance our existing facilities specifically the library and the provision of services offered.
I give you all an assurance that with the support of council colleagues I will do my best in representing and promoting Hayle to it best and in a way that it has for many years.