With different responsible adults, I've started opening the Millennium House Cafe each Thursday evening between 6.30pm and 8.30pm so that the youths of Pensilva have somewhere warm and safe to gather for the evening, instead of being out in the cold. One of the girls asked me "Do you get paid for this", (I don't, I volunteer), but this got me thinking. I heard the Rev. Richard Coles on the radio talking about how worried he was for communities in this secular age. How the decline of the church, which used to be the "organised goodness" that brought everyone together, wasn't adequately replaced by the welfare state. As one of the secular members of the community, volunteering on the Parish Council, Pensilva Youth Projects, and even Callington Food Bank is my way of putting something back and bringing us together. It also keeps me busy instead of being slumped in front of the TV now I'm retired.
Here's an idea for bringing the community together that sounded interesting, "The Big Lunch" is something started by Tim Smit of the Eden Project. The idea is that, throughout the country, street parties happen on the same day, with neighbours sharing food and ideas, meeting neighbours they may never have spoken to before. This year it's Sunday 1st June. Anybody interested?
It was surprising to hear that Shaun Ellis and his wife Kim are moving their wolves to the parish. You might have seen Shaun on the TV actually living with his wolves as a pack member. They failed to get planning permission in North Devon, so are moving here. Their new neighbours are concerned about the effect that a pack of howling wolves will have on their sheep and horses. Can livestock learn to become accustomed to the noise? I don't know. Will a Wolf Centre be a tourist attraction creating local jobs? I've asked them to give a presentation about the move, so hopefully we'll get to ask questions and get answers.
Don’t forget the parish website st-ive-parishcouncil.gov.uk with
council meeting agendas and minutes; also downloadable copies of the Parish
Pump. For those of you who do Facebook, our St Ive Parish Council page is still
being updated with parish news.
Phone me, email me on martin.corney@btinternet.com
or "martin corney blog st ive" in search engines will find my blogs
for you to comment on.
