There’s a saying that was often bandied about when I was growing up in Camborne: “Anyone with any get up and go, gets up and gets out of Cornwall”.

I think this massively underestimates the talent and potential of Cornish young people.  We’re a hardworking, resilient bunch and there’s no shame in rating the beautiful countryside above the gold-paved streets of the big smoke.

Since I’ve been involved in politics, I’ve trained and mentored many young people to stand as candidates and develop their skills.

It’s now just 1 year to the next Cornwall Council elections and I’ll be running a programme called “Let’s Get Inspired” over the next few months to find and train new candidates and campaign team members. You don’t need any previous experience, just an interest and passion for Cornwall and its people.

If you’re interested in finding out more, drop me an email using the contact button and I look forward to working with you.

As regular readers of my site know, I tend to promote the best of the independent shops and businesses in and around Camborne.

I’ve run this feature for a couple of years now, and have decided to widen the field to include “High Street Heroes”.

High Street Heroes are the people who don’t just turn up to work and go through the motions. They’re the shop assistants and business owners who really care about their customers and the impression created by their products and services.

The very first High Street Hero is a lady I’m sure most Camborne residents are familiar with. Her name is Sue and she works in the main Boots the Chemist on Trelowarren Street. This chemist has always been busy and seems to be busier than ever whenever I go in.

No matter how under pressure or what enquiry she receives, Sue is always exceptionally friendly and cheerful and is a real asset to the business. I am sure there would be many more people who would get fed up and angry with the long queues, were it not for Sue’s beaming smile and calming manner.

I’d love to hear from you about your own High Street Heroes in Camborne – just click on the link to send me an email.

It’s not very often that Camborne gets to host a global event – but that was the case last weekend, when King Edward Mine in Troon welcomed the 34th International Mining Games.

Teams from round the world panned for gold, drilled through concrete, sawed through wood and many other gruelling pursuits, in a bid to become the champions.

I went up on Saturday and there was a large crowd enjoying the competition (despite the fact the pleasant spring weather had become somewhat chilly!)

The full site was open so there was a chance to look round the museum as well. I enjoyed using the scale model of the local landscape to then locate Pascoe’s Shaft with the binoculars.

This year, King Edward Mine is holding its annual Open Day to coincide with Trevithick Day on April 29th. You can visit their website for more details:

http://www.kingedwardmine.co.uk/open-day-2012/

Camborne’s Discovery Map has been in production for over a year now and the good news is, it’s about to hit the doormats of every home in the parish!

As some of you may know from the previous Discovery Maps produced for towns such as Newquay and Hayle, these are very high quality, beautifully illustrated maps that introduce locals and visitors to the flora, fauna and heritage of the area.

In addition to the free copy being provided to every Camborne household, the maps will be on sale for the RRP of £1.00 and would make lovely gifts for friends and relatives living outside of the county.

Camborne Town Council is working with the Discovery Map Steering Group to co-ordinate deliveries across the town in the next few weeks. If you would like to be involved and lend a hand delivering, drop me a line and I’ll pass your details on to the project co-ordinators.

This week, Mum and I were racking our brains trying to think of somewhere local, but a bit different to go to for Mothering Sunday lunch.

After giving the matter some thought, I suddenly recalled that a friend from Barripper had mentioned that the pub there had been taken over by new management and had started doing food again.

St Michael’s Mount Inn (possibly a pun on the legendary Barripper Harbour, possibly just a reference to the Marazion landmark!) had a fab reputation for lovely food and the best desserts when I was at school and I remember enjoying many family meals there.

It’s changed hands quite a bit in more recent times, and with no disrespect to any of those publicans, the food reputation had tailed off quite a bit as the kitchen wasn’t always open regularly.

What a change when Mum and I visited on Sunday though – clean and comfortable surroundings, and very tasty home-cooked food, served really quickly considering it was Mothers’ Day. Best of all were the prices – only £9.95 for a 3 course lunch including a free glass of bubbly for Mum! (We did restrain ourselves a little bit and went for 2 courses for £8.95).

Really looking forward to returning, possibly as soon as next Sunday!

As long-standing readers of my blog will know, supporting local businesses is one of my key commitments to the town and its workers.

I was thrilled to see the West Briton joining in this campaign with their Go to Town project arranging discounts for Leap Day shoppers recently. Unfortunately I was in work all day on the 29th and didn’t manage to take advantage of any!

One Camborne business I visited the other day was Bengal Balti Cuisine in Cross Street. I’m happy to stand corrected, but I’m pretty sure this was the first Indian restaurant in Camborne and so has become a favourite for local meals with friends and evenings out.

I didn’t have time to go home for tea between getting the train home from work and a council meeting, so took the chance to pop in for a quick curry on a Wednesday night.

The food and service was very good, and chatting to the owner he commented that business had been a little quiet of late. They offer home delivery as well as collection and restaurant table service, so whatever your budget or your fancy, I’m sure Bengal Balti will give you a warm welcome next time you drop by.

This Thursday sees voters go to the polls in Wendron for the Cornwall Council by election caused by the sad death of Mick Clayton.

Wendron division, although named after the small area we all know as the home of Poldark Mine, is actually one of the biggest wards geographically in the whole county. The boundaries stretch from the edge of the Camborne South and Troon and Beacon wards right up as far as Helston taking in pretty much every village and hamlet inbetween and across to the Falmouth road!

The Lib Dem candidate is popular local man John Martin, who having previously worked as a lecturer at Cornwall and Falmouth colleges, now works at Flambards in Helston. John’s hobbies include photography and playing guitar, one or the other of which has led him to be a familiar face to many people in the ward already.

I’ve been out knocking on doors with John for several weeks now and despite not being elected yet, he has already taken up many local issues on behalf of residents – from speeding motorists to planning issues, giving a voice to the smaller parishes and Conservative cuts to vital local services like rural buses and public toilets.

If you live within the ward, then remember that a vote for John will elect a hard-working and dedicated councillor who will put Wendron first.

Those living further afield who would like to lend a hand, please just drop me a line – we’d really appreciate your support.

Shop of the Week this week is a real stalwart of Camborne’s high street – Polladras Pet Supplies.

I used to visit this shop to buy food for my hamster when I was at school, so that gives some indication of how long Polladras has been serving the public in our town!

Having recently inherited a friend’s cat while he works abroad for a while, Polladras Pet Supplies has become a regular feature on my weekly shop once more.

Even several years after my first visit, it’s still a fun Aladdin’s Cave of treats for all different kinds of pet, plus the very reasonably priced loose pet food to buy by the kilo.

Friendly service and little touches make this another one of Camborne’s quality independent shops.

Shop of the Week this week is the new greengrocers “5 a Day” on Trelowarren Street.
Like most Camborne residents, I was really pleased to see a store selling fresh fruit and veg opening up again in our town centre. Even better some of the store assistants from the previous business have been given their jobs back.
The shop has been bustling every time I’ve been in there since the re-opening so fingers crossed we will now have a greengrocers in business for a long time to come.
Make sure you find the time to pop in this week as their Halloween display is particularly impressive!

It’s the end of another very damp day on the campaign trail and it seems like the weeks have flown by since the Camborne North by election for Cornwall Council was called at the beginning of December, after the resignation of Conservative councillor Bill Jenkin.

Thursday 13th will see voters go to the polls to decide who their new Cornwall Councillor will be.

Myself and the team have been working hard, talking to local residents and delivering lots of leaflets to let people know where I stand on opposing cuts to community services such as libraries and adult social care.

It’s been hard work, but also a lot of fun. There have been some sad stories as well, of fears of job security, council services being cut and ordinary people just not getting a fair deal from the council in its present state.

It has been an honour to represent the ward I grew up in on the Town Council and the former Kerrier District Council. With your trust and support this election day, it would be a privilege to also become the county councillor for Camborne North.