Trewince Holiday Lodges, Portscatho, Truro, Cornwall TR2 5ET
01872 580289
BOOKINGS

Tag: Olympics 2012

Cornish Tin at the London Olympics

Tin mined and smelted in the county is being used to create the bronze medals for this summer’s Olympic Games in London.

The tin was mined at South Crofty 14 years ago and smelted at Wheal Jane, near Redruth.  It had been stored at Wheal Jane since the South Crofty mine closure in 1998 and was thought to be the only candidate to match the incredibly high levels of purity needed for medals that will grace the necks of the world’s finest athletes. This is a very emotional moment for Cornish miners since production of tin ceased in Cornwall some years ago. There are still hopes that the South Crofty Mine will reopen in the not-too-distant future. You can read all about it in The Western Morning News and see comments here.

Cornwall gears up for the arrival of the Olympic torch

Organisers of the London Olympics have revealed the route which will be followed by torchbearers in the Olympic Torch Relay. They will begin at Land’s End on May 19 this year  and Cornwall will have an opportunity to enjoy the spotlight for a brief moment as the eyes of the world focus on our beautiful landscape.

David Fursdon, chairman of the South West England Board for the Games which heads the regional partnership Team South West, said: “We’re pleased that the Olympic flame will pass through all the counties in South West England. The route should mean that the maximum number of people will be able to reach a vantage point without travelling for too long.

“The torch relay will be a unique opportunity for people across the region to experience their own Olympic moment and to be part of the excitement and enthusiasm as they see the Olympic flame pass through their counties, towns and villages.”

The torch will be carried for sections of the journey on different modes of transport including the Rainforest Balloon as it ascends at The Eden Project, near St Austell, Cornwall. Gaynor Coley, Managing Director of the Eden Project, said: “The Olympic flame is designed to spread the message of peace, unity and friendship so it will be a very special day for all of us in our beautiful county.”

However…………. there has already been quite a hoo-ha because the route is avoiding towns such as Camborne and Redruth.

St Ives, Hayle, St Agnes, Perranporth are also “excluded”. No-one seems to be commenting that Portscatho will be missing the flame as well!! The route through Cornwall will be: Land’s End, Sennen,  Newlyn, Penzance, Marazion, Rosudgeon, Ashton, Breage, Helston, Falmouth, Truro, Newquay, St Stephen, St Austell, Stenalees, Bugle, Lanivet, Bodmin, Liskeard, Saltash, Plymouth.

You can read more and see a map of the route here.

Olympic status for ambitious play on tin mining

A large-scale theatre production that aims to combine the talents of professional actors, opera singers and local choirs for a celebration of Cornwall’s mining heritage has been given a prestigious award as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad programme.

Tin, a play based on the 19th novel by Edward Bosanketh, is being produced by Miracle Theatre and English National Opera, which have enlisted the talents of internationally acclaimed Cornish opera star Ben Luxon. The team putting together the ambitious show, which will be staged at five venues in Cornwall and Devon at Easter, were yesterday presented with an “Inspire” mark by the London 2012 Inspire programme.

Commissioned by the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site and directed by Miracle’s Bill Scott, Tin revives the story of a Victorian banking swindle in the St Just mining area. Each of the five venues are enlisting the talents of specially-convened community choirs. Ben Luxon, who has Cornish mining ancestry, will be joining the acting cast, while schoolchildren and community groups from across Cornwall and West Devon will make up a “village chorus”.

Speaking from his home in America, Mr Luxon said: “It’s a very exciting project.  It’s important to celebrate our Cornish heritage and I’m looking forward to working on this. My great-grandfather worked in the mines so  it is deep in my own roots.”

As well as the theatre show, Bill Scott and his team plan to use innovative cinematic techniques to produce a film.

Western Morning News

Scroll to top