The St Piran Trust

It is with immense pride and humility that I am able to say that I have been appointed as a Trustee of the St Piran Trust .

I firmly believe that if you go and live somewhere new then you should do your best to contribute to the place that you call home. For me the legend of St Piran is the quintessential essence of the spirit of  the Cornish people. Ensuring that the story of St Piran continues through protection of his artefacts and improving public access to them is, I believe, an important job.

Never afraid to let his hair down at a feast day, Piran, nevertheless, led by providing an example of humility and service to his people who recognised a genuinely 'good' man and loved him for it.

You can read about St Piran, his legend and the story of his churches in an excellent book by Eileen Carter available here .

The Trust has the following objectives:

• To uncover the Oratory of St Piran on Gear Sands, with the support and cooperation of all interested bodies.
  The Oratory of St. Piran is one of the oldest Christian edifices in the British Isles and has been consigned to the sands since 1980. 
• To protect, preserve, maintain and administer the Oratory, the site surrounding the Oratory, and access to the site.
  The Oratory was buried to protect its fabric in the absence of public commitment to protect and make it accessible.  The Trust will ensure that once uncovered it will be protected and properly managed. 
• To develop, protect, preserve, maintain and administer the Church of St Piran, the site surrounding the Church, and access to the site.
  The Trust, in partnership with others, has excavated the Second Church and put it into sound condition. 
• To promote the cultural, historical and educational significance of the sites of the Oratory and the Church in an inclusive manner, relevant to all the population of Cornwall and other interested people.
  In addition to the Oratory and the Church, the Trust has taken charge of the maintenance of Perran Round, the Mediaeval Playing Place or Plen-an-gwary, one of the best preserved Playing Places in Britain, which had been neglected and covered in woodland scrub, gorse and brambles.  Our ambition is to see performances in the Round once again.  We invest in representing the three sites to all who are interested.  
• To support schools, educational and cultural organisations so that they can promote greater awareness of Cornish and Celtic culture and history.
  The Trust will provide speakers and other resources to organisations that are involved in promoting Cornish history and culture.

I have been a volunteer with the Trust for the past three years and I have helped with the props for the St Piran Play as well as rasing money for the Trust. I look forward to being able to help with the difficult challenges facing the Trust in achieving its objectives.