Several members of the Kernow Branch of the Celtic League attended the first meeting of a new group yesterday, aiming to revive and promote Cornish customs and traditions throughout Cornwall.
`Celebrate Kernow’ has been set up as a “Cornish cultural grassroots movement” that hopes to encourage people to take more of an active role in celebrating Cornish culture and yesterday’s meeting was an opportunity for people interested in pushing the initiative forward to meet together and share ideas. The Celebrate Kernow idea is the brainchild of author and Cornish cultural activist Simon Reed, who currently organises cultural events in and around Penzance. About thirty people attended the meeting throughout the course of the afternoon and a number of ideas were put forward. The group intends to encourage active participation “first and foremost” among anyone who wants to get involved in a range of different areas, including dance, story telling, food, music and traditional dress drawn from Cornish tradition.
All organisers at the meeting were given a handbook and set of guidelines to help them layout several ground rules and to get their ideas off the ground, ahead of the official launch of Celebrate Kernow next month. Kernow branch secretary Mike Chappell, who is aiming to organise a St Piran’s Day cultural event next year in the town of Redruth was among four members of the Kernow branch to attend the meeting. Mike is currently working closely with a range of different groups in the Redruth area to get the `Colours of Kernow 2011′ event up and running.
The Kernow branch of the League also invited a couple of cultural activists from Wales to attend the meeting and share best practice. Welsh musicians, Councillor Geraint Roberts and Tracey Thomas, have been involved in the Welsh music and cultural scene for a number of years and have helped organised events across Wales. The Kernow branch is keen to strengthen contact between the Welsh and Cornish cultural scene over the coming months.
Anyone who is interested in getting further involved should contact Mike Chappell at Kernow@celticleague.net
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