You could never accuse the youth of Helston of failing to have an imagination.

When the ongoing consultation on how to spend £250,000 on town improvements reached the 2nd Helston Guides and Rangers they came up with some delightfully diverse ideas.

These include a zip wire through the town – possibly from the Bowling Green to Castle Green.

PPV can picture it now: pensioners from the bowling club, dressed in their crisp white outfits, bending down to throw (I’m told the correct term is actually ‘deliver’) their bowls – as a teenager whistles overhead on the zip wire. It’s an idea that tickles us greatly.

Other similarly imaginative suggestions included having multi-coloured pavements and a Helston ‘Eye’ in the same vein as the famous London Ferris wheel, in addition to the slightly more predictable call for more teenage-friendly shops such as Primark, Claire’s and Super Dry.

It wasn’t just the youngsters that let their imaginations run riot however; the leaders came up with “self-cleaning pavements” to keep them clear of dog mess and chewing gum, and perhaps more extraordinarily a slide down Wendron Street and/or the steps to Castle Green, with a ski lift back up.

One idea that PPV is not sure will find too much support was “no more fish and chip shops.” With three already in the town centre and a fourth on the way at Turnpike, it is not clear whether the push was to get rid of them all, which could prove controversial – or just prevent a fifth from opening.

Some suggestions, however, harked back to a bygone age of Helston. They included a call for a covered shopping centre – anyone remember Helston Arcade? – and the reopening of Eddy’s toy shop in Meneage Street, with a small shopping arcade on the ground floor.

Topping the list for ambition, however, was the suggestion to building a cathedral and make Helston a city – thus expanding the town centre with more shops.

PPV can’t wait for the results of the residents’ questionnaire (the deadline for which was Monday) to be published!