The community of St Keverne and Coverack will be out in force next week to make sure this year's Gorsedh Kernow festival is one of the best ever.

Villagers and organisations from across the parish are doing their bit to contribute to the success of the event, which begins next Wednesday and continues until Sunday, celebrating the Cornish language, culture and history.

The main day will be that of the Bardic Ceremony on Saturday, September 3, which takes place in the village playing field in School Hill.

Food and craft stalls will open at 11am, under cover of marquees if the weather is bad, ahead of the grand procession of bards, dressed in their blue robes, from the nearby primary school at 1.30pm.

It is hoped that up to 200 bards will take part this year, coming from as far away as Wales, Brittany, Germany and even Australia.

The ceremony, which is free to watch, will then begin at 2pm and include the installation of new bards as well as readings in Cornish.

Bethany Lyne, from the parish, will be Lady of the Flowers in the ceremony and schoolchildren from St Keverne and Coverack will be her attendants. Youngsters from Teresa Blee Dance School will also be taking part.

If there is a complete downpour of rain during the time of the ceremony, this will take place in St Keverne Church.

There will be pasties from Geer Farm, a barbecue provided by the playing field committee, Coverack Gig Club will run a cake stall and St Keverne Garden Society a produce stall. A special commemorative beer has been brewed by Cornish Chough Brewery at The Lizard and Cornish Sea Salt at nearby Porthkerris has donated 200 pots of special giant salt flakes to sell on behalf of the Gorsedh. Poldhu Amateur Radio Society will also be there with a stand.

Live music will carry on the entertainment until 5pm.

In in the evening a gala concert will take place in the parish hall, in Well Lane, from 7pm, featuring Maen Voes Choir, The An Gov Players, The An Gof Band and St Keverne Silver Band. Compere for the night is Cornwall councillor Bert Biscoe.

Tickets cost £5 on the door and there is parking in the field next to St Keverne Band Room.

There will also be a Cornish singalong to take part in and listen to at the White Hart Hotel in the Square, led by Matthi Clarke, at 8.30pm.

The build up to the festival begins next Wednesday, however, when the Grand Bard’s chair will be on display in St Keverne Church, until Friday. There is free entry to see it, although donations to the church are welcomed.

There will also be a display of entries for the Gorsedh Young Peoples’ Awards.

The following day, the Thursday, will see a Cornish book fair in the parish hall between 11am and 3pm, including the launch of this year's Gorsedh book, with the popular Fat Apples Cafe from Porthallow providing a pop-up cafe, before the Gorsedh Kernow Awards take place in the parish church in the evening.

Doors open at 6pm for displays and videos, before the presentation of awards from 7.30pm by Grand Bard Merv Davey, with performances and readings from winning entries.

This year's recipients include long-standing Helston Town Band member Russell Harvey, for 'music in the community, through his 72-year service as a bandsman and for encouraging young people to play music.

Members of St Keverne WI and ladies from the church will be providing refreshments for the awards ceremony.

The Friday, September 2, sees a conference take place in the parish hall between 10am and 4.30pm, with this year's topic "Border at Risk." With the Boundary Commission currently reviewing Cornwall’s thousand year old border, the conference will explore the issues and make the case for keeping our border intact, with a range of expert guest speakers. Tickets cost £5 to include pasty lunch and pre-booking is advised on 01326 280864.

At 7pm the Mullion Cornish Language Group will present An Kerdh /The Walk – A Community Play, about Mary Kelynack’s walk to London for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and at 8pm there will be a ceildih with Penzance Guizers, again in the parish hall.

The festival wraps up on Sunday, September 4 with a free talk on “Boden Vean prehistoric site and fogou" at Porthallow Village Hall between 10am and 11am, by James Gossip, project officer for Cornwall Council Archaeology Unit, followed by a Cornish language taster session until 1pm.

Then at 3pm there will be Evening Prayer taken in Cornish at St Keverne Parish Church, with a retiring collection for the church.

Karen Richards, on the local organising committee with Sheila Richards and Mo Ruscombe-King, said: "It's not a St Keverne event, it's the parish. We want everyone from Coverack and Porthallow and around to come.

"It's a unique event and it's quite unusual to be out this way."

DIARY OF EVENTS

Wednesday, August 31

All day: The Grand Bard’s chair on display in St Keverne Parish Church, alongside entries for the Gorsedh Young Peoples’ Awards. Free.

Thursday, September 1

11am - 3pm: Book launch and Cornish Book Fair at St Keverne Parish Hall, Well Lane. Free.

6pm: Gorsedh Kernow Awards displays and video presentations at St Keverne Parish Church, followed by 7.30pm awards presentation by Grand Bard Merv Davey.

Friday, September 2

10am - 4.30pm: Conference at St Keverne Parish Hall, "Border at Risk." Tickets £5 to include pasty lunch; pre-book on 01326 280 864.

7pm: An Kerdh /The Walk – A Community Play by the Mullion Cornish Language Group at St Keverne Parish Hall. Free.

8pm: Ceilidh with Penzance Guizers at St Keverne Parish Hall. Free.

Saturday, September 3

11am - 5pm: Cornish stalls at St Keverne Playing Field in School Hill.

1.30pm: Grand Procession of Bards from St Keverne Primary School to the playing field.

2pm: Gorsedh Kernow Bardic Ceremony at St Keverne Playing Field. Free.

7pm: Gala concert at St Keverne Parish Hall. Tickets £5 on the door.

8.30pm: Cornish singalong at the White Hart Hotel, The Square. Free.

Sunday, September 4

10am - 11am: “Boden Vean prehistoric site and fogou” talk at Porthallow Village Hall. Free.

11am - 1pm: Cornish language taster session at Porthallow Village Hall. Free.

3pm: Evening Prayer in Cornish at St Keverne Parish Church. Free with retiring collection.