Ben Ainslie is a Cornish Hero: The public have their say (From Falmouth Packet)

Ben Ainslie is a Cornish Hero: The public have their say

11:02am Thursday 9th August 2012 in News

PEOPLE in Falmouth have had their say on the victory by Ben Ainslie, as he picked up his fourth Olympic gold..

It was the only subject on the lips of most shoppers in town, who were bursting with pride at the acheivements of Ben Ainslie.

Kerry Chellew, 40, from Falmouth said the news was great for the town.

He said: “It was brilliant, great for Falmouth, just amazing for the town. “I have been watching the Olympics on TV and it was just wonderful to see him win.”

Russ Fletcher, 73, was in town with his son Mathew and their friend Joyce Fipps.

Russ said: “It is great that a Cornish man has won, what more do I have to say. “Not just him but everyone who has taken part. “But it is great to see a local lad do so well. “I hope the victory would inspire the youngsters in the town.”

Sisters Amy and Morwenna Dunstan, aged 20 and 22 from Falmouth, said they had been following it on TV.

Amy said: “I hope the win can help put the town on the map.” Morwenna added: “It was wonderful.”

Eliza Dixon, 23, Becki Hurst, 22 from Falmouth were both delighted by the win.

Becki said: “We are both very proud of Ben’s achievement.”

Eliza added: “It has been a great year for Falmouth, with the Olympic Torch and this is just the cherry on the top.”

Neil Owen from Falmouth said the win was fantastic for Cornwall.

Neil said: “You can tell how well we are doing because you can sense the resentment from other competitors and nations.”

Neil said he had been particularly upset by allegations from the French that the British must be doping, as reported in the national papers.

Ben Tuff, a student at Falmouth University, was in town with his friend Ben Moloney.

The pair, both aged 23, live in Falmouth, Ben Tuff said he hoped the news could help the local economy.

He said: “Hopefully Ben will bring the money back down with him.”

Ben Moloney added: “This is great news for Cornwall and it’d be even better if he came back to Cornwall to support local shops down here.”

Dan Mathers, was out with his son Max and daughter Madison.

Coincidentally, the family live in Weymouth where Ben secured his historic fourth gold medal, but Dan’s wife is from Falmouth and the family were in town visiting family.

Dan said that the win was a great achievement and has inspired both Weymouth and Falmouth, with a sense of pride coming from both counties.

He said: “It is fantastic that he won the Gold for team GB and for Cornwall. “ “Hopefully he’ll inspire the younger generations.”

However, not everone was so positive.

Matthew, James and, Tony Longo were paying a visit to Falmouth from the United States.

Tony, possibly displaying some of the resentment of British success mentioned by Neil Owen, said: “The guy seems a little pompous, quite arrogant.”

However, keen to keep up Anglo-American relations, he added: “Good for him though.”