Truro's mayor said he is "looking forward to people coming together once again," as plans are finalised for this year's St Piran's celebrations.
Truro City Council has worked with partners at Salt Projects, Tyller A Nerth, Truro Old Cornwall Society, Truro BID, and Truro Farmers Market, to organise an exciting programme of events to mark St Piran’s Day a day early, this Saturday, March 4.
This includes the traditional St Piran’s Parade through the city, culminating with speeches on High Cross.
Mayor Steven Webb said: “I am very much looking forward to taking part in the parade, especially as this will be my first St Piran’s Day as mayor.
“It is wonderful to come together once again to recognise this special day.”
The parade will leave from Waterfall Gardens on St George’s Road at 1pm, heading towards the War Memorial on Boscawen Street, ending at High Cross, with speeches and songs to follow.
Bert Biscoe, President of Truro Old Cornwall Society, added: “St Piran's Day is a moment at the beginning of Spring when the nation of Kernow, wherever it is - in Cornwall, or spread far and wide overseas - comes together to joyously celebrate both the values of St Piran - a pilgrim for inclusion, social justice, equality and respect for nature and neighbours - and the identity, culture and communities of Kernow.
“The parade is always an open invitation to come and celebrate, parade and enjoy - and hey - this year it's on a Saturday so there just ain't no excuse, is there! See you all there.”
The parade will also be joined by Ambassador Josefa González-Blanco, Mexican Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The Ambassador has a long history as a promoter of social, environmental and cultural programmes, both in Mexico and the UK, and we are delighted to welcome her to our annual St Piran’s Day celebrations.
For Mexican residents of Cornwall, this is a fantastic opportunity to meet the Ambassador.
Ambassador González-Blanco said: "I am thrilled to attend the St Piran's Day Parade in Truro this year. We should always seize the opportunity to celebrate values such as caring, inclusion, creativity and peace. See you soon!"
Bert added: “We are delighted to welcome Her Excellency.
"There are many links between Cornwall and Mexico, including descendants of many miners. What a great moment to celebrate and strengthen those bonds on a Feast Day in Kernow as we welcome Spring and join hands in a shared heritage. Onwards and Upwards!”
The parade, which celebrates the values of St Piran, will take place in Truro City Centre on Saturday, March 4, coinciding with other events taking place across the city to mark the occasion.
As well as this, Truro BID is also organising a themed window competition, which will be judged by the Mayor of Truro, Cllr Steven Webb, and Truro’s Town Crier, Lionel Knight.
The competition will be judged on St Piran’s Day between 9am and 10am, with the winner being announced during the speeches at High Cross in the afternoon.
The winning shop will be awarded a trophy to display in their window until the end of March.
Alun Jones, Truro BID manager, said: “We thank the businesses who are taking part in this year’s window competition. We look forward to seeing the displays.”
Truro Farmers Market will also be part of the celebrations. The market will be on Lemon Quay from 9am until 4pm, showcasing Cornish produce from local traders, as well as hosting live music.
As well as a vibrant and colourful collection of stalls and entertainment, the event sees the return of Truro Farmers Market’s Pasty Making Competition, which was a resounding success last year.
The competition is open to all and will be judged by members of the Buscombe family from The Cornish Mill & Bakehouse, where four generations work together to produce a wide range of bread, cakes, biscuits and delicious pasties.
There will be two categories, ‘Cornwall’ and ‘Rest of The World’, with competitors invited to show their excellence in traditional Cornish pasty-making or take an experimental approach by introducing flavours and ingredients from anywhere in the world.
Chaz Buscombe said: “Across both categories, we’ll be looking for good crimping skills, great quality ingredients and excellent taste as the key features of a fantastic pasty. For the ‘rest of the world’ category, I’m looking forward to tasting some interesting modern versions with a global flavour!”
Graham Bradshaw, Chairman of Truro Farmers Market, explained that the competition was the perfect way to honour St Piran’s Day as the National Day of Cornwall while celebrating diversity and Cornwall’s global outlook.
He said: “Here at market, we are proud to have many producers with international roots and influences, who will be getting involved and showing what you can do with a ‘fusion’ approach to pasty making! We’d love to invite anyone with a fresh take on the humble pasty to come and show us what they’ve come up with and those that have mastered the traditional version.”
Competitors are asked to bring their ready-to-eat pasty (hot or cold) to the market on Lemon Quay between 10am – midday on March 4, where they’ll find a dedicated judging area; the winner will be announced later that day, and there are prizes for each category.
Stewart Girvan, market co-ordinator of Truro Farmers Market, commented: "We are thrilled to be involved with the St Piran's Day events in Truro. The market boasts a wealth of Cornish craft and produce from local traders, and we will also be joined by local musicians throughout the day.
"It promises to be a fun and exciting day and we can’t wait to enjoy the celebrations with you all."
Food, drink, art, and craft stallholders will be joined by vintage tractors, a brass band and street entertainers, for a family-friendly day out with a festival feel.
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A series of creative workshops are also being organised, including sash-making, dance workshops, and storytelling. Locations and booking information will be announced via the Truro St Piran’s Day Facebook page.
Furthermore, children’s activity packs have been created, with thanks to Cornish artist Molly Biscoe.
These will be distributed to local primary schools and are available at Truro Community Library to collect now.
A digital version will be available via the Visit Truro website so that the pack can be downloaded and printed at home.
For further updates, please follow the Truro St Piran’s Day Facebook page: @trurostpiransday.
Further information will also be available on the Visit Truro website: www.visittruro.org.uk.
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