On the face of it, the Gyllyngvase area of Falmouth is one of the most idyllic spots in Cornwall; it features one of the most celebrated beaches in the Duchy, the veritable oasis of calm that is Queen Mary Gardens and the bucolic beauty of Boscawen Fields and their hard-to-beat sea views.
Throw in a few seemingly quiet, upwardly mobile residential streets and it’s easy to see why this is one of the most desirable coastal corners of Cornwall in which to live. However, there have been some anti-social shenanigans going on in recent months which have blighted the area and caused not a little anger and fear among residents.
As already reported in the Packet, during the summer, teenagers – who were known to be from secondary schools in Falmouth, Penryn and Truro – were said to be stealing alcohol, being abusive to members of the public and violent towards each other and other beachgoers. They were even abusive to police officers who attended the scene.
Falmouth Police said at the time of a much-reported incident in June that it was “completely out of order”. However, it wasn’t the last time a mass influx of young people has invaded the area.
Locals have reported rowdy drinkers congregating around a Co-op store beneath the imposing Liner building opposite the beach, creating such havoc in Queen Mary Gardens that it has had to be locked on a number of occasions and one resident told me someone he knows was even threatened with a knife after challenging a rowdy group.
On a more relaxed autumn day on Gylly beach, a woman told me she had previously seen youngsters throwing rocks on to the balcony of flats above the celebrated Gylly Beach Cafe and witnessed a “running battle” on the beach during the summer, while a neighbour – who didn’t want to be named – said he had driven a teenage boy home after he hid in his garden after running away from rampaging lads, keen on a fight.
Ross and Esme Millington are typical of many people who live in the area. Retired (and in remarkably good nick at 90 and 88 – it must be the sea air), they just want a quiet life, so have been somewhat surprised by recent goings-on.
“They leave broken bottles in the gardens and have trodden the plants and flowers down,” said Ross, “and drunks congregate around the Co-op. Thankfully, we’re a bit distanced from it but people living on Boscawen Road are more affected.”
Gill Fine – who recently aired her concerns about anti-social behaviour in the area when nearby St Michael’s Rescort applied for a licence to hold events – lives near the Millingtons on Tredova Crescent. She agrees it’s residents on Boscawen Road, which overlooks Queen Mary Gardens and the beach-side fields, who bear the brunt of it.
“Most kids aren’t going to cause problems,” she told us, “but there have been groups of 20 to 40, usually on Friday and Saturday nights. They’ve caused problems around Boscawen Fields lighting fires – the fire brigade have been called a couple of times. Youngsters have been asking adults to buy them alcohol.
“It’s definitely got worse in the last two years, post Covid. They leave broken bottles in the gardens and on the beach, and walk down the streets in great numbers – it’s a bit intimidating. The thing is though, a lot of them are teenagers with nowhere else to go.”
A resident of Boscawen Road, who preferred to remain anonymous, added: “We moved here in 2020 and it’s happened every summer since then. It’s calmed down now because of the time of the year, but it will happen again. They congregate in Boscawen Fields and there’s a lot of noise – they play their music really loud.”
A neighbour who, again, didn’t want to be named in fear of reprisals at their property said Boscawen Fields Action Group had taken to regularly picking up rubbish after the rowdy parties. “They leave broken glass everywhere and it’s an area where kiddies come to play and have birthday parties.”
So what is being done about it? As a number of people living in the area note – a lot of this is down to rambunctious kids who have nowhere else to go and have fun.
Laurie Magowan, Cornwall Council’s Labour member for the Falmouth Arwenack division, said: “It has been regrettable to see a number of anti-social incidents over the summer around Queen Mary Gardens and Boscawen Fields and the impact this has had on the local area. I am in regular contact with local residents and went on an evening patrol and early morning clean up with Falmouth Town’s Education and Environment Officer, to see the scale of issues on certain summer evenings.
“People will have different views on the causes and responses to anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Falmouth but I’m sure we all want to see as little of it as possible. I believe that the long-term reduction in funding for young people’s services and lack of local positive activities in the town has played its part along with reduced resources across some of our key public services.”
Cllr Magown added: “Though funding issues may have contributed to some of the issues we have seen, it is ultimately about individual responsibility and personal choices, made by both young people and parents. It’s vital that people are educated and aware of the potential impact and implications on them and their families before they engage in any ASB.”
He said that the Safer Falmouth Partnership is working to address ASB issues over the longer term and is investing in a range of education and youth activities to make young people aware of the impact this type of activity is having on the community. The partnership is made up of Cornwall Council and Falmouth Town Council services, Devon and Cornwall Police and a number of local community organisations.
“This project needs to be delivered over a period of time through positive engagement with young people and parents with investment across several areas, with short term fixes unlikely to reduce or prevent future issues,” added the councillor. “Safer Falmouth will continue to work with the community to identify and address unwanted anti-social behaviour within our town with the aim of reducing and ultimately removing it from our streets.”
Recently Black watch represented Falmouth Fire Station and attended a celebration of work carried out over the summer months to reduce anti-social behaviour in the area of Gyllyngvase beach, Queen Mary Gardens and Boscawen Fields.
One of those who has worked tirelessly to support the community as well as engage with young people to negate the problems seen in recent months is Tessa Marie, one of Falmouth Town Council’s two Environment, Education and Enforcement Officers (E3Os for short).
The E3Os work with community groups, residents, schools, visitors, town councillors, partner organisations and businesses to deliver education and awareness campaigns designed to tackle common environmental issues, such as dog fouling, littering, fly-tipping, beach safety and anti-social behaviour.
Tessa said: “In response to the recent rise in ASB in Falmouth, we have been working closely with our partners at Safer Falmouth including Devon and Cornwall Police and the Dracaena Centre Youth Outreach team to identify the issues and looking at ways in which we can work together to deter further incidents. This has included an increase in our regular patrols of Falmouth’s beaches, green spaces and parks both independently and with our partners.
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“Often, we find that by positively engaging with our young people by offering advice and support we can disperse groups, prevent situations getting out of hand and deal with issues before ASB becomes a problem. We can also talk to our young people about where they can find alternative places and spaces to enjoy themselves, whether that is getting involved with community groups or attending youth clubs and events at the Dracaena Centre. Falmouth’s Skate Park, which is due to be completed next year, should also help to provide a new and exciting alternative space for our young people.”
She added that education is a key step in prevention and the officers deliver an educational assembly programme to Falmouth’s secondary school, focusing on the effects of ASB on the community. “At the beginning of the summer, along with Cormac and Falmouth Fire & Rescue Service, we supported gardening work experience at Queen Mary Gardens that saw local students helping to rectify some of the damage caused by recent anti-social behaviour. The students litter picked, re-planted flower beds, painted over graffiti and took part in general garden maintenance while the fire service was able to work alongside the students to give them a helping hand and informally talk about fire and beach safety.
“Obviously, we cannot be everywhere all the time, but we are committed to supporting the young people in our community and try to be a friendly face who can offer advice. It is always a pleasure to see our young people enjoying our open spaces and we usually receive a great response from them when we are out and about. As is often the way, it is usually only a select few who seem to want to spoil it for everyone else,” added Tessa.
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