Penzance Chamber of Commerce

Concern over erosion of services at West Cornwall Hospital

Dr Rob Senior is justifiably concerned about the further erosion of the services provided by West Cornwall Hospital. How many more patients and families will have to suffer unnecessary time apart due to the fact that even basic care facilities are unavailable in West Cornwall whilst the trend of sending people to Treliske for treatment is ever increasing. Those parents who have had to endure the trauma of seeing their children taken to Truro for hospitalisation due to the closure of Rainbow Ward will be able to tell you how difficult it is to arrange transport and time off work to support them.

The often forgotten people involved in such scandalous changes are the staff themselves, as it is the nurses that are often in the front line when complaints are raised by patients and families whilst they are suffering from the stress caused from separation and travel difficulties. Those staff that have been transferred also endure having to travel to Truro if they wish to continue with their profession and, therefore, suffer doubly. This situation says a lot for the management 'skills' of the Trust as, under Health and Safety Law, stress caused to employees by the employer's inability to effectively manage the resources available to them can be classed as work-related which can leave the door open to claims for compensation running into six figures.

The Trust's claims that the changes, as far as all residents of West Cornwall are concerned, are for the better cannot be justified. Penzance Chamber of Commerce, far from being an organisation devoted solely to business issues, are deeply concerned about the local infrastructure as well and work tirelessly to ensure that provision is made for the whole local community. We are 100% in line with Dr Rob Senior's concerns.

Putting the Penzance hotel ratings war to bed

The last Chamber page in The Cornishman carried an article on one of the Chamber members - the Mount Prospect Hotel, which correctly quoted the fact that they had received the highest rating of any hotel in Penzance from the AA. This statement has prompted one other hotel (not a Chamber member) in Penzance to complain to The Comishman stating that they had a higher rating, and the newspaper responded by printing a correction in the following issue. This correction then prompted yet another complaint!

Let me set the record straight: there are three main bodies who inspect hotels against a list of criteria and then make awards based upon such inspections, they are: the AA, the RAC and the English Tourist Board. Although the three bodies now work to common standards, the individual gradings within the star awards vary slightly. Of the hotels in Penzance, the following information has been obtained from the AA's website (Chamber members in bold):

As can be seen from the above, the Mount Prospect is indeed rated the highest of Penzance's 3 Star hotels. The RAC's website reveals that the following hotels in Penzance have been graded by them:

The English Tourist Board has the following hotels on its list:

The AA have stated that, as a result of different inspection dates throughout the year by the three main inspection agencies, direct comparison of properties may show some discrepancies. The hotel that complained has a 75 per cent rating score from the English Tourist Board; however, when one is making comparisons they must be made 'like-with-like'. To be able to equate properly the assessment must be made by the same inspection body, the same inspector and at the same time. The statement that started the whole process off is correct, namely that the Mount Prospect Hotel has the highest AA scoring of Penzance's 3-Star hotels.

As a personal view, I would rather that everyone was working together to improve the town and its facilities to increase the prosperity of the whole district instead of bickering over such insignificant issues which would probably have gone unnoticed by the general public anyway.

Penzance is a fine town located in an area of outstanding natural beauty, steeped in history and tradition, which has much to offer locals and tourists alike, let us build upon this for now and the generations to come. Let us hope that this has now put the matter to bed!

Mike Waters - Chairman

Seats in shops campaign!

The Chamber have recently received a letter from Alfred and Ruth Warren, who as members of the Carers National Association are campaigning for the provision of seating for the elderly in shops.

"I am sure you are only too aware of the high proportion of elderly people shopping today," says Alfred. "We are doing all we can to promote the provision of seating for the elderly in shops at a national level. For an arthritic, five minutes of queuing is the limit. From there on he is flailing around, looking for something to sit on. This could be the floor and prove dangerous! Would it not be a very creditable achievement for Penzance to be at the forefront of this campaign?"

The Chamber is moved to agree. The main post office in Penzance being one of the biggest offenders, perhaps they should follow the example of many banks, who already provide somewhere to sit.

A big thank-you

The Chamber would like to say a big thank you to Steve Smith from Our Price records for all his hard work. He has now left Penzance and we wish him all the best. As a result, we now need a replacement Council Member and any possible names should he given to Mike Waters or Yvonne Neale.

Bus services earmarked for reduction

The Chamber is concerned by unofficial information released that suggests the First Western National Bus Company intends to make major cuts in services operated out of Penzance. This would mean the possibility of some local rural residents with no available public transport.

Chamber of Commerce chairman Mike Waters said: "Hardship will be caused to parents who rely upon normal services to carry their children to school, and low paid workers unable to afford their own transport may find their jobs in jeopardy with cuts in their bus services. Whatever happened to the Government Rural Subsidy Policy?" He added that the Chamber of Commerce would fight any cuts all the way. Inquiries made to local unions on this matter have led to a non-committal reply but no denial.

Christmas lights events

The dates for the Christmas lights to be lit will be finalised at the meeting at the Bath Inn tonight, 7.30 pm. We are still looking for volunteers to help get the lights up and down, please come to the meeting or get in touch if you can help.

Wonderful 'booty' on menu at the Smugglers

If you live in, or are a regular visitor to Newlyn, it is likely you have eaten at the Smugglers Restaurant. If you haven't paid them a visit yet, then we strongly recommend you do. The building dates back to the 18th century, and is reputed to have a notorious past, with its own smugglers' tunnel running from the harbour.

Chef Allan Owen and his wife Mary have recently moved to Newlyn from Wales, and taken over the restaurant. They both have lots of experience In the business, and are very enthusiastic about their new venture. Allan worked as a chef for many years both at home and abroad, and decided that his only way forward was to have his own restaurant. He is particularly keen to make best use of the wonderful local produce, and theirs is one of the only local restaurants to have Newlyn salt pilchards on the menu. "We are combining excellent value for money with a friendly, relaxed and informal atmosphere where families are welcome," said Allan. "I am using fresh ingredients with an emphasis on fish from the local fleet, but with plenty of choice for vegetarians and meat lovers."

The menu changes regularly and the fish specials blackboard, displayed on the walls of the restaurant can alter dally to reflect the availability of the local market. Dishes such as pan-fried medallions of monkfish with vermouth sauce, and mustard crusted hake with Mediterranean salsa are typical examples of what you might expect for your dinner if you pay them a visit. There is even a 'treasure chest' full of toys and books to keep the children happy, and they are perfectly happy to cater for small fussy eaters with more simple food if required.

The restaurant is open seven nights a week from Easter weekend to the end of September from 6pm. The restaurant is also available for small weddings, christenings and parties. If you prefer to entertain at home, they can also prepare and deliver food for you. During the winter months they are planning to open four nights a week. The restaurant will be closing for a holiday from October 21 to November 17, and then opening again for Christmas parties. The restaurant will be open for Christmas Day.

For further information, and to be included on the mailing list, pop in for a form or Email them at mary-owengg@netscapeonline.co.uk.

The Smugglers Restaurant, 12-14 Fore Street, Newlyn.
Phone: 01736-331501

September Meeting

The next Chamber Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 5th at the Queens Hotel, The Promenade, Penzance at 7.30pm.

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