Penzance Chamber of Commerce

Tribute from the lights volunteers

(by Hazel Trembath)

Christmas is almost upon us, and everyone will be getting into the festive season. For many people it also means extra work: the cards, parcels, food etc., and even stress and tears. Have I remembered this one or forgotten that one.

There is an extra work load for the people who work from March onwards to give the town and community an uplift by the Christmas street decorations. Many hours of voluntary work go into bringing these about. These people have their reward by the "feel good" factor that comes from the support of the traders, Town Council, Chamber of Commerce, Penwith District Council, and from the community. There are times when many get exhausted and stressed out, then all of a sudden there are some lovely surprises sprung on them by the Good Santas of the town.

The list would be endless, but the workers and supporters know who they are. Penzance Festive Season is going from strength to strength, getting better and bigger every year, and something we can all be proud of. There is still room for improvement, and we will get there!

A big thank you to everyone who has helped to bring this about. A Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year to you all.

PS Sorry - the lights come down on January 7th from 8am. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

The Chamber would like to thank Hazel for her hard work again this year, and all the others who have done so much and put so much energy into organising the lights.

Santa's in town again

Jon Garrison and his wife Jan will be walking around Penzance town giving away little gifts and goodwill on Friday 22nd December from 10am until 12pm (weather permitting). This has become a regular annual event.

Jan collects the little gifts all year round, and Santa gives them out at Christmas to spread a little happiness and joy. If Friday is bad weather, they will do it on Saturday, so don't forget to come along and see Santa.

Chamber's concern over wheelie bins problem answered

The Chamber of Commerce recently wrote a letter to Penwith District Council with some criticisms and complaints about bins. It was felt that there had been some problems caused by vandals messing about with bins, with the big wheelie bins being the main culprit. The lack of bins in the town was also mentioned, as well as a problem with litter due to a lack of bins from the Wharfside Shopping Centre to the Harbour.

At the December meeting, we were visited by Mike Toms from Penwith District Council, who was able to answer any questions and respond to the criticisms voiced by the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Toms explained that it was already noted that extra bins were needed on Market Jew Street, and that these were being ordered. He explained that, due to the narrowness of the pavement, it was not always easy to place bins along this street without causing disruption to pedestrians, people in wheelchairs or children in push chairs.

The Council had found that if fixed bins were used instead of the wheelie bins, the fixed bins tended to suffer more from vandalism. The fixed bins were more often broken completely and used to cause damage, whereas the wheelie bins tended to be pushed around a bit and then left alone. He explained that the larger wheelie bins are more appropriate at the busier times of the year as they can take a lot more litter. The Chairman thanked Mr. Toms for his presentation.

West Cornwall Festival of Food

The Festival Committee has been meeting since March this year, and have decided on a loose framework for the West Cornwall Festival of Food 2001. It is hoped that the Festival will take place between May 12th and 20th 2001.

A meeting was held on Wednesday 13th December to bring together all those parties interested in taking part in this prestigious event. Requests for funding have been made to Penwith District Council and several local councils, together with discussions on sponsorship and donations from other private and public sources. It is the intention to make the 2001 Festival of Food the biggest and best yet. Please get in touch with the organiser William Fry if you would like to get involved. Telephone 01736-799346.

Digital Technology in West Cornwall

Digital Peninsula Network spokesman, David Ross came to talk to the Chamber of Commerce at this month's meeting. He explained that the Network was already influential in Cornwall's strategic approach to new technology, and has received, in principle, approval to receive up to £250,000 funding for capital Investment in the Penzance based centre's facilities for members and local ICT businesses.

This will include providing high speed bandwidth to a number of locations in the Penzance area. The high speed band width would enable businesses to transfer files at high speed and act as a showcase to demonstrate the advantages of cutting edge digital technology in West Cornwall.

Membership of the Digital Peninsula Network is free if you are unemployed, and you can contact them at 1 & 2 Old Brewery Yard, Penzance. Telephone 01736-333700

Cornishman Page Features

Any businesses that are interested in being featured on the page published monthly in the Cornishman in the New Year should contact the Chamber's Press Officer Emma Vowles on 01736-331813. Please give plenty of notice if you would like to be featured. You must be a Chamber member to be featured, so if you are not, maybe you should join?

Street Closures

The street closures that were planned for the late night shopping nights of December 14th and 21st sadly had to be cancelled this year. The Chamber of Commerce had been trying to organise volunteers to man the barriers on these nights, but unfortunately the lack of response forced the Chamber to call off the closures this year.

There was so little response to requests for help on these nights, that it was impossible to go ahead. It is hoped that next year there will be more help forthcoming and the streets can be closed off for all the late night shopping nights. Watch this space for more details.

Window Competition Winners

The awards to winners in the best dressed Christmas window competition were presented at the Wharfside Shopping Centre recently. The results of the competition are as follows:

Forthcoming Meetings

The next Chamber Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 4th 2001 at the Queens Hotel, The Promenade, Penzance at 7.30pm.

The Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting will be held on the 13th February 2001 at the Queen's Hotel.

The next meeting of Penzance Town Forum is on the 18th January 2001.

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