Cornwall24.net

Kernow/Cornwall’s newest campaigning organisation launched on the first day of the Celtic new year following a packed meeting held in Redruth.

Kernow Matters To Us, a group which aims to ensure every Cornish person is represented to decision makers, and is healthy, housed, educated and safe, gathered on November 1 2015 to elect an eight person steering group, and a chairperson, secretary and treasurer and adopt a written constitution.

The group set out a vision statement, which aims for a Cornwall where Cornish people:

• Have a voice and are listened to;
• Are not second class citizens;
• Have access to suitable housing;
• Have access to suitable health and social services;
• Actively learn about their own culture and history;
• Are represented on diversity committees, and where the police take action against those who commit hate motivated crimes against Cornish people.

Donald MacLeod’s painting Crossing the Tamar during the 1497 Cornish uprising

Kernow Matters To Us (KMTU) said following on from the inclusion of the Cornish into the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Cornish people should be respected, canvassed, considered and represented in all decisions relating to Cornwall, and decisions should not be made by outside authorities on our behalf, particularly and especially without the knowledge of the Cornish.

The group’s goals include:

• Explicit representation of the Cornish minority on decision making bodies, to be approved by the Cornish minority;
• Advice and support networks specifically targeted for Cornish people;
• Adoption of a new housing policy;
• Identify and fill gaps in Cornwall’s health and social provision;
• 50 per cent of Cornwall’s population can speak some Cornish and are informed of Cornwall’s heritage and culture;
• Explicit representation of the Cornish minority on diversity committees.

Membership of the Association shall be open to the following, irrespective of political party, nationality, religion or political opinion

The group’s new secretary, Matt Blewett from Four Lanes, acknowledged the group was supported by a wide range of people: unemployed and employed, able bodied and disabled, business people, academics and authors, tradespeople, parents, public service employees and many others.

He said: “The Cornish minority needs to be listened to, and this group seeks to support and promote our identity.”

The group has been formed following many months of informal discussions including on social media, and direct contact is maintained between steering group members.

The organisation’s Facebook page, The Cornish are a Nation, has nearly 4,500 followers, and a formal website is currently being designed.

Individual membership of the group has been set at £1 as a minimum, and KMTU can be contacted at: kernowmatterstoyou@gmail.com

Redruth, 1 November, 2015