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“What do the Fisherman’s Friends, Will Keating, and the CEO of the Scarlet Hotel have in common“, asks CHAOS Radio’s Alex Duff.
They all supported ‘Hope for Cornwall’, an uplifting event recently held at the Hall for Cornwall to showcase a collaborative approach to solve Cornwall’s housing crisis.
Ten extraordinary acts, spanning the spectrum of Cornish talent, came together for the evening to demonstrate the beauty of what’s possible when those across Cornwall’s communities work together.
Uniting for Change: A Community Response
“The only way the world has ever changed is by individuals coming together and deciding that enough is enough,” says Emma Stratton, CEO of the Scarlet and Bedruthan hotels.
This realisation hit home for Emma during lockdown, when her teammates started recounting how they were having to sofa surf, rent caravans, or move back in with parents.
“Some of these people were in their 40s and their housing situation wasn’t just temporary,” Emma explains. “The stress caused to them by home insecurity was heartbreaking.”
Spurred into action, Emma helped to establish ‘Homes for Cornwall’- a politically neutral, volunteer driven mission to reverse the lack of affordable housing within Cornwall and combat Cornwall’s housing crisis.
Foundations of Crisis: Unlocking Solutions
Sam Galsworthy, of the Trewithen Estate and a key organiser of the Homes for Cornwall movement, says: “This problem has been around for more than 80 years. We believe there are changes to the system that we can make, innovations we can deliver to unlock this. Everything is interconnected. It’s interdependent. When you talk to anyone about housing here, they’ve been affected. How can we have a thriving economy without people feeling safe and secure at home?”
Inspiring Action: The Power of Hope and Heritage
And it’s the potential loss of Cornwall’s rich heritage, the wellbeing of its people, and the future prosperity of its communities that inspired the ‘Hope for Cornwall’ event to raise awareness and galvanise support for the movement.
“We want to show the joy that is in Cornwall because that’s a prize worth working towards,” says Emma.
“We could have organised a conference [and] paralysed people with statistics,” adds Sam, “but we did something different because that’s exactly what the housing issue needs. It needs a different approach.
“So, we organised ‘Hope for Cornwall’ and we were pushing against an open door. Our headline act, The Fisherman’s Friends, were an instant yes but we had some extraordinary people playing.”
Rhys’ Story: From Street Homeless to Stage
One of those was Rhys Wynn-Jones, an extraordinary young pianist who left the nearly 1,000-strong audience visibly moved, not only by his performance but by his personal story.
“I’m homeless,” Rhys shared. “I’m not on the streets anymore. I’ve been rescued by a charity called St Petrocs, who work to end homelessness in Cornwall. I’m lucky enough to have a room through them so I’ve got a roof over my head until I can find a home. Trying to go from there to getting a home is almost an impossible challenge.”
Rhys’ escape is music, encompassing all genres and he certainly can play. His talent was discovered while he was still street homeless, when he visited a night church in Penzance and asked if they had a piano. They did, and he played. Unbeknown to Rhys, someone was deeply moved by his performance. They filmed it and posted the video online, which quickly went viral.
This exposure led Rhys to share his story on the Hall for Cornwall stage and perform a mix of ‘technically classically demanding’ pieces on their baby grand piano.
Asked by CHAOS Radio why he wanted to support the event, he said: “This is one of my dream venues to play. I never thought I’d be playing Hall for Cornwall.”
He added: “Being homeless is very different when you are in it than what you see when you are out of it. When you are homeless, people assume you are struggling with addiction and that is the case for a lot of homeless people but not for everyone.
“There are some trying so hard to work themselves out of their situation, so they can have a better quality of life. I hope by doing what I’m doing, I show not all homeless people are bad. You get good and bad in every walk of life. I’m one of those homeless people who is trying to be a good person.”
A Vision of Hope: For Cornwall’s Homes, People, & Communities
Punctuating Rhys’ performance and those of the other remarkable artists who supported the evening, Homes for Cornwall shared positive updates about their progress. They explained how collective will, together with a different approach – one based on inspiring hope, not fear – may be the key to unlocking Cornwall’s housing crisis.
“Because without hope, what have we got?” Galsworthy rhetorically asks. “Bombarding people with fear has been done, and it hasn’t worked. Maybe this will. It’s not going to happen overnight but I think we’ve got the patience of people who are swelling our movement. Let’s see.”
Join the Movement: Be Part of the Change
If you are local, have been directly or indirectly impacted by Cornwall’s housing crisis, and want to become part of the movement to bring about a solution for Cornwall, by Cornwall, then ‘Homes for Cornwall’ wants to hear from you. And you don’t have to be in housing or construction to get involved and volunteer.
• This movement needs people who can do admin, marketing, finance, as well as those who
are planners, architects, or engineers.
• Homes for Cornwall would love to talk with landowners willing to have a zero-commitment
conversation about donating an acre of land.
• And they want those who can help start a conversation about housing in their community
and what their community’s needs might look like in 20-30 years’ time.
“All we want to do is support communities in Cornwall,” concludes Emma, “but to do it, we need to
win the hearts and minds of Cornwall because we are going to need everybody for this.”
For more information or to sign up to lend your support to the Homes for Cornwall movement, visit:
https://www.homesforcornwall.org/
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