In what has been a unique and challenging year to say the least, I am chuffed as a mole to say that Altarnun Parish Council has managed to operate unhindered which reflects the marvellous commitment off the councillors to ensure our community has the stewardship that it deserves. I have particularly enjoyed the open and inclusive atmosphere which has encouraged participation from everyone who has attended our meetings, the outcomes of which I hope will prove to be for the benefit of all parishioners.

We were extremely fortunate to welcome two new councillors off great calibre this year, Carl Green and Lauren Coles whose contributions to date have been greatly appreciated and I hope that hey remain a part of the team for many years to come.

Our longstanding commitments to improve facilities within the parish saw the Riverside toilet block and the Mill Green phone box library come to fruition. Unfortunately, the opening of both was delayed by Covid but I am sure that these will prove to be significant community assets for years to come.

The Community Infrastructure Levy scheme has started to deliver funds into our bank account which will allow us to consider similar schemes for the continuous improvement of the parish. Once again, the challenge will be to identify the right scheme in the right place to maximise the resource and deliver something that is worthwhile. We would very much welcome constructive suggestions for such schemes for consideration, bearing in mind there is only a five-year time scale in which to spend the money.

During my frequent travels around the parish I am well aware that the community pulls together constructively and generally feel able to flag up any concerns in the knowledge that their voice will be heard, and those concerns acted upon.

The chair and committee of Altarnun Village Hall are proposing a community event later this year to reenergise clubs, societies, and organisations in the parish after Covid. The parish council will be proud to be part of the initiative and will be very much open to working with local groups to nurture, help and support their aims and goals and seeing them being able to grow again and perhaps deliver a report to next year’s parish meeting, which offers a platform for these groups to publish their achievements and foster enthusiasm for the future.

In our role as consultee for local planning applications, we have generally been supportive of the schemes that have been tabled this year but were acutely analytical off the potential impact they may have on our rural environment and have commented accordingly. The greater percentage were supported but of course, sadly, not all were approved by the planning authority.

Following the local council elections I am delighted to congratulate Adrian Parsons on his re-election as a Ward Councillor. Adrian has done a wonderful job over the last four years and we look forward to more of the same. He not only supports our meetings by his attendance but does a lot of work on our behalf behind the scenes.

Also, huge thanks go to all our suppliers that have helped us over the last 12 months, especially Shaw Welding for the new cemetery gates, My Parish Council for our fantastic website, Cornwall Association of Local Councils for their invaluable guidance and administrative support, Anthony James for his work at Bolventor and most of all to Paul Smart for putting in so much time & effort to the upkeep of Altarnun, Five Lanes, Trewint and our impressive parish Cemetery.

At the end of 2021-22 I hope to be able to report more successful burrowing’s!

Cllr Craig Dowler Chair - Altarnun Parish Council

Many congratulations to Kristina and the team at Altarnun Primary School on achieving an OFSTED rating 'Good' after their inspection in March 2020.  Please view the report that they are so proud of here: https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50151756