Fears have been raised that Cornwall’s voice could be lost if plans to create a Great South West “powerhouse” are swallowed into a wider programme. Cornwall is part of a plan to create the Great South West which would aim to mimic other regional projects to attract inward investment and boost business opportunities. The Great South West would include three Local Enterprise Partnerships, seven county and unitary authorities and six universities working with businesses across the region which would stretch from the Isles of Scilly in the west to Bournemouth in the east and Taunton in the north. However Mark Duddridge, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP, said he was concerned about Government plans for the south west.
Mk Local Election Candidates In 2003 (Image: Mebyon Kernow - free to use) It was 70 years ago that a small group of people gathered in a Cornish hotel to form a new political party to campaign for greater self-government for Cornwall. On that day Mebyon Kernow (MK) was born and over the last seven decades the party has continued to fight for Cornwall and its people. Dick Cole, leader of MK and figurehead of the party for more than 30 years, said that the party grew from a renewed interest in Cornish culture which has continued to this day. “It is fair to say that there was a renaissance of Cornish culture and identity in the early 20th century. In the 1920s the Old Cornish Society and Gorsedh were set up and there were groups like Tyr ha Tavas being set up.