Earlier this month, we hosted our annual awards evening which saw over 100 guests gather at Scorrier House to celebrate the achievements of those who quietly do so much to champion Cornwall’s heritage.
Every year, we recognise our Heritage Champion, an award which celebrates the achievements of an individual who has made a significant contribution to Cornwall’s heritage in a voluntary capacity. Nominations for this award are submitted by the public and, this year, they were so strong that the judging panel decided to also give a special award for an Outstanding Contribution.
This year’s winners were Colin French and Mary Ann Bloomfield. Huge congratulations to you both!
The event was hosted by Cornwall Heritage Trust’s President, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho KCVO OBE; the Trust’s Chairman, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Trant; and Daphne Skinnard from BBC Radio Cornwall.
The evening was a lovely occasion to gather and celebrate their hard work and dedication, as well as a full year of protecting Cornish heritage.
The event was sponsored by Coodes Solicitors. This is the third year running that the organisation has sponsored these awards and we’re hugely grateful for its continued support. Our thanks also go to Trevethan Gin and Navas Drinks for keeping our guests hydrated!
Colin French – Heritage Champion 2024
Colin was named the winner of the Sir Richard Trant Memorial Award for Heritage Champion Award 2024. The award was introduced in 2009 and is presented annually in memory of General Sir Richard Trant, past Chairman of Cornwall Heritage Trust.
Colin won the award for his work with the Trevithick Society. He has been an active volunteer and office holder at the organisation for the last forty years and has been a staunch supporter of its Puffing Devil replica engine since its inception in 1999.
Since it took to the road in 2001, Colin has been a member of the operating crew and sole organiser of the Puffing Devil’s numerous public appearances and engagements. He has given talks about the life and work of Trevithick, co-wrote a book about the building of the replica engine, is a frequent contributor to the society’s journals and has acted as its newsletter editor for the last 25 years.
He is the current custodian of the Puffing Devil, a responsibility that he took on in 2016. His duties in this role are wide and varied and include overseeing the maintenance of the engine, managing and recruiting its voluntary crew, organising its public appearances, and acting as liaison with Camborne Town Council regarding the engine’s eventual installation in the new Basset Centre, to name but a few.
According to those who nominated him, Colin passionately believes that the replica of the Puffing Devil is a showcase for Camborne and Cornwall which is the reason why he has been so heavily involved in the project since day one. Its publicity of Trevithick’s pioneering steam engineering achievements has given his name and Cornwall’s role in the Industrial Revolution their proper place in the history books.
Mary Ann Bloomfield – Outstanding Contribution Award 2024
Mary Ann was given this award for her work with the St Just Ordinalia and Lafrowda Festival, both of which she has been a driving force behind since their inception.
She was instrumental in starting St Just’s annual community arts festival, Lafrowda, in 1997 and coordinated its education programme, processions and performers for 11 years.
From 2000 – 2004, she was part of the team reinstating community productions of the Cornish Ordinalia Cycle in St Just’s historic theatre, the Plen an Gwari – one of only two surviving medieval ‘playing places’ in the UK. Since 2004, she proactively fundraised to construct a backstage facility for the theatre. In May 2014, The Knut (pronounced ‘nut’) officially opened its doors. Mary Ann manages the space, which has become a central hub for St Just’s culture and arts scene.
In September 2021, the Cornish Ordinalia plays were again performed in St Just – a landmark homecoming for Cornish culture which Mary Ann produced. The production saw the long-awaited return of four historic Cornish language play scripts – including The Cornish Ordinalia – to our soil for the first time in centuries, a wealth of community events and all three plays in the Ordinalia cycle performed in St Just. Audiences of nearly 6000 people heard the Cornish language being sung and spoken, as they witnessed this amazing piece of Medieval theatre being brought to life.
Mary Ann is now spearheading the production’s transformation into an ongoing community tradition, with its next return to St Just planned for 2026.
Those who nominated her said that Mary Ann embodies the best of us. She has shown an extraordinary lifelong commitment to her local community and gives her heart and soul to everything she does. They firmly believe there should be a statue of her in St Just one day.
