Following St Guron's Way

When North Cornwall District Council needed a name for their new "Greenway" they turned to the person who had brought Christianity to mid Cornwall and whose preaching post became the focus for a new town. The young people of Bodmin College played a key role in the opening of St Guron's Way in Bodmin...

The Grand Opening of St Guron’s Way, Bodmin’s new off road trail, was marked in an official ceremony at Bawden Road, Bodmin on Thursday 6th April 2006. Father Graham Minors of St Petroc’s Church blessed the trail named after the Celtic missionary who first brought Christianity to Bodmin. St Guron’s well, where he is believed to have baptised his converts, still stands in the grounds of the Parish Church.(See picture below) Dignitaries from Cornwall County Council, North Cornwall District Council and the other bodies that have funded and delivered the project were led along the trail by several Bodmin College students beating a drum. They walked the length of the trail to a reception at the Dragon Leisure Centre.

Displayed along the trail are large banners carrying the artwork of students from Bodmin College. The class, under the direction of Art teacher, Mr Mark Talbot, worked in conjunction with a professional artist, and used a number of digital techniques to create the banners. Two are shown in the picture montage on the left.

During the afternoon Bodmin College took part in a number of activities which celebrated the trail and its connections to the Safer Routes to Schools and Healthy Schools initiatives. Fifteen hundred students took part in nearly thirty activities. Three hundred took part in a range of environmental activities led by the Humanities Faculty at the College, including a quiz hosted by BBC Radio Cornwall’s David White.  Fifty students engaged in a Healthy Catering workshop. Thirty played basketball, twenty badminton. Twenty did yoga and 25 took part in a dance workshop. Fifty students did a science and sport workshop. A further fifty students were engaged in orienteering around the College grounds.

Sixth former Matt Orton, a Sports Leader Award candidate, took a session of Tag Rugby. Ninety students were engaged in a workshop looking at IT and the environment. Fifty students used the mobile skate park that was set up in the College playground, while forty did a cycle proficiency and maintenance session assisted by Devon & Cornwall Police. With the College bathed in glorious sunshine, the Bodmin College Jazz Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Mr Adrian Evans, performed all afternoon creating a carnival atmosphere.

At the Dragon Leisure Centre students took part in gym, aerobics, netball, tennis, football, futsal, hockey and trampolining sessions. One hundred students took part in a sponsored walk along the length of the trail. They are pictured above setting off as the Jazz Orchestra play.

The College activities had been co-ordinated by Mr Roy Vannoey and Mrs Heather Jones, the College’s Healthy Schools representative. Addressing a meeting of staff at the end of the day, Mr Bob Mitchell, the Head Teacher of Bodmin College, declared the day a resounding success. He mentioned that the College First Aid team had reported to him that they had not had to deal with a single casualty, whereas in a normal afternoon they can be called on up to a dozen times. He said, “It has been good for the students to be involved at all sorts of levels with a community project like this. We are providing secure cycle storage facilities at the College, so our students will be able to gain the maximum benefit from the trail.”

The trail is already popular with students and staff who live on the western side of Bodmin. “It’s made my journey to school much quicker,” said Year 9 student Alex Long. “It’s quite flat, so it’s easy to cycle along it,” said Jed Hick also in Year 9. Teaching Assistant Jayne Parkyn said, "It goes through such beautiful countryside. You see the sheep in the field, the wild flowers by the trail side. It is such a beautiful way to walk to work in peace and solitude before the hussle of the day." Cllr Neil Burden, Chairman of North Cornwall District Council’s Regeneration Committee, said, “The opening of St Guron’s Way is certainly a testament to the commitment of all those involved in the partnership to making Bodmin a better place to live and work.”

Report and photos by Phil Hadley

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