No St George in Cornwall thanks George Wimpey !

The following has been sent to me by a friend in Scotland:

 
NO ST GEORGE'S FLAG ON WIMPEY'S CORNISH SITES!

A recent decision by Wimpey Homes Plc to send a press release out
to all regional newspapers in England (including those in Cornwall)
to advertise that it was supporting and promoting St George's Day
this year by flying the flag of St George from all its sites, has
left Wimpey with egg on it face!

In what was initially greeted as yet another attempt to force English
patriotism and imperialism on Cornwall has surprisingly turned out
to be a PR oversight and the company has written to Cornish campaigner
Phillipa Mills apologising for any offence caused. In addition the
housing developers, who are one of the largest housebuilders in the
UK and have a number of sites in Cornwall, have promised to "withdraw
the press release" and to issue another one containing an apologising."

An email sent by Mills to the Customer Services Dept at Wimpey Head
Office regarding the proposed St Georges Day promotion was passed
to Janine Davey for attention. Davey said that it was "certainly not
the intention" of Wimpey Homes to cause offence. The letter sent by
Mills and the response she received from Davey can be found below:

"FAO Mr P Johnson & Mr John Robinson

Dear Sirs,

With regard to the proposed promotion of St George on 23rd April 2008
by Wimpey Homes staff:

I do hope that you will not be promoting the English St George in
Kernow (Cornwall) on this day for obvious reasons:

1 Cornwall's Patron Saint is St Piran, NOT St George; If
the English wish to observe their saint day privately, that is a matter
of personal choice, but it is treated not as civic occasion in Cornwall,
a Celtic Duchy.

2 It could possibly contravene the EU charter, ratified and
accepted by the British Government in 2002, that the Cornish Language
is acknowledged and promoted, and its Culture identity (Celtic and
non-English)be acknowledged.

3 You are contravening your own corporate guidelines

"Wimpey are committed to responsible corporate behaviour"; simply
by not showing respect for the Indigenous community in which you are
building and making a profit from.

I would be grateful of a response on this issue.

Yours sincerely

Philippa Mills"

"Janine Davey
Associate Sales & Marketing Director
George Wimpey Exeter
A Taylor Wimpey Company
Suite 1 Second Floor
Osprey House
Osprey Road
Exeter
EX2 7WN

(T) 01392 440670
(F) 01392 440680

Janine.davey@...

Dear Ms Mills

Your e mail sent to our Customer Services Dept at Head Office regarding
the proposed St Georges Day promotion has been passed to me for attention.

I apologise if this has caused any offence, it was certainly not our
intention.

The press release regarding the St Georges Day promotion was sent
out by our PR agency to all regional newspapers without consideration
of any local issues such as the ones you have highlighted.

I have asked our PR company to withdraw the press release and to issue
another one apologising for any offence we might have caused.

Yours sincerely

Janine Davey
Associate Sales & Marketing Director"

More from a website to be found at:

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