Cornwall – ‘cool’ or just cold?

sent to me by a dear friend

Cornwall – ‘cool’ or just cold?

I first met Julie* at a little coffee group in our nearby Cornish seaside village. The group had been set up by local volunteers to help those who had suffered with mental health problems and allowed for valuable social inter-action over a coffee. As with so many other activities in the Duchy, the group exists despite the statutory agencies and not because of them.

The village itself is like so many along the Cornish coast, full of tourist shops selling the usual brightly coloured bric-a brac, mainly imported from China and cafes and pubs dispensing a wide variety of fast food and ‘proper Cornish’ ales.  It is busy in the summer with a vibrant and prosperous air about it but in the winter, its true face can be seen, revealing poverty and social problems which would be more commonly associated with an urban environment.

Julie had been a medical professional until a ‘nervous breakdown’ which she had suffered in her late forties. It was then a downward spiral into poverty and disorder bringing about a decline in her physical health. She was a gifted and sensitive soul and had enjoyed writing short stories and poetry.  However, her living conditions were truly appalling. She was in receipt of unemployment benefit and had secured the use of a garage adjoining a local house situated in a local housing estate. In this garage with her mattress on the floor, no working toilet and terrible damp problems so common in Cornwall, she lead a simple existence, dressing as best as she could and constantly battling with asthma. Having lost the will to stand up for herself in dealing with a bureaucratic system, she was not even in receipt of proper medical care or her full allowances.

Her problems had been flagged to the local church and other well intentioned volunteers but had been brushed to one side as being too great to resolve.

I could not even compare Julie and her plight with the Cornwall projected by the local authorities, those in the tourist industry and even some politicians. The gulf between the shiny and publicly funded Eden Project, the Tate Modern at St. Ives and £1 million homes and celebrity chefs and poor Julie might as well be as broad as the Atlantic Ocean.

Her landlord, if he could be called as much, was in the business of taking as much money as possible from her and his accommodation was neither registered nor recognised, as if it ever could be! I should not be overly critical of him though; he needed every penny and is certainly not alone in supplying sub-standard services to the vulnerable in our communities in the absence of properly resourced public services which had been partially or fully privatised during the Thatcher years – damn that woman!

My wife and I were outraged at a society which could proclaim wealth and prosperity in our homeland but allow the likes of Julie’s plight and between us all, we agreed to do our very best to assist her in every way possible. After many weeks of confidence building, we properly registered her at the local Doctor’s Surgery. Following a suggestion we made, Julie managed to secure a letter from her doctor stating that her poor health was as a direct result of her living conditions. I then contacted the Housing Office in Truro and eventually, a Housing Officer visited Julie’s ‘home’. Of course, he immediately condemned it but carefully explained that there was absolutely no other accommodation available anywhere and that this was likely to remain the case for at least the next 18 months. With her health declining further, I eventually persuaded Julie to accompany me into Truro making it clear that she must trust me to be her advocate. We called at the Housing Department of the local authority and following the erection of the usual administrative barricades, informed the staff there that we would not leave their office until a resolution had been found. Eventually, a set of forms appeared and we were asked to leave. I refused and the forms were filled out in the reception of the office and a copy of the Doctor’s letter attached. I also wrote on the forms that we would take the matter to our local M.P. and to the press.

About two weeks later, Julie was offered accommodation in a local guest house and her friends arranged to store her possessions until more permanent arrangements could be made. For the first time, Julie was well enough to sign forms to claim her proper allowances and was soon moved to a refuge for battered women, this being the only viable alternative to an expensive guest house.

A month or so later, a local authority one bed roomed flatlet became available and we were all extremely pleased to see Julie regain her pride and to start building a little home for herself. Her health improving, she is able to lead a more normal life and started to creatively write once more.

I wish I could say Julie is a lone case in Cornwall. I cannot. There are many, many more just like her, often further complicated with alcohol and drug abuse. People sleep rough on the streets of our towns and villages, often turning to crime as a means to exist. Meanwhile, those in authority continue to pin their hopes on the Tourist Industry with its poorly paid and transient jobs and glossy images whilst doffing their caps to a distant and uncaring Westminster Government. Superficial solutions are applied to deep-seated problems and little attempt made to address to underlying issues.

It is my belief and I know that I am not alone, that cases such as Julie’s will continue until their problems are seen by those who can act in an executive fashion to right them, by those who hold real power and not just answer to those who wield real authority 300 miles distant.

Until that time, Cornwall cannot be ‘cool’ but just downright cold.