CERES is a small voluntary group, in membership with the Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum.   Its aim is to establish and maintain cultural heritage links between Cornwall and the wider Europe, and its name intertwines legacies from the dawn of Europe's history with those of a more recent Cornish past: Ceres the goddess of plenty with Ceres the ship, arguably the most famous of the far-searching trading vessels that once sailed out of Bude and a legend in her own right.   Think of us as Cornish explorers, seeking out European developments of interest to Cornwall and reporting on what we find.   Additionally our work provides opportunities to create a greater awareness of Cornwall and Cornish affairs, and these are taken.

The work has evolved from an initially informal interest in European current affairs, commencing in the early 1980s.   The interest found focus within the Conference of Cornwall sequence which - under the guidance of the late Paul Smales - extended for over ten years from 1982.   An aim of the Conference was to sponsor and promote initiatives of cultural and social value and,  accepting the significance of relevant developments in the wider Europe, it set up a European Secretariat to study these developments and report on them to the Conference.   The Secretariat remained a part of the Conference until sadly the sequence came to a premature end in the mid-1990s, and for several years thereafter went forward in association with CoBER [the Cornish Bureau for European Relations] before finally emerging in its own right as CERES.

In their respective areas of work CoBER and CERES complement each other, with no conflict of interest.   In the light of experience it was found best for the Secretariat to concentrate wholly on its tasks at establishment levels, and this it has done successfully.   Equally the previous association with CoBER was highly productive, with a working partnership that opened many European doors during the heady pioneering days of the 1980s and earlier 1990s.   The partnership produced the successful petition to the European Parliament of 1988 which drew attention to Cornwall's identity and cultural tradition; and the initial and ground-breaking visits to the European Parliament and Council of Europe in Strasbourg were arranged jointly.   It was on one of these visits that the late John Bolitho of CoBER made history by being the first to speak in Cornish within the European Parliament, at a formal session of the Intergroup on Minority Languages and Cultures.   John's achievement on that day must never be forgotten.

There have been many satisfying happenings across the years, with useful foundations being laid on which to build for the future.   It has to be noted that progress has not been without its problems, some of which remain.   Which said, work continues apace and there is much to do, with exciting times looming in the days ahead.   In later website contributions [with the permission of TGG, to whom CERES is deeply grateful for allowing us this space], past achievements and aspects of later work will be described.   A glossary of the often mysterious names and terms we use on a daily basis can be provided, should this be felt helpful.

Contact point: ceres.sec@freeuk.com