Happy St Piran’s Day!

The 5th of March is regarded as Cornwall’s national day. It’s marked by parades and dances through the streets of a number of towns in Cornwall.

Forgive me if you’re reading this in Devon or elsewhere, but as a Cornishman I couldn’t let the day pass without celebrating.

When I was presenting BBC Spotlight I would sneak a Cornish flag into the studio on St Piran’s Day and hide it under the desk. Then, in the closing wide shot at the end of the programme, I would wave it proudly.

It was probably not really allowed. There were strict rules for presenters about wearing or showing symbols, except the poppy, which we were invited to wear on screen for the annual act of remembrance.

I would often be sent small badges or lapel pins from various charities asking me if I would wear them on TV to show my support. But I had to politely say no so as not to show favouritism.

Luckily my bosses always overlooked my little act of rebellion with the Cornish flag. They knew I was proud of my Cornish roots and they also knew that the audience appreciated it, well those watching to the West of the River Tamar did anyway.

We always covered some of the St Piran’s Day celebrations and I seem to remember one year I was dispatched to Looe to learn how to crimp a pasty.

I never got the hang of it and a few years later we invited another pasty maker into the studio to give me a refresher course live on air, much to the amusement of our viewers.

Needless to say I hadn’t improved. But in true Blue Peter fashion, the pasty maker brought in one she had made earlier, which I was able to enjoy when I got home.

It’s wonderful to see how the celebrations for St Piran’s Day have grown over the last couple of decades. I am certain it is marked in more communities now compared to when I was growing up in Truro in the 1970s.

It is one of Cornwall’s strengths. It has managed to maintain a very strong identity and remain connected to its ancient heritage.

I have been intrigued to see how the Cornish language has enjoyed something of a revival in the last few years. In fact one of my lifelong friends is at the forefront of efforts to teach it to youngsters and adults.

Amazingly he has never tried to get me to learn it. I have never been any good at languages, much to my regret, so he probably realises it would be a lost cause.

I may not speak the ancient language, but I will always feel very lucky to have been born in Cornwall and to have been able to continue to call it home.

I love the sense of community, its traditions, its spirit and its music; there’s nothing quite like a rousing rendition of Trelawny to get the hairs on the back on my neck standing on end.

I also love the Cornish sense of humour. My grandmother, who spent all her life in and around Redruth, had a wicked sense of humour coupled with a Cornish dialect. She would have me in tears of laughter with the comments she came out with.

I was reminded of her the other day when I heard a recording of the late Cornish comedian, Mrs Rosewarne telling one of her stories. Look her up online if you’ve never heard of her. I guarantee she’ll have you roaring with laughter.

I am sure people in other parts of the country have a similar sense of pride in their local area. I worked for many years with someone who is from Scotland and although he’s lived in England for decades, he’s never lost his loyalty to his homeland.

But, I would venture to say that the strength of pride we have in Cornwall is as strong, if not stronger than almost anywhere else.

It is helped that Cornwall is a peninsula; we feel slightly cut off from the rest of the country. That said I am not one of those who believes we’re a separate nation.

That might have been the case historically, but I am living in the here and now and I don’t mind that Cornwall is regarded as a county of England. I think we are still rebellious enough to maintain a Cornish identity and be part of England as well.

On top of all that heritage and identity we are blessed with some of the best coast and countryside anywhere in the UK.

We also have some incredible food and drink, much of it produced locally. And don’t forget our rich mining heritage and the valuable minerals from copper and tin to China Clay and Lithium.

Don’t tell any of this to Donald Trump. He will be adding Cornwall to the list of places he wants to claim as an American state!

So, on this St Piran’s Day as I watch the increasing turmoil around the world, I am counting my blessings that I can call Cornwall home.

Now, to celebrate I think I might treat myself to a pasty, although I will leave the crimping to the experts.

See you dreckly!