Latest news with #Kernewek
The Guardian
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘The language is part of my life': Gwenno shares songs in Cornish to inspire new generation
The Mercury prize-nominated Cornish/Welsh singer Gwenno Saunders has said that Cornish should be more widely taught to children in the far south-west of Britain to protect the language and preserve local culture. Gwenno spoke after visiting a school in the fishing village of Mevagissey on the south coast of Cornwall before a performance at the nearby Lost Gardens of Heligan. Year 5 pupils at Mevagissey community primary school joined her in singing. She covered an eclectic range of subjects, from the importance and vitality of Kernewek (Cornish) to rebellions of the 15th and 16th centuries – and cheese. Gwenno, whose parents are a Cornish poet and Welsh language activist, sings in Cornish, Welsh and English. She said: 'The children in Mevagissey weren't that familiar with the language because they don't have access to it. I think it would be really useful for it to be on the curriculum. It's really nourishing for children to learn about local heritage and history in a language that is from the place where they live. 'It's so easy in a very globalised world to feel like everything's the same and there's only one way of doing things. Having local strains of history and language and accents gives you a sense of place and sense of community and creativity.' Gwenno was nominated for the Mercury prize in 2022 for her acclaimed third record, the Cornish-language Tresor. She is appearing at the Heligan Homecoming festival on Thursday 19 June as part of a lineup of artists, comedians and thinkers exploring the themes of home and belonging. She last performed a gig in Cornwall at the Minack theatre in 2023. Among the songs Gwenno performed for the children in Mevagissey was Den Heb Taves, meaning 'a tongueless man'. Gwenno said: 'It's about losing your language and how that contributes towards losing your grounding and your footing.' She also spoke to the children of the Cornish rebellion of 1497, partly a response to hardship caused by the raising of taxes by Henry VII to go to war, and the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549. 'Children love those sorts of really deep, dark, big ideas,' Gwenno said. 'I think that when you go into school and you're having a conversation it's really important to try and push it emotionally and intellectually. 'Often people think: 'Oh well, we've lost our language because it wasn't important or it was irrelevant' and actually, so often it's systematic and it's structural why a language dies or almost dies.' She said she wanted to convey to the children that Cornish was an integral part of her life. 'The language is something that's part of my life and part of my home life and I think if a language comes from that I think it has a real chance to thrive.' Cornwall council believes there are about 500 advanced Cornish speakers and 2,000 with basic levels of Cornish. It has designed a free initiative called Go Cornish for Primary Schools to promote the language and culture. It says Cornish culture is 'thriving' with more people getting involved with programmes and events celebrating Cornish food, heritage, sports and music. Gwenno also sang a rousing song with the Mevagissey children about cheese called Eus Keus? (Is There Cheese?). 'I thought we should probably lighten it. The thing about any language or culture is that you've got to find the absurd in it and the humour. It's really cathartic to shout about cheese. It was fun to do. I'll be singing that till I'm 90 if I'm still here.' The Heligan Homecoming festival takes place on selected dates between 13 and 22 June 13. For details go to
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Couple have same heart surgery within days - and five more local stories you missed this week
A couple who underwent the same life-saving heart surgery at the same hospital within the space of a few days feature in our best local stories of the week. Cheshire Live reported how Donald and Joan Curzon - who have been married for 56 years - are now recovering from their operations at their home near Winsford. Elsewhere, a former Miss Wales finalist has won a £6m house in the Omaze draw and German tourists travelled 700 miles to Scotland for a pie. You can read the full version of each of our selected articles through the links under each story – or read more top headlines from around the UK's regions on the Yahoo UK local news page. A married Cheshire couple of 56 years have hailed the "marvellous" care they received after both undergoing the same life-saving heart surgery within the space of a week. Donald and Joan Curzon both needed surgery for a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) after separately being referred to University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust's (UHNM) cardiology department. Donald, 86, and Joan, 77, are now recovering at their home in Meadow Bank, near Winsford, following their treatment at the Royal Stoke hospital earlier in the month. Read the full story from Cheshire Live A former finalist in Miss Wales who has never owned her own home has won a spectacular £6m home through the Omaze million pound house draw. Vicky Curtis-Cresswell, 38, had been living with her family until she won the property. Vicky is now the owner of a New England-style coastal property in Norfolk inspired by the architecture found in Cape Cod and the Hamptons in the United States. Her incredible new home is the most valuable property ever to be offered in a UK prize draw. Read the full story from Wales Online Two childhood sweethearts have been reunited after 85 years thanks to an old school photo. Jim Dougal and Betty Davidson used to walk to school together hand in hand in Eyemouth in the Scottish Borders in the 1930s. They lost touch after Jim's family moved away in about 1939, but his son Alistair's efforts to trace all the members of a class photo from 1936 brought them back together. Read the full story from the Daily Record The opportunity for Kernewek, the Cornish language, being taught in all schools in Cornwall took a step forward yesterday (Wednesday, March 26) when Anna Gelderd MP delivered a 'ten minute rule bill' in parliament calling for Cornish to have equal status to the other four Celtic languages of the UK. The MP, backed by Cornwall's five other MPs, would like to see children being able to learn Kernewek in all primary schools. She pointed out that Cornish is still not formally embedded in secondary or higher education. Read the full story from Cornwall Live A tourist travelled all the way from Berlin to West Lothian to try an award-winning speciality pie. Paul and Christine Boyle have enjoyed a surge in business after their kebab pie went viral for winning the "pie of pies" title at the 2025 British Pie Awards in Leicestershire. Now, a tourist from Germany embarked on a journey over 700 miles via Prague, Leicester and Newcastle, to Boghall Butchers in Bathgate. Michael Hunter travelled with a friend and is no stranger to kebab meat with over 1,000 shops in Berlin. Read the full story from Edinburgh Live Police swooped to help a lost swan outside a Coventry school just before home time on Tuesday afternoon (25 March). A few people picking up their little ones at Grange Hurst Primary on Anderton Road were in a bit of flap when they spotted the seemingly lost bird. But a police officer was on hand and the long arm, or should that be neck, of the law managed to save the day, by ushering the swan towards more familiar ground. Read the full story from Coventry Live
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
MPs asked in Commons to give Cornish same status as Welsh
An MP has called on the House of Commons to give the Cornish language Kernewek equal status to other Celtic MP for South East Cornwall Anna Gelderd delivered her bid to bring in a Cornish Language and Heritage bill in the Commons on Wednesday, which would give Kernewek the same protected status as Breton, Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Gelderd's Ten Minute Rule Bill, which allows MPs to make a case for a new bill, is backed by Cornwall's five other MPs and wants to see Kernewek taught in all local primary schools and used on road signs, place names and public told MPs a bill would help preserve the language and protect the cultural identity of Cornwall. The Cornish language was officially recognised as a regional language by the UK government in 2002 under part 2 of the European charter for regional or minority to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the bill would see it given part 3 status alongside the other Celtic Gelderd said her bill would strengthen the UK's commitment to linguistic diversity."A GCSE in Cornish once existed, but was discontinued in 1996," she added learning Cornish must be a "viable, accessible option" for people wanting to "engage with their cultural heritage".She told the Commons that beyond schools, there must be provision to provide lifelong learning opportunities. "At present, hundreds of people sign up for Kernewek classes each year, and universities such as Exeter and Cambridge have previously offered Kernewek courses," she said."If Welsh and Gaelic can be successfully integrated into higher education, why not Cornish?" Kernewek visibility 'crucial' Ms Gelderd said Cornish visibility in public life was crucial for the language to survive. "Currently, Cornish does not have official status in Cornwall, nor is there any legislative requirement for its promotion," she said. "However, Cornwall Council has worked hard since 2013 to implement a strategy promoting the language. "I want to see this work and local efforts strengthened by increasing the use of Cornish in road signs, place names and public services."She said supporting Cornish in public life was not about excluding English but about embracing bilingualism "as a strength".Supported by fellow Cornish MPs Jayne Kirkham, Noah Law, Perran Moon, Andrew George and Ben Maguire, Ms Gelderd's bill will be read a second time on 20 June.
