Millennium, Medallions and Monuments

St Cleer Parish Projects Group was set up originally as a subcommittee of the parish council to organise the celebrations of the new millennium. It included, as well as parish councillors, members of the WI and the wider community.

We decided, in view of the area's mining history, that a medallion of Cornish tin would be an ideal commemorative item to give to the children of the parish. The two primary schools at St Cleer and Darite were asked to produce designs for the two sides of the medallion. One chose to depict Trethevy Quoit and the other a Celtic cross with the Cornish Chough. The designs were turned into rubber moulds, and we were lent a centrifugal casting machine by Mr Pascoe, who ran a business making pewter jewellery. We actually smelted some of the tin ourselves, using concentrated ore from Geavor mine, and bought a further supply of tin salvaged from the wreck of the Cheerfulness, which was carrying tin for export when it was wrecked. We cast 500 medallions one Sunday and these were sent away to be polished. The medallions together with a numbered certificate of authenticity were put into suedette pouches embossed with our logo for presentation to all children under 17 and the names of the recipients recorded in a hand written into a book which had been hand bound locally

Millennium Calendars

To raise money for this project we produced a millennium calendar with views of the local area. The group obtained an interest-free loan of £1500 to pay for the printing. This was repaid on 7 February 2000 from the profits on the sales of the calendars. The proceeds also provided the £1000 required to produce the medallions

Awards for All Grant

A grant of £882 was given to enable the group to run various events.

Art and Craft Safari Designed to foster community spirit and showcase local talent and organisations: this took place on 10th and 11th of June 2000 in St Cleer Church and the holes in Darite andCommonmoor. Displays of local art, crafts and memorabilia were on display, there was also a tin smelting demonstration in the car park at St Cleer. Funding £458.

Boundary Walk Covering 28 miles, some over rough moorland, the walk was arranged over three stages on the 17th and 24 September and 1 October 2000. They were named 1. A Beast of a Walk (across Bodmin Moor). 2. The Fowey Stretch (following the course of the river) and 3. Caradon and the Mines (across Caradon Hill). All who completed the full distance received a certificate. Funding £70.

Millennium Map An initiative launched by Rev Jones of St Cleer Church it was embroidered by many people of the area in small pieces and stitched onto backing by the ladies of that group. With the decorative border showing scenes of life in the parish the 8' x 7' map is now on display in St Cleer Church. Funding £354.

Trethevy Green Enhancement - Key Fund Grant £10,300

Also supported by grants of £1000 from Caradon District Council and £200 from Cornwall Heritage Trust. Residents at Trethevy had experienced difficulties for many years due to visitors to Trethevy Quoit blocking the area, and the Green had been used as a tip and was something of an eyesore. The then owner of Trethevy Manor donated the land at the green and funding was obtained to clear and enhance the grassy area, to provide five parking bays and erect interpretive panels and parish visitor information boards. The Gardening Club provided a bench for the green and the area was handed over to the parish council for the benefit of local people.

Under the terms of the Constitution the group was disbanded on 29th of June 2001, but the group felt that as they had achieved so much they would like to continue, so they reformed into the St Cleer Parish Projects Group with the sole aim of helping with any future projects within the parish.

The Group has continued to work for the community with major projects to restore the Dissenters Cemetery and Chapel (2005-6) and Tremarcoombe Pipewell and Toyz Pond (2011) as well as installing seating in the Horizon Playground. You can see more about all these projects by using the Our Projects pages