Last Saturday, there was the traditional parade and celebrations in Camborne to mark Trevithick Day. There was a a good turnout this year. The weather held up for most of the day. Unfortunately, rain came in for the final dance and the parade of steam engines, but Camborne didn't let that dampen their spirits and thousands turned out to celebrate the achievements of one of Camborne’s favourite sons.
This year marked forty years since the first Trevithick Day. Trevor and Val Daly were some of the founding members of the event. They wanted something that could allow Camborne to celebrate its successes and gain confidence after the loss of Holmans and the decline of the tin mining industry on which Camborne and Redruth were built. Back in 2010, when I was first elected to Parliament, I made Richard Trevithick the focus of my maiden speech. I found a wonderful statement from him saying that, although he had been criticised for trying new principles and was left in severe financial hardship as a result of his pioneering endeavours, he knew in his own heart that he had brought forward new ideas that would be of boundless value to his country. For many years, Trevithick's achievements were not really recognised which makes it all the more important we celebrate them now even if we can’t do so in person.
At the end of last year, the Chair of Network Rail, Lord Hendy, wrote to me to let me know of the organisation's plans to mark the bicentenary of the ‘first ever passenger train’. Lord Hendy explained his understanding that in 2025 it will mark 200 years since ‘George Stephenson’s ‘Locomotion No.1’ first pulled passengers between Stockton and Shildon, via Darlington’. However, this was not the first ever passenger train to run on the railway. The first ever train carrying passengers was in fact in 1804 at Penydarren Ironworks in Wales, when 70 employees of the ironworks were transported 9 miles by an engine designed by none other than Richard Trevithick. I wrote to the Chair of Network Rail at the time to explain his oversight and to request that, in the speech he delivered, he at the very least acknowledged the work of Trevithick. To his credit, he did just that citing Richard Trevithick’s achievements in his speech. It is important we all keep making the case on his behalf!
As a pioneer, Richard Trevithick invented the steam locomotive in Camborne, and like many pioneers, he never actually made any money from his idea of building an engine, but the rest of the country did, and the world has benefited from that invention and everything that followed it. Whilst towns like Camborne and Redruth experienced some decline after the closure of the tin mines and Holmans, new industries and technologies are beginning to establish themselves in our communities which offers the prospect of higher-paid employment in the future.
Since I was elected, I have made clear that economic regeneration in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle was my number one priority. We must always celebrate our past but we must also use our fabulous industrial history as a catalyst to foster confidence in our abilities to deliver in the future. Today, Cornwall is at the forefront of new green technologies such as geothermal energy and offshore wind and tin mining looks set to make a return with the dewatering of South Crofty now underway. We also have a successful new computer software industry clustered around Pool which continues to grow and many other world beating businesses. So, while there is always more to be done, we must use events like Trevithick Day to generate confidence and pride in our community.
