10.05.07
Workshops talk about Cornish history

Oral history is a powerful way of linking the past and the present, and a public workshop on Saturday 26 May will pass on tricks of the trade. Experts from the University of Exeter at the Institute of Cornish Studies, Tremough Campus, Penryn will be looking at the importance of recording memories, and giving tips on interview technique. The wealth of material in the Cornish Audio Visual Archive, which holds more than 500 recordings of Cornish people's life stories and recollections, will be used in this session. Students from Truro College will be attending this workshop to use it as an introduction to an Oral History module run at Foundation degree level.

This session is part of a series of public Saturday workshops offering an alternative taste of Cornish culture. The family and Cornish history will be studied on 23 June, with the importance of family photographs and stories alongside conventional use of written and statistical data in genealogical research. The series ends with stories of haunted Cornwall on 21 July. Tales of witches, wild beasts and haunted houses will be linked with wider historical issues, including the legend of King Arthur and even tourism.

Each workshop costs £15 or £10 for concessions, or all five days can be booked for £60 or £40 for concessions. Workshops run from 10am to 4pm. Telephone 01209 891035 for more information.

Dr Shelley Trower from the Institute of Cornish Studies says: "These Saturday sessions offer a different angle on Cornish history and will be fascinating for enthusiasts or those completely new to these subjects. We are pleased to open these up to the public, who will have a thought provoking and enjoyable day, meet like minded people, and enjoy the student experience on our Cornwall Campus."

The £100 million Tremough Campus is a Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative of which the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are two of the founding partners. It has received investment from the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council. Set in 70 acres of countryside, but close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the campus offers a lively student community. The University of Exeter now offers degrees in Biology, Cornish Studies, English, Geology, Geography, History, Law, Mining Engineering, Politics and Renewable Energy on its Tremough Campus, which has expanded rapidly as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative.

For further information please contact Sarah Hoyle, Press Officer, University of Exeter on 01392 262062 or email s.hoyle@exeter.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). The University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are partners of the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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