19.05.03
 His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall has praised the Objective
One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for acting as a catalyst
to bring lasting economic and social change to the region.
The
Prince was speaking at an Objective One showcase event in Cornwall
on 7th May where he was shown examples of Objective One investment
in local food and drink, sustainable tourism and the creative industries.
Speaking to an invited audience of more than 100 guests,
the Prince said: "Sixteen years ago at a conference in Newquay,
I outlined what I thought were the challenges Cornwall needed to meet
to improve the economic and social prospects for everyone in the years
ahead. I have been enormously impressed today by the progress made with
these challenges, particularly by advances in promoting Cornish grown
and processed food and drink. I am also delighted to see food producers
focusing on adding value to their products and, crucially, Objective
One funds are providing financial support to enable them to do so."
The Prince was also impressed by the way in which Objective
One investment was helping to find new uses for some of Cornwall's
historic industrial buildings. He also highlighted new developments in
Cornwall, and said the proposed St Austell Urban Village, on which work
starts this month, was a good example of a return to the human values
in architecture being promoted by the Prince's Foundation for the
Built Environment, which has advised on the project.
He then turned to the Combined Universities in Cornwall
project, which is the single largest Objective One project in Cornwall
and Scilly. The Prince said: "The Combined Universities in Cornwall
is, I believe, the most significant development in the county at present.
The CUC will have a fundamental role in equipping people with the skills
that they and businesses need to thrive.
"I could not be more pleased that Cornish students
will increasingly be able to continue their higher education in the county,
rather than, as happened in the past, elsewhere. In itself, this will
keep wealth here and provide more opportunities for local businesses."
The Prince concluded by returning to the themes of his
1987 speech: "To return briefly to 1987, I argued that Cornwall
required a major catalyst to bring all interested parties together to
create a common determination to improve the economic and social prospects
for everyone in the years ahead. I believe that Objective One is that
catalyst, and I suspect partnerships have been forged that were unimaginable
then.
"But Cornwall cannot afford to rest on its laurels,
Objective One presents a finite window of opportunity, with no certainty
at this stage that further funding will be available after 2006. I sincerely
hope that it will be available, so that you can finish the job you have
started.
"However, whatever happens, it is imperative to
the success of Cornwall's continuing evolution that whatever you
do now must be both balanced and to have the highest standard and be
designed to last, because, as our legacy to our children, it will have
a lasting social and economic impact for years to come."
Speaking after the Truro College event, which was
held on Wednesday, Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership,
said: "The Prince took a close interest in the range of projects
in which Objective One has invested and was clearly impressed by the
advances we have seen in Cornwall and Scilly in just a few short years.
He was particularly interested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall
and we will be keeping him informed of significant developments as
they happen."
Editor's notes:
Jason Clark
Communications Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Tel: 01872 241379
Fax: 01872 241388
jason@dclark.co.uk
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