Hundreds of people in Penzance came together on Friday, December 13 to sing Happy Birthday to a statue.

Celebrating the life of the town’s most famous inventor, Sir Humphry Davy, an atmospheric lantern parade swept through the streets in his honour.

Organised by Penzance BID and supported by Penzance Council, the Humphry Davy Lantern Parade takes place every year on the Friday closest to his birthday. Since it began in 2021, the event continues to grow in popularity, with more schools than ever taking part this year.

Born in Penzance on December 17, 1778, Humphry Davy apprenticed to an apothecary-surgeon before moving to Bristol to study science when he was 19 years-old, then becoming a lecturer in chemistry at the Royal Institution.

The sea of lanterns paraded to his statue reflect Sir Humphry Davy’s most famous invention - the Davy safety lamp - which did not ignite with flammable gases often found in mines, thus saving the lives of countless miners.  However, Davy was celebrated long before his safety lamp, investigating the effects of nitrous oxide and developing new methods of electrolysis to isolate the elements potassium, sodium, calcium, strontium, barium and magnesium.

Starting at St John’s Hall in Penzance, the lantern parade made its way through town before gathering around the Humphry Davy statue and singing Happy Birthday. This year, handmade lanterns were brought to the parade by pupils from Alverton School, Gulval School, Mousehole School, Nancealverne School, Madron Daniel C of E School, St Mary’s C of E School, St Mary’s Catholic School and, fittingly, Humphry Davy School.

Addressing the crowd gathered at the statue, Cornish Bard and Humphry Davy expert Paul Tyreman spoke about “two things that I think made a great contribution to all of those achievements we know so much about – curiosity and luck.

“Earlier in Humphry’s life he experienced the kind of luck that we can learn to notice in advance and do something about. He met two people, one a famous scientist of the time, the other the son of a famous inventor, who both knew Doctor Beddoes of the Pneumatic Institute in Bristol, and this provided the chance for young Davy to make a much greater name for himself than he could as the apprentice to an apothecary in Penzance. He took this opportunity and made the most of it, resulting in all those famous discoveries and inventions we know about.

“The very young Humphry was interested in nearly everything. He would learn from people who knew more, and find out even more by becoming a pioneer of the way we do science now, and doing experiments to test his ideas.

“There’s no doubt that this curiosity about the whole world around him was a major factor in Davy’s success. I recommend it to all the young people here, and know from experience that it will make you more likely to achieve what you want, but maybe more importantly to be able to enjoy what you do in life even if the luck doesn’t come your way and you don’t achieve the exact dream you have now. Be curious, be lucky and be smart enough to spot when good luck comes your way.”

Led by the Raffidy Dumitz Band, the parade then continued down Chapel Street where there was dancing from Pensans Morris. At the forefront of the celebrations, Mayor of Penzance Stephen Reynolds commented: “It’s wonderful to see this event bigger and brighter than ever, with so many more schools involved this year. Penzance’s most famous son, Sir Humphry Davy, continues to be an inspiration for these young people, who may one day have their own statues surrounded by proud residents singing Happy Birthday in their honour.”