IN glorious sunshine, hundreds of schoolchildren danced through the streets of Penzance today (March 5) to mark St Piran’s Day.

Named after one of the patron saints of Cornwall, Saint Piran, the national day of Cornwall is always a highlight of the year for the town.

This year marked the 20th anniversary of St Piran in Penwith organising the event, which saw hundreds of children from local schools dancing the St Piran Furry through Penzance. As with previous years, St Piran in Penwith have been supported with grant funding from Penzance Council to help with costs of the popular event.

Setting off from the top of Causewayhead at 10.15am the procession danced through the town to Morrab Gardens, where everyone joined together in a rousing rendition of ‘Trelawny’.

Speaking to the large crowd of schoolchildren and spectators in the park, mayor of Penzance, Stephen Reynolds commented: “We’ve come here today to celebrate St Piran, but also, more importantly, to celebrate who we are, where we come from, where we are going, and this amazing place – Cornwall / Kernow – that we all call home.

“In a world where there is a lot of division, and anger, and noise, it’s really important that we all remember and cherish this moment we have spent here together in the gardens, in the sunshine, with the magnolias flowering. With the music, and the band, and the dancing. We must remember what it is like to have this spirit of togetherness, and have this feeling that we belong somewhere.”

From Morrab Gardens, the procession continued up Morrab Road to St John’s Hall where the schoolchildren were rewarded with a well-earned saffron bun.

St Piran in Penwith received £2,956 grant funding from Penzance Council to cover the costs of new town flags, as well as the rigging and de-rigging of the St Piran flags, public liability insurance, rent of St John’s Hall and saffron buns for all the children taking part, as well as other costs associated with the event.

Penzance Council provides grants to local community groups and charities who are working to benefit our residents and our Parish environment.