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By
Douglas Williams MBE
There
was a three-fold objective by Len Scott when he decided to launch the Newlyn Fish Festival. He aimed
to project the fishing industry, Newlyn's importance to it and to boost the image
and work of the Mission. Alongside these was the desire to raise funds
- but no one could be sure of that!
Today
Len is based at Brixham as Senior Superintendent, and though he cannot be at
Newlyn the memories will give him a quiet smile of hope and satisfaction.
He
had come to the Cornish port from Peterhead in the last 1980's and knew that
Supt. David Mann had been involved in running a successful event at Fraserburgh
in Scotland.
Len
did his homework and planning well in advance and few could fathom the scope of
the venture. He explained to the Harbour Commissioners what he wanted and was
given their blessing. So the first festival came to life in 1991 and has since
got in a major production.
How
did it all come about? The Mission
had played its customary full part following a shipping tragedy at Hell's Mouth
in March 1988. Through Captain Eric Kemp the insurance company was involved to
see if they could back the festival. "They gave £500 and promised a £2,000 debt
guarantee so if it did not prove successful we would loose no money" recalled
Len.
Once
established it has been an annual attraction for crowds of many thousand. Many
companies, national and local have given their support, the fishing industry
pulled its full weight and soon Trade Fare, a Craft Fair and a full programme
of entertainment gave it a breadth for all the family to enjoy. Plus a huge
fish display!
"At
first very few believed it would work. But I remember standing on the
Commissioners' office balcony and seeing some 8,000 - 9,000 people there, and
realising it was a major event ".
Len
Scott was a great character for publicity and marketing: he had that winning
and persuasive way and spread the word through newspapers, televisions and
radio. No one could resist. He went on Radio Cornwall and was asked "What are
you going to do when it rains?" As ever he had a disarming reply:" I work for a
good boss". And sure enough the sun shone through after a damp and cloudy start
to the early morning of that Bank Holiday Monday. It had been good weather ever
since (keep you finger crossed for today).
It
would be invidious and embarrassing to name just a few of the many volunteers
who have put in tremendous work to ‘launch' the Fish Festival and keep its
profile high. A large number of people put in an enormous amount of effort. Lord
St Levan and David Harris (a national Mission
committee member) were among the early ‘openers' and there was a special
welcome for Brian Tobin, the Canadian Fisheries Minister. It was a time of
mutual distrust of the activities of the Spanish fishing fleet and the great
‘Fly the Maple Leaf Flag' campaign began in Newlyn in 1995. You will see them
still on display around the port. The Canadian High Commissioner paid an
earlier visit to Newlyn, saw all the flags flying and remarked "In 36 years of
public service I have never seen anything like it ". His reception let to Mr
Tobin's acceptance of the initiation - and later a return trip.
"Fishermen
from many different ports, communities and even countries have become united
behind the common aims of preserving fish stock and maintaining their
livelihood" Len wrote in the 1996 programme. He added, and it rings true today,
that the festival ‘s aims is to allow "fishermen of Newlyn the opportunity to
show its industry off to the wider public who, perhaps, know little about
commercial fishing or its problems. "It also acts as a showcase for fishing
related companies and allied trades to display what is currently available for
the professional fisherman".
Actress
Jan Harvey arrived in a vintage car to open a show, coastguard Mike Collier had
a few firm comments to make, Padstow's Rick Stein came twice and keen festival
friend Justin Leigh was a popular representative of Radio Cornwall. Last year
the veteran skipper David Hopper did the honours.
Yet
most of it on that first festival day "was a blur" for Len who had so much
responsibility on his plate. Would he end up with ‘egg on his face' with people
saying "I told you so!". Far from it: the crowds were delighted and have
continued to be so. A big task has been "trying to come up with something new
each year and maintaining that enthusiasm with everyone".
Tens
of thousands of pounds have been raised, some £3,000 - £4,000 the first year
and increasing since then, but the public should also appreciated how much it
all costs to stage. And he knows that trying to raise these funds by other
ventures would not be an easy task.
The
continuing challenge is the amount of time, energy and dedication the festival
takes in preparation, from one year to the next, with hardly a break.
Len's
observation to the public remains true today: "There is much to do and much to
see".
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