College visits Penrose

Over 10 days in fair weather and foul,year 8 students from Helston Community College have been coming to Penrose to discover how the woodlands are managed.

Actually, the day starts 1000 years ago, with an insight into the way the Anglo Saxons used trees in their everyday life.  Along their journey from that time to this, under the falling Autumn leaves they have discovered the different attitudies of the Saxons to the "salwe",the"dark" tree they mistrusted and of the Cornish to the "heligan", the "singing tree". They are both names for the Willow of course.

But then everything about the has been to do with looking afresh at the familier. A dead pine tree? Wait till you hear the storey of David Douglas who discovered it, or come up against a native Amercan "Anayupt?", or how he met Ned Gurney, that bull catahing ex convict.  Woodchip? Well you need to know how to fell the tree first, and what better then a demonstration by myself and Steve, the Penrose Wardens who still use the language of 1000 years ago.

Nearly 300 students have come over the past 10 days as a joint English/Drama venture. They will use it to create their own work, and prehaps have learnt how the National Trust is reducing its carbon footprint at Penrose, by joining the techiques of the past with mondern technology

So if you want to know anything about woodland, year 8 at Helston College are the experts.

We would like to thank Pippa Reynard From Helston College for her help in organising the days and Mark Haradon [captain of the West] for his fantastic storey telling skills.

                                                                                                                                      David