One of our members, Stephen Chidgey, has long been something of a role model for Cornish tourism, having been a regular winner in the Cornwall, Southwest and Visit England awards since 2014. His self catering cottage The Old Barn in Tregonetha, boasts a range of eco features that include a ground source heat pump, solar panels, rainwater harvesting and electric charging points.

As someone who believes wholeheartedly in a sustainable, ethical approach that provides customers with an outstanding value-for-money service, he has now gone one step further. Stephen has long been a supporter of Cornwall Air Ambulance – a vital community charity that helps visitors as well as residents when they get into difficulty. He has now introduced the opportunity for visitors to The Old Barn to make donations that will help this life-saving local charity. Not only that, Stephen has also pledged to match guest contributions from his own pocket!

To read more about the charity and Stephen’s support for it, click here https://bit.ly/30K4gwJ

During these difficult times, I am proud to say that our Members are behaving in an exemplary manner when it comes to either returning deposits or allowing guests to re-book without any hassle.

The multi award-winning owner of a self-catering property in Tregonetha, near Padstow, has been praised for his ‘kindness and care’ in immediately returning a booking deposit to guests having to cancel a stay this autumn.

Stephen Chidgey prides himself on always going the extra mile for his visitors and is incensed by what he terms the ‘profiteering in the extreme’ mentality exhibited by some tourism providers. He says that exceptional demand has led to a 40% increase in the weekly self-catering prices being charged by some businesses, regardless of quality, facilities or cleanliness.

“The growth and ease of offering almost any accommodation through online travel agencies worries me,” he said. “The number of people choosing to holiday in Cornwall this year is huge for obvious reasons, but I don’t think that should be an excuse for some property owners and agencies to lower standards, hike costs and not give value for money.

“That sort of attitude will damage the Cornish brand that most of us in the industry have worked so hard to build. Most of us have had a difficult year dealing with Covid and I think it’s only right to do what we can to help, rather than being selfish.”

Writing on Trust Pilot, Anne Woods gave The Old Barn its latest five-star review: “Unfortunately for personal reasons we have had to cancel our planned first visit to this property in the autumn. I let Stephen know, fully expecting that we would lose our deposit. Instead, I almost immediately received a very kind and supportive voicemail message followed by an email reassuring me that of course our money would be without question immediately refunded, which it was.

“We have both been so impressed with this amazing customer service. It is common to read of people being refused refunds or having significant charges deducted, but there was none of this at all. I think it’s the kindness and care demonstrated at a difficult time for us that has made the most difference. We most definitely hope to rebook in the future and cannot recommend this property and its owners too highly.”

The Old Barn is independently inspected and graded by Visit England and Quality Tourism.

“We’re determined to be the best we can be and the satisfaction we get from our guest reviews is immense,” said Stephen. “I think there should be a level playing field for all holiday accommodation in terms of assessment so, when a customer books and pays for five-star, that is what they can rightfully expect.

“I was delighted to read what Anne had written but, as providers, we should be treating everyone fairly and well. We want a stay in Cornwall to evoke wonderful memories and a determination to come back regularly. That won’t be achieved if we show lack of understanding when plans have to change, provide shoddy service or rip people off.”

For more information, visit https://www.oldbarncornwall.co.uk/

We are very happy to announce the re-opening of Padstow Tourist Information Centre!

We will be opening our office doors on Monday 12th April at 10:00am.

Our friendly staff will be ready and waiting to help locals and visitors alike.

Please pop in for information on bus times, ferry times and other local information.

As usual we will be fully stocked with walking maps, greeting cards, local products and gift items.

We look forward to seeing you and wishing everyone a great summer!

Happy St. Piran’s Day!

March 5th is celebrated in Cornwall as St Piran’s Day. He is the patron saint of Cornwall and tin miners but what else do we know about him?

He was born in Ireland, in the 5th Century, where, after studying in Rome, he was made a Bishop. Legend says that he performed many miracles but this sadly offended the Kings of Ireland who had him flung into the sea with a millstone around his neck!

Miraculously, he floated across the water to Cornwall where he landed on what is now called Perranporth Beach and it was here that he built a chapel.

It was St Piran who supposedly discovered tin when a black stone on his fire leaked out a white liquid! It was this that gave us the Cornish Flag, the Flag of St Piran-a white cross on a black background, which represents white tin flowing out of the black granite rock, or good overcoming evil.

St Piran is said to have lived for 200 years but was fond of a drink and finally met his death by falling down a well!

As a thank you for raising money for Padstow Lifeboat, Jules from Maintenance and Sophie from Reception were kindly invited to visit Padstow Lifeboat Station and given an exclusive tour of the lifeboat; The Spirit of Padstow.

You can park at the National Trust carpark at Trevose Head and walk to the Lifeboat Station. You can also access the Lifeboat Station by walking along the stunning South West Coast Path which you can join in Padstow or any of the beautiful Seven Bays.

The State of the Art Padstow Lifeboat Station is set in a small secluded bay and accessed via 101 steps down the steep cliff! The spectacular views are well worth the climb and you may spot some local wildlife; we spotted a Cormorant playing in the waves and if you are lucky you may spot a seal in the Bay.

There is a lot to explore inside. Learn about the history of Padstow Lifeboat and its brave crew through displays of photographs and stories of rescues and lives saved. You can learn about the different lifeboats in service; from the stations first motor steam lifeboat commissioned in 1899 to the current Tamar class lifeboat. There are friendly and informative volunteers and crew members who are more than happy to answer any questions and tell you more about this vital service.

There is a great area for little lifeboat enthusiasts to dress up and learn about saving lives at sea. Dogs are also welcome. There is a great selection of souvenirs to purchase with all proceeds going to support this charity that relies purely on the generosity of its supporters and volunteers.

Visitors are unable to go on to the lifeboat as she has to be ready to launch as soon as a request for help is received. However, visitors are welcome to watch the exciting training launch on Wednesdays at 6 pm.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Padstow Lifeboat Station, especially watching the lifeboat launch from the outside viewing balcony. We highly recommend a visit to Padstow Lifeboat Station as each visit supports this vital service.

The brand new Padstow Tourist Information Centre was officially opened today by the Mayor of Padstow, Mr Richard Higman and the Harbour Master, Bryn Phillips.

We are now located at The Mariner’s Clock Building on the South Quay, a more prominent position and the first point of call when approaching Padstow harbour.

Please come in and take a look around!

As well as tourist information, we stock a wide range of greetings cards, local produce, books on local history and merchandise featuring some of the best locations around Padstow.

There is something for everyone!

They areTurnstones!

The Ruddy Turnstone (or to give it its latin name – Arenaria interpres!) is slightly larger than a dunlin and can be quite chunky in shape. The colouring varies through the year and between sexes, but is always a mixture of white, black, brown and brick-red. The short, stout bill is used, as the name would suggest, to turn stones, so the species is found on rocky shores but also on harbour walls. The birds are generally quite tame and approachable and are regularly seen both here in Padstow, and in St Ives.

Christmas festival contributes £5-million to Padstow’s economy

Padstow’s annual Christmas Festival generates around £5-million for the local economy, according to new figures released this week.

The four-day event, which is held during the first week in December, attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the harbourside town, and has become one of the largest of its kind in the country. It was conceived from a collective desire to make Padstow a year-round tourist destination and give a much-needed out-of-season boost to its towns, shops and cafés.

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, estimated that the not-for-profit festival generates around £5-m for Padstow’s economy at what would otherwise be a quiet time of year.

“The holy grail of Cornish tourism is for both day and, most importantly, staying visitors to come to our region in low season, and to contribute to our economy and support jobs through their spending,” he said.

“That is why I have been not only pleased, but delighted, with the success of Padstow Christmas Festival. I am so very grateful to the team behind the event: you are all stars of Cornish tourism.”

As well as cooking demonstrations by a Who’s Who of top chefs, including Rick Stein, Nathan Outlaw, and Paul Ainsworth, the festival plays host to more than 100 food, drink and craft producers from across Devon and Cornwall.

Several local businesses report bumper takings during the festival, often outstripping what they earn during the height of the summer season.

“We launched our business at the 2016 Christmas festival, and the visitor profile was exactly the audience we were looking to reach, ” said Daniel Laughton, who owns the Padstow Coffee Company.

“We took on shop premises last April and more than doubled our turnover that weekend compared to our launch event. We had our most successful weekend of the year.

“It’s good to see the town nice and busy during a period when other towns become ghost towns.”

Restaurateur Henk de Villiers Ferreira, who runs Trevisker’s Kitchen and Dining on the outskirts of the town, believes the festival is an essential out-of-season event.

“Padstow Christmas Festival is massive for us. It gives us the bump we need to get through the winter,” he said.

“It’s such a boon for the economy of the town; we’re getting August takings in just four days in December.”

The festival, which celebrates its 11th birthday this year, attracted local, regional, and national media coverage last year, reaching almost 21-million people.

“The event itself generates a lot of media attention for the town and businesses, and it really helps pull people to the area when it has backing from the likes of Rick Stein, Paul Ainsworth, and other celebrities,” said Laura Perry, from Ann’s Cottage, which has two shops in the town.

“It is really impressive with how far it has come and really does put Padstow on the map in one of our quietest times of the year.”

Barefoot Media, the Cornwall-based company responsible for promoting the event, has netted a total of five industry awards for its work with the festival.

This year’s Padstow Christmas Festival runs from 6th – 9th December.