The full list of 2019’s Cross of St Piran recipients has been released by the Bishop’s Office.

This year 18 people will be recognised during two services at St Piran’s Church in Perranzabuloe on March 3, 2019. As in previous years, there will be two services on the day lead by the Bishop of Truro, the Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen and the Bishop of St Germans, the Rt Revd Chris Goldsmith. This year will be the first year Bishop Philip has presented the crosses.

Each year deaneries are asked to nominate individuals who have gone above and beyond in their service to their church and/or community. This year there was an increased emphasis on those working in the areas of environment, young people, growth and mission as well as long service.

There will be a selection of recipients’ stories on our website in the lead up to the services.

2019 Recipients’ List Citations

Gail Brace
Gail’s love and care for everyone with whom she comes in contact is something to experience and see. Gail works tirelessly for ecumenism, and either chairs or has chaired the Churches Together group in Bude. Widely respected, she is also a Deanery representative on Deanery synod, and chairs the Deanery Spirituality group, as well as the Deanery Book club. Although she worships widely in the benefice, Gail’s allegiance is to St Michael’s, Bude primarily. If Gail is not at any service, she is either ill or away! On the PCC, she is in charge of the Fabric and building of the church, which includes electrics, heating and maintenance of the building. She is constantly in touch with the various workmen who come to deal with the endless problems or additions needed. In charge of the kitchen, – a massive job with weekly catering for and after services and events. She is also in charge of church cleaning. When the words “in charge” are used, it means that despite recruiting the “troops” Gail herself does the major part of this work. She also is on duty to lock and unlock the church. Gail’s care of people is unique. She visits tirelessly, always showing gentle care to every person she encounters. If anyone has a problem, Gail is there for them. In short, Gail’s life, an intensely full and fascinating one, is given to Christ in action. Loved by everyone, she is quite simply a sensational example to each one of us.

Alan Cook
Alan is a proud but humble man and would be shocked to know he was being nominated for this award. He has gone above and beyond his call of duty. Alan has been a member of Mullion Church for many years and churchwarden for the last ten years, nine of which he was the only churchwarden. He attends all the services at Mullion and has been a great help to the Revd Shane Griffiths over the past ten years and is a faithful disciple of Christ in all his duties. He has been instrumental in recruiting new members to the bell ringing team and he considers it of paramount importance to be as welcoming to visitors as possible and is generally the first to extol the virtues of being a member of Mullion Church. Alan’s love, commitment and energy to church life and to the wider communities of Mullion and Mawgan is remarkable.

John Evans
John is not only a faithful and enthusiastic member of the parish of Maker with Rame but is also a very visible presence within the whole community. Everyone knows who John is and where John lives. He is a member of numerous community projects and is always the first person to be called upon when help is needed, no matter what it involves or what time of day or night it is required. He is a very pro-active Church Warden and will cheerfully volunteer to do anything including that which others do not want to do. As a Lay Pastoral Minister he leads worship, visits those who are sick or lonely, he administers home communion, he organises, supports and takes charge of the church’s charity events, coffee mornings and fetes. He also raises money for other organisations by doing sponsored bike rides himself and encouraging others to join him. John has been a member of the First Responder team on the Rame Peninsula which involves being ‘on call’ at all hours of the day and night. In this respect he has attended to the physical needs, as well as the spiritual needs of the local and surrounding communities with due diligence.

Tegan Holden
Tegan’s full story will be on the diocesan website in the lead up to the services on March 3.

David Hughes
David has been worshipping in St Andrews for some 30 years. He has been a member of the choir for most of that period. He became Crucifer some 10 years ago. A member of the PCC, at about this time David was persuaded to become a Church Warden to support Ron Seed and served as Lay Chair during the inter-regnum. He became Chairman of the Village Clock Committee when Cornwall Council decided it would no longer maintain the Tywardreath clock. David has been a Parish Councillor in total for over 20 years. David was a trustee of Tywardreath Village Hall, where he is a church representative and a Trustee of Fourways Youth Centre, which provides vital professional support for disadvantaged young people in our area. He served one term as Restormel District Councillor and two terms as a Cornwall Councillor, being a member of the Planning Committees of both and of their Standards Committee. He is also a director of Par Tract Ltd, a Community Interest Company.

Vera Sandercock
Vera’s full story will be on the diocesan website in the lead up to the services on March 3.

Doreen Sullivan
Doreen has been a key member of the bell ringing team at St Anta for over 20 years. She has supported her husband, the tower captain organising peals, ringing for weddings and services and arranging visiting bell ringers to peal. Doreen has worked with young people and children organising and running Holiday Clubs. She was a leading light in the Pathfinders group, initiated the first Messy Church, is now a team leader, and helps with Open the Book at St Uny School. She helped to raise money for the restoration of the church clock and for many years Doreen and her husband have been responsible for cleaning St Anta Church considering it a privilege to serve God in this way.

Tim Turner
Tim has been a faithful, dedicated and significant member of the community of Lanlivery for almost fifty years. In that time, he has been largely responsible for the development, enhancement and overall improvement of both the community in general and the Church in particular. He has given significant commitment to improve the general well-being and condition of the fabric of St Brevita through countless hours of selfless service, sheer hard labour and dedicated effort to the Development Project 2000. Tim has also been at the forefront of the endeavours to improve both fabric and educational facilities of the local primary school for the sixty school children who attend. He has been an influential and committed governor and remains a lifelong supporter of education in remote and rural areas. Tim also continues to offer invaluable spiritual support to the Lostwithiel benefice and Lanlivery parish to which he belongs. Although now in eighties, Tim continues to provide pastoral support and encouragement to the sick, bereaved and isolated members of his community. Tim is a true gentleman of rare and admirable quality.

Sara Bennett
Sara’s full story will be on the diocesan website in the lead up to the services on March 3.

Ann Boorman
Ann’s full story will be on the diocesan website in the lead up to the services on March 3.

Marjorie Finch
Marjorie spent a lot of her time caring for the Revd Canon Julia Wilkinson, the Rector of St Merryn and St Issey with St Petroc Minor, who sadly died in 2015. Her care for Julia was incredible, she was with her every day, taking her to all her appointments and was with her at the end of her life. Marjorie has been nominated for not only her church work but for all her work and help around the village of St Issey as well. Marjorie set up the local village allotments and she is the founder and chairman of the monthly gardening club at Little Petherick. She is a School Governor and helped to set up the school gardening club. She is a retired manager of the Homecare Services and still helps lots of the older people in the village with health problems and she is always the first call when folk need help. She regularly takes people to hospital appointments.

Maureen Hartley
Maureen embodies what it means to be a disciple of Christ. She has given her life in serving Christ, reaching out to peoples of all nations, making disciples in some dangerous and challenging environments. As a wife of a priest she has been foundational in supporting and enabling the mission of the church whilst working and raising two adopted children.
She has dedicated many years to the Diocese. She was PCC secretary at All Saints Falmouth and St Paul’s Chacewater, has been Treasurer and PCC Secretary and at present Churchwarden and Sacristan. During periods of transition Maureen kept “the show on the road” at St. Paul’s and was also significant during those formative years of the Eight Saints Cluster. She assists with the Occasional offices and Sunday services and through this work has built up relationships with children and families within the local community. Whilst on verger duties she has welcomed many of them back into the church.

Tony Hocking – Bishop’s Award
Tony’s full story will be on the diocesan website in the lead up to the services on March 3.

Esme Page
Esme’s full story will be on the diocesan website in the lead up to the services on March 3.

Robin and Margaret (Mard) Selwood
Robin and Mard’s full story will be on the diocesan website in the lead up to the services on March 3.