Many amazing people have been nominated to get a Cross of St Piran this year for their contributions within the Diocese of Truro.

In this series we will be speaking to some of those who have received the award.

Michael Rowe, from St Austell, has been nominated for his contributions to Saint Austell parish church.

 

Described as a ‘servant-hearted leader’ Michael Rowe has received the Cross of St Piran 2026 for his contributions to Saint Austell parish church.

The 74-year-old has been willing to take on a multitude of volunteer roles throughout his life to support those in his community.Michael and his dog

He has been part of the St Austell church for more than 50 years and has volunteered to serve in children and youth work, leading holiday clubs and youth camps and been a Parochial Church Council (PCC) member.  He has also worked as a churchwarden and served on the deanery and diocesan synod.

Michael, who was born in Redruth, grew up in St Austell and attended a Methodist chapel with his family when he was a child.

He says: “It wasn’t until my mid-teens that I changed to attend the Church of England. It was because I had friends who went to a group there.

“St Austell parish means a lot to me because of the people there. The church has enabled me to have a deeper understanding of my faith.”

When he was younger, Michael attended Scouts and this opened the door to taking on his first leadership role.

He says: “I became a Scout leader, which seemed a very natural move for me.

“Then as an adult in the church, I also felt it right to help there too.

“Leadership is part of me.”

It seemed he always happened to be in the right place at the right time when leadership roles appeared. When a curate was looking for someone to take charge of a church holiday club, he stepped forward and ended up running it for several years until others offered help.

He was also there when CPAS pathfinder venture camp leaders were looking to move on. He was doing all these voluntary roles whilst working full time at the China Clay company.

Michael says: “I am 74 now and can’t do the same things I did when I was 40.  Thinking about all the things I did, I realise I spun many plates and kept them spinning.”

His full-time job also saw him travelling to parts of Europe twice a year.

Years later he became a trustee of the for the Kilimatinde Trust, which saw him regularly travelling to Tanzania.  The Trust works to support good health care, education and help those in poverty. Trustees also act as facilitators to help medical students from the UK go and work in the hospitals in Tanzania.

Michael says: “We support schools and hospitals and assist medics. We also raise funds to provide equipment.”

He is also chairperson for Friends of Empowering the Future, a charity offering education and training to farmers and young people in Tanzania. It has funded research so farmers can lift themselves out of subsistence living.

In the citation written for Michael’s nomination for a Cross of St Piran, it reads: “His heart for the church, to be a missional community made up of disciples of Jesus, has shone through all of his contributions to ministry.”

Michael says he was not expecting to be put forward for the awards.

“I think I was in shock when I heard about the nomination,” he says. “I was quite humbled by it.

“I showed the citation to my wife and she said, ‘I heard they wanted to do something’.”

His daughter also knew about the upcoming awards.

Michael said: “They did a very good job of keeping it secret.”