Cross of St PiranOver half a century serving Truro Cathedral has led Peter Hewson to St Piran’s Church in Perranzabuloe to receive a Cross of St Piran Award.

Peter was nominated for his award by the Dean of Truro, the Very Revd Roger Bush who felt Peter’s efforts to encourage young people to participate in worship by serving, his work with the Friends of the Cathedral and his efforts to take the message of the cathedral out into the community deserved recognition.

Peter’s serving life began early. His father was the priest at St George’s Church in Truro, and Peter served while away at school in Taunton.

Both Peter and his brother maintained a link with the church after their father retired. Peter and his mother began worshipping at Truro Cathedral and Peter was soon serving before becoming Head Server in 1973. His brother is currently a churchwarden in Devon, although Peter says neither of them felt the calling to ordained ministry.

It’s nice to be able to do the visiting and I get a great deal of happiness from that and serving. I enjoy being part of the team doing that work from the cathedral.”

Having spent his working life as an accountant, Peter’s life took a different turn following a heart attack. “I retired early and that meant I had more time. It allowed me to do more at the cathedral and I take home communions. It’s nice to be able to do the visiting and I get a great deal of happiness from that and serving. I enjoy being part of the team doing that work from the cathedral.”

Peter has also enjoyed his time with the Friends of the Cathedral and for a time was the treasurer as well as being involved in organising the social events. “This has been good fun and has been a great point of fellowship.”

The cathedral is not the only place Peter serves. He is also active in the wider community as a member of the Patients’ Forum at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro and sees this as just as much a part of the pastoral work as the home communions.

“Following my heart attack, I became a member of a heart support group and through that was asked to take part in hospital visiting. I go to the Coronary Care Unit and I speak to patients and staff. It’s helpful for patients to have a personal perspective on it, what it’s like to have a defibrillator, for example.”

Despite all this and his work with a local care home assisting them with monthly reports for the Care Quality Commission, Peter still finds time for his hobbies of walking and gardening although he does admit the golf has taken a bit of a back seat.

Like so many Cross of St Piran recipients, Peter says the nomination has been ‘humbling’ and there to see him recognised for his service over more than 50 years will be his brother and friends from the cathedral.