Article by Cllr Dick Cole published in the Cornish Guardian (24th December 2025) and West Briton newspapers (24th December 2025)

It is often estimated that some six million people around the world have Cornish ancestry. Emigration has certainly been a key narrative in the history of Cornwall and its people, and I am sure that the experience of my own family matches that of many others to the west of the Tamar.

For example, three of my great-grandparents spent time in the United States of America, before returning home. In the early 1910s, Dick Cole worked in the Homestake Mine in South Dakota. It was the largest gold mine in the world and he was there alongside a large number of Cornishmen, including his brother-in-law Norman Yelland. Also, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Reuben Kent and his wife Janie Kessell, spent many years in Butte, Montana, where they had a range of commercial interests.

Many other relatives emigrated and did not come back to Cornwall – choosing to stay in North America, Australasia or South Africa. Another of my great-grandparents was Mary Tregilgas. She was one of five siblings and stayed in Cornwall, but all four of her brothers sailed to new lives in Australia and New Zealand.

The Cornish diaspora is certainly an interesting historical phenomenon, and I find it fascinating to read about the success of Cornish people overseas. But it could be so much more than that.

I am particularly pleased that a new initiative called Global Cornish – Kernewek Ollvysel in Cornish – was recently launched at an event at the House of Commons. The project acknowledges that “Cornwall has always inspired a deep connection to place – one that reaches far beyond its borders,” and it is planning to build a network to “harness the strength of the Cornish diaspora and turn it into meaningful partnerships that drive economic opportunity, cultural exchange, and shared prosperity – both at home and abroad.”

Our fellow Celtic nations of Ireland and Scotland have benefitted greatly from international links with their diasporas, and I sincerely hope that Global Cornish will succeed in its aim of building a “collaborative worldwide community of leaders, influencers and innovators committed to Cornwall’s future.”

Further information about the initiative can be found at www.globalcornish.com.

https://mebyonkernow.org/news/global-cornish-kernewek-ollvysel/