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REGIONAL FACTFILE
Page 47
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CORNISH ECONOMY
• Drive a few miles into Cornwall and it won't be long before you'll see the distinctive Cornish flag. It features a white cross on a black background. "The black in the flag represents rock, and the white lines are the veins of tin which run through it," explains Dennis Oates, transport manager at St Ives-based Dennis Oates Si, Son.
The area's relative remoteness and peninsula geography which thrusts into the Atlantic seem to set it apart from a typical English county. Cornwall also has its own language. In 1999 (the most up-to-date figures available)1,000 people spoke Cornish as their first language, with another 2,000 speaking the language fluently.
All these factors set Cornwall apart, although officially it enjoys the same status as any other English county. Economically, it is classed as a European Union Objective 1 Status region. This effectively means that its gross domestic product is less than 75% of the European average. The average hourly income in the county is £7.89, compared with the 110.42 English average.
The EU has allocated over 2300m towards regenerating Cornwall, which is to be spent between now and 2006.
The last Cornish tin mine has closed, although quarrying is still big business. Manufacturing has never existed on a major scale in the county, although boats are built in Falmouth. Fishing is not on the scale it once was, but this industry is still significant to the Cornish economy.
Cornish cream and cheese—some of the fare most readily associated with the county—are made here. And, of course, there are the Cornish pasties. The European Union has awarded grants to pasty factories so this snack sector's future definitely appears secure.
• Details about how to apply for Ell Objective 1 grants, loans and other business support are available at www.objectiveone.com