Mebyon Kernow celebrates the 75th anniversary

Mebyon Kernow members and supporters are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of Mebyon Kernow at the Oates Temperance Hotel in Redruth, which took place on 6th January 1951.
Thirteen people were present at the meeting and a further six sent apologies. The first leader of MK was a woman, Helena Charles, who also became the first MK member to serve as a councillor, when she was elected onto Camborne-Redruth Urban District Council in 1953.
Four of MK’s founder-members, who were also leading lights in the Cornish cultural and language revival, went on to become Grand Bards of Gorsedh Kernow – Ernest George Retallack Hooper (known as Talek), George Pawley White, Richard Garfield Jenkin and Ann Trevenen (later Jenkin) – while another, the respected coppersmith Francis Cargeeg, became a Deputy Grand Bard. Another prominent individual at that first meeting was Charles Thomas, the renowned archaeologist, who became the first director of the Institute of Cornish Studies.
In a statement issued today, Party leader Cllr Dick Cole said: 
“Looking back over the last seven-and-a-half decades, I am extremely proud of how MK members have been a persistent force for good. Our activists have been at the forefront of so many initiatives and campaigns – looking to make a positive difference for Cornish society and for Cornwall’s culture, identity, economy and environment.
“As the present leader of MK, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been a member of the Party for Cornwall and has contributed to our efforts from 1951 right through until now.
“MK has sought to place Cornish nationhood at the very heart of Cornish politics, and the key element of our work has been to campaign for a meaningful devolution settlement, similar to what has been achieved in Scotland and Wales.
“We remain proud that we launched the Declaration for a Cornish Assembly in 2000, which was supported by over 50,000 people, and we have often reached outside of the normally partisan nature of politics and attempted to secure cross-party backing for more powers for Cornwall.
“We continue to push for proper devolution, based on our detailed policy document ‘Towards a Parliament for Cornwall.’
“I am particularly proud that MK members, along with others from across the wider Cornish movement, have worked hard to do the ‘groundwork’ that has led to some recent positive developments, such as the recognition of the Cornish as a national minority in 2014 and councillors on the unitary authority coming together in support of ‘fifth nation’ status for Cornwall, plus Ministers recently ruling out the imposition of a Devonwall Mayoral Strategic Authority.
“But there is so much more to do. 
“The UK Government is still failing to treat Cornwall as one of the nations of the United Kingdom, so our campaigns for meaningful devolution, fair funding, social justice, housing justice and economic justice, and so much more, will continue.” 
Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall will marking MK’s 75th anniversary in a number of ways during 2026. This will include a celebratory event and party for members in June, plus a large Autumn Conference with international guest speakers.  
Background information on the history of Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall
• Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall (MK) was founded on Saturday 6th January 1951 at the Oates Temperance Hotel in Redruth. The new organisation had an extremely strong focus on Cornish identity and culture, but it was also openly political. By September 1951, the Party had officially committed itself to further Cornwall’s “right to self-government in domestic affairs in a Federated United Kingdom.”
• In its early days, the organisation operated as a pressure group and members of other political parties could also be members of MK. 
• In the 1960s, Mebyon Kernow was at the forefront of numerous initiatives. These included campaigns for a Cornish University, a Cornish Industrial Board or Development Agency; support for traditional Cornish industries; as well as opposition to railway closures and opposition to the amalgamation of the Cornwall and Devonshire police forces. 
• In 1965 Mebyon Kernow put forward official local election candidates for the first time and, in 1967, Colin Murley won MK’s first seat on Cornwall County Council at St Day and Lanner.
• In the 1970s, Mebyon Kernow became a fully-fledged political party, with members of other political groupings no longer able to hold dual membership. During this decade, MK fought parliamentary seats for the first time and, in 1979, Richard Jenkin secured over 10,000 votes in the first election to the European Parliament.
• It was also in the early 1970s that MK led a series of campaigns to protect the territorial integrity of Cornwall, which included opposing the creation of a Tamarside authority in 1971 and the South West Economic Planning Council economic region. MK also presented important evidence to the Crowther (later Kilbrandon) Commission on devolution. Later in the decade, in 1978 and 1979, MK held its own rallies at Penzance and Falmouth in support of the Cornish fishing industry.
• In the 1980s, many MK activists channelled their enthusiasms into a range of single issue campaigns and pressure groups. They organised protest rallies and demonstrations about the rise in employment, and were instrumental in the formation of the Cornwall Anti-Nuclear Alliance, which campaigned against the proposed nuclear power station at Luxulyan, and a pressure group against the over-development of Cornwall. Members also took a prominent role in the fight against the poll tax.
• In the 1990s, MK activists were among the first people to call for Cornwall to be disaggregated from Devon to secure millions of pounds through Objective One funding.
• In the 1990s, MK adopted a more expansive approach to electoral politics. It subsequently put forward candidates in the 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2019 General Elections. Over the last three decades or so, more than 160 people have contested elections as official Mebyon Kernow candidates, 17 members have served on principal authorities and over 90 have served on town and parish councils. 
• Mebyon Kernow has consistently pushed for meaningful devolution for Cornwall and, on St Piran’s Day 2000, Mebyon Kernow launched a “Declaration for a Cornish Assembly” which was supported by over 50,000 people. It’s present proposals are included in the policy document “Towards a Parliament for Cornwall.”
• MK was also to the forefront of opposition to the centralisation of local government, which was forced on Cornwall in 2009. 
• In recent years, MK members have played key roles in campaigns relating to Cornish nationhood. In particular, this has included putting pressure on politicians and public bodies to meet their obligations to the Cornish as a “national minority” in terms of funding for language and culture, education, broadcasting and public life, and the protection of the territorial integrity of Cornwall.  
• In addition to making the case for devolution, Mebyon Kernow is also campaigning for fair funding for Cornwall and to protect public services, it is opposing further changes to the Government’s already unsustainable planning system while supporting efforts to safeguard Cornwall’s environment, and so much more.
• Through the last 75 years, MK has had ten leaders: 
- Helena Charles (1951-1956)
- Cecil Beer (1957-1960)
- Robert Dunstone (1960-1968)
- Leonard Truran (1968-1973)
- Richard Jenkin (1973-1983)
- Julyan Drew (1983-1985)
- Pedyr Prior (1985-1986)
- Loveday Carlyon (1986-1989)
- Loveday Jenkin (1990-1997)
- Dick Cole (1997-present day)