30th June 2019. The team of volunteers at NCI Penzance Station joined the fun at the Golowan Quay Side this weekend.

Penzance’s Golowan Festival, known simply as ‘Golowan’ to participants, attracts thousands of visitors to its colourful and vibrant week of celebration. The celebration of midsummer – the Feast of St. John – with bonfires, flaming tar barrels and burning torches was widespread in Cornwall until the late 19th century and Penzance was one of the last towns to lose this tradition in the 1890s. Golowan features artists, performers and celebrations of all kinds including Penglaz, Serpent Dances, The Quay Fair, the demonic democracy of the Mock Mayor elections and Summer Fire. The festival also includes seaborne visitors to Sea, Sail and Quay Fair Day, plus thousands hit the streets during Mazey Day.

 The team from NCI Penzance were in a prime position, next to our colleagues from the RNLI, and the two groups worked well together. The stall proved very popular with hundreds of visitors keen to learn about the NCI and what we do. There was also great interest shown in our 25th anniversary celebrations. However, the biggest attraction on the NCI stall was the ‘Name the Bear’ contest where visitors could, for a small fee, give the bear a name.

 The photograph shows NCI Penzance Station Manager Dave Stevens and his team in the Wharfeside Centre with the, as yet, unnamed bear!