MANY people dream of meeting up with family from far flung places around the country and, indeed, around the world. This dream became a reality for Sillifant descendants at the end of June at a family gathering in Launcells.

Over the past decade, several people with Sillifant ancestry have been working together to create comprehensive family trees back to the 16th century for those holding the Sillifant name.

Kirsty Gray from Reading, Berkshire registered the name with the Guild of One-Name Studies in 2002 and as such has collected a vast amount of information about the name on a worldwide basis.

This has brought her into contact with many individuals interested in the name, encouraging her to produce a journal called 'Simply Sillifant' three times a year, and now, to organise a family gathering.

Freda Hockin of Grimscott, Launcells, arranged for the event to take place at her local Parish Hall and over 40 Sillifant family members met, many for the first time. Beryl Young and her husband travelled from New Zealand for the event, having been involved with the research since the late 1990s.

There were some local history lectures from Shawn Dymond of The Holsworthy Museum and several talks about the Sillifant name, as well as tips on how to do family research and how to publish your findings.

Many guests brought along photographs, certificates and other family memorabilia to share with others and there was much discussion and exchange of information on the day. There were lots of positive comments on the event and many asked when the next one would take place!

A raffle was held at the end of the day with prizes including a three month subscription to FindMyPast.com, won by David Sillifant from Camborne and a six month subscription to Practical Family History, won by David Cann from Bude.

If anyone was unable to attend the event but is interested in the name, Kirsty Gray has a wealth of information regarding the Sillifant heritage and would be delighted to hear from you by e-mail ([email protected]">[email protected]).