THE mayor of Camelford has described a recent event raising money for Cornish homelessness charity ‘sobering’, which has sparked an interest in helping others.

Mayor Cllr Claire Hewlett told the meeting of Camelford Town Council on Tuesday, December 17 that she attended the St Petroc’s Christmas carol concert recently, which raised money and awareness for the homeless support charity.

Cllr Hewlett said: “Last Friday I went to the St Petroc’s carol concert where there was a mix of Christmas carols and traditional songs. We also heard from residents who spoke about their experience of homelessness.

“It was quite sobering to hear how quickly you can go from being absolutely fine and everything’s dandy, to everything is gone. St Petroc’s seems to be a real safety net for people, and that’s why I will not be sending Christmas cards this year and will instead be sending a donation to that charity.”

In his Cornwall Councillor report, Cllr Hewlett’s deputy mayor Rob Rotchell also touched upon homelessness in Cornwall.

He said: “Going back to the St Petroc’s concert, the assessment now is that you are one pay-day away from being homeless. If you miss out on one pay day, then this could happen to some people.”

Cllr Hewlett said: “It was frightening.”

Cllr Rotchell had suggested that it would be a good idea to send a message out to those in the Camelford community who are currently homeless or are struggling at Christmas time, for councillors to attend the Camelford Community Christmas Breakfast at Clease Hall on Christmas Day.