Thursday, 15 August 2013

EXAM RESULTS DAY IN CORNWALL


EXAM RESULTS DAY IN CORNWALL

TO THOSE WHO DIDNT DO AS WELL AS THEY THOUGHT THEY MIGHT

11/03/2013 Adam Desmonde

Its that time of year again, the morning news focuses on the young and nervous faces of students all over the country as they prepare to open envelopes containing their exam results.

As the interviewers start to ask the students the stock questions of;

‘How do you feel?’
‘Are you excited?’

I feel an all to familiar knot in my stomach and have to turn off the TV. 

You see a few years ago, on a day like today, I was also opening an envelope with a sticker bearing my name. In preparation for this moment I had spent months working night and day studying for my exams. Back at my house, beneath my revision plan and copies of past exam papers, there were folders filed with the notes I had hand written whilst studying at my old desk.

As far as I was concerned the envelope I held in my hand represented my entire future. I had to pass my GCSE’s, I had to pass my A levels, I had to go to University. There was no other path open or acceptable.

Everything had pointed me in that direction, the route was laid out and there was no room for deviation. I opened the results and began to read, and my world came crashing down.

Whilst I had never been good at exams I had always done well in class and in course work;

‘Enthusiastic'
‘Has real potential’
‘Good in class’

These were the typical comments from teachers. The results in front of me however bore no relation to these assessments. My grades were poor and no where near to what I had hoped for.

I simply had no idea what to do. My parents were supportive, they had seen how hard I worked and of course we immediately began to talk of resists and so over the next few years I battled on.

I left my school and move to a local sixth form. I worked very hard and tried to stick to the only path I new. I always did well in class and whilst I new I was more than capable in my written work I still could not replicate that in exams.

At some point during my studies it was suggested that perhaps I might be Dyslexic and after being assessed I discovered I was indeed Dyslexic. It was not the traditional dancing letters dyslexia, instead my challenges were  in terms of spelling, handwriting and memory. 

For me this was one of the best moments of my life. With the issue finally identified I went out and learnt how to overcome and beat the challenges i faced and whilst examinations were still incredibly hard I eventually graduated with a degree in IT and Business.

Since then I’ve done well in my life. I work hard; I have created a number of businesses, built buildings, met amazing people and worked in some incredible locations. I'm very proud of what I have achieved.

I know today there are many young people who feel like that kind of future might now be impossible as they open their results and find themselves in a similar position to that I experienced all those years ago.

Trust me, as someone who has been there, your life is not over.

Whilst there seems to be little talk of anything other than University for young people these days it really is not the only path to success. There are many different options from apprenticeships to getting out there and starting a career.

I’m lucky to still have some very good friends from when I grew up and I also know a lot of people in the South West. Of that selection it is not those who went to University who have been most successful or most happy.

One friend went straight from school into work. He studied whilst on the job, gaining qualifications and work experience. As time went on he worked his way up within the company. He now earns an excellent salary, lives in a dynamic and beautiful city, owns several properties and loves his job.

Another person I know did poorly in his exams and also decided to go straight into work. He worked his way up in the company and went on to be one of the most successful businessmen in Cornwall with an incredible waterfront home and a company which is known around the country.

Of those who went onto University not all have done so well. Many have gone on to work in industries, which had nothing to do with their degree. They were in debt and they lacked valuable work experience. Consequently they have struggled.

Those who have done well from further education are those who have studied subjects, which demand academic experience. Friends who are engineers, jet engine designers, and doctors studied subjects that directly related to their career and were taught by people who were at the cutting edge of their fields. They were academics and their time at University was their version of work experience.

The point is that there are many different people, with different skills in our society. My grandmother was a hairdresser, my grand father was a merchant seaman as they always said people will need haircuts and people will need ships to deliver goods.

If you’ve had a bad day today, sit down and talk honestly with your family about your future, what you might like to do and what interests you. Then go and talk to other people, you might even want to talk with someone like me about what you might like to do in the future. Look outside of the academic bubble you find yourself in and you’ll see there are incredible opportunities for everyone.

If you’re prepared to work hard and believe in yourself you will succeed. I believe in you.

Monday, 11 March 2013

Development and immigration in Threemilestone

Development and immigration in Threemilestone

11/03/2013 Adam Desmonde


Currently traffic around Threemilestone is already very busy.



The issues regarding the proposed developments in Threemilestone areimportant and I've spent some time considering them. As part of thisprocess I've;
  • Attended and reviewed County Council meetings on the subject,
  • Spoken to local estate agents,
  • Helped out at one of the information days which have been held around Threemilestone and Truro informing people of the details of the Neighbourhood plan,
  • Spoken with Parish Councillors on the matter.
Taking some of the key issues in turn;


Affordable housing

There is certainly a great need for affordable housing in Cornwall. Personally I had to work and save for years before I was able to purchase a home in Cornwall and whilst I was able to afford the deposit the mortgage and period of the borrowing is painful. This problem persists but I am not convinced that the developments in question are going to solve the issue by providing sufficient affordable homes. It is possible that a greater volume of properties in the area will help to lower the average cost of homes in our community however I personally find it unlikely that this will be to any effective level.


Environment

Cornwall's key industry is tourism and whilst I am committed to generating more High Tech jobs in the County (specifically within creative industries), tourism will always be one of our greatest sources of income. This industry is of course intrinsically linked to our environment. 

In addition as someone who has worked and lived in a number of cities I can say hand on heart that the green fields, forests and beaches which cover our county are incredibly precious and must be protected.

I am therefor always concerned when I see any large scale development plans (such as those around Threemilestone) which involve destroying those resources and will always look to brown field sites first and demand the strongest justification for green field development.


Demand/immigration

My opinion on immigration is that it is a good thing. Through immigration our Country is able to attract entrepreneurs and highly skilled individuals to either create business and jobs or fill needed roles within our society. However, unchecked immigration without limits or sufficient oversight, which simply sees people moving to our Country and County without meeting high standards is something I strongly disagree with.

I look at Countries like America and Australia who have many factors such as jobs, quality of life and even weather which make them highly attractive in terms of places to settle, as examples of effective systems. One cannot simply move to these places and must meet stringent and demanding criteria before being considered.

On the subject of demand, currently if you visit estate agents in Threemilestone and Truro there is no lack of houses for sale, indeed properties can take years to sell. My concern therefore with the volume of housing we are currently considering for Threemilestone is that it may be meeting demand from people outside of the County who will not be moving to our area to generate jobs or investment. 

Cornwall is one of the poorest areas of the United Kingdom and therefor if we are simply increasing the density of our population without creating new jobs we are going to create serious problems for our society.


Other issues

There are other issues to consider such as the impact of traffic on the existing roads around Threemilestone from the residential development and the commercial developments, the impact on local shops from the proposed new shopping centre. The impact on sewerage and drainage. The impact on local bus routes around Threemilestone which are currently reported to be very good.

All of these important subjects are currently being assessed.


Conclusion

I've covered a lot of ground above, but I think this is because it is a very important issue. We have to balance the needs of our community with the protection of our countryside and our society.

As someone who was one of the first students at Truro College I can remember when that whole area were woods and fields. They are now of course composed of estates, the new Richard Lander School site and the vast Truro College.

Time has shown that in general these developments and the impact on the area have been positive. What is vital with the current development proposals is that our Councillors listen to all sides of the case, get the best possible information and then take it to the people who asked them to represent them to ask for their opinion.

This must be carried out in an impartial way and with the benefit of experience in the subject.
As someone who has been involved in property development (I currently have no interests in Threemilestone although I have worked with Richard Lander School on the development of a resource centre for disabled children) I would use the skills I have in regards to business, construction, project management, local knowledge and communication to ensure that we reach the most democratic and sensible decision for Threemilestone.





Monday, 4 March 2013


Stadium for Cornwall. Threemilestone


4/03/2013 Adam Desmonde


I have spent a considerable amount of time reviewing the plans for the Stadium for Threemilestone/ Truro and took an afternoon to go through the entire planning application and the associated documentation. Whilst I support the principal of having a stadium in the area of Threemilestone there are many elements within the current application, which give me concern.

I’m a big football fan and regularly travel to Edinburgh where I have visited both Easter Road Stadium and Tynecastle Stadium. These are sports centres which have had real thought put into them and are valuable, iconic parts of their community. 

A brief summary of the key points are;


  1. The Stadium has not been designed to represent or evoke any sense of Cornwall to my mind or indeed the rich history of the surrounding area.
  2. Who is going to pay for the Stadium? I would be very concerned if the Council were to make any kind of financial commitment.
  3. The use of local materials are trumpeted in the design statement however in my opinion this is not borne out in the actual planning application.
  4. Currently the stadium is designed to make use of the Park and Ride at Threemilestone and is positioned directly beside it. No thought, however, seems to have been given to the fact that this facility is often used to full capacity and will therefor represent a challenge in terms of providing adequate parking for visitors on game days.
  5. Part of the vision for the stadium is as a economic catalyst for Threemilestone however there is currently no direct pedestrian access from the stadium to Threemilestone. Instead the people of Threemilestone will have to drive to the park and ride or take a convoluted route to access the site. In my opinion the developers must include plans for an elevated walkway or similar so that fans can gain easy access to the site.
  6. A social hub; Stadiums such as Easter Road are integrated landmarks within their community and on any given match day one can see local people and visitors walking to these stadiums, coming together as fans and making use of local facilities on their journey. A stadium is not just an opportunity to house a sports team it is also a means of bringing communities together, enticing people into city/town centers and promoting sport. I am afraid however that these considerations have not been met in the current design of the stadium and in my mind the architects need to go back to the drawing board.
  7. I would also add that I would like to see far more use of Cornish engineers, architects, tradesmen and builders in this project. We have a huge development program in the Threemilestone area and the Council should be pushing where possible to ensure it provides jobs and opportunities for our community.

I support the idea of a Stadium, it could be a valuable landmark for our area and bring our community together. We must ensure however that we do our jobs as councillors and Cornish people and deal with the issues which concern us before letting the developers slip a half baked application through. 



Friday, 8 February 2013

January Report: Threemilestone, Daniell Road and Getting Married


January Report: Threemilestone, Daniell Road and Getting Married

8/02/2013 Adam Desmonde


Proud to be the Candidate for Threemilestone
With the festivities of Christmas completed, January saw a return to a busy diary and lots of correspondence. 

In my personal life I’ve been working on marriage preparations as the date gets closer and am trying to find time in my schedule to have our Banns read, select suits for the best men and ushers and the very important task of picking who sits where at the reception! I’ve also been training hard for my stag/the Tough Mudders challenge and am actually starting to enjoy running, something until recently I found inconceivable!

Gratefully work continues to be busy with visits to HMNB Portsmouth and other local projects keeping us gainfully employed. Its is also always very enlightening to have the opportunity to visit places like HMNB Portsmouth in terms of meeting people working in such a diverse environment, and being able to chat about the forces and life in general.

Politically I’ve been occupied with a number of issues in Truro including the ongoing issue of the dangerous and overcrowded parking at Daniell Road. I have met with local residents regarding their concerns and spoken with their current and prospective County Councilors for the area. I have helped and given advise in relation to forming an action group for securing the changes they need and hopefully will be able to address the issues as soon as the forthcoming elections conclude in May.

Regarding the County Council I am proud to say that I have been accepted as the candidate for Threemilestone and have been out working in the area to that end. 


As one of the first students at Truro College I spent years getting to know the area as it developed, from the first barn like building and then the residential and educational sites which developed around it.

I’ve also worked in the area and just last year I was providing project management duties at the new Richard Lander School as they looked to construct a new area for students with special learning requirements.

Threemilestone is facing an incredibly challenging time in regards to the new residential developments which are currently being reviewed in the Neighborhood plan and as someone with a strong background in construction, and just as importantly, construction management and business I feel I am very well placed to make sure we get the best deal.

I have also been out meeting people in the area, met with local parish councilors and attended a parish council meeting in order to make sure I am well prepared in terms of any challenges the area is facing.