Duke of Gloucester in Polruan to mark completion of C Toms & Son’s £1m development programme
By Phil Lockley
His Royal Highness Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester visited the Cornish boatyard of C Toms & Son last month to celebrate completion of its latest phase of development, in front of over 150 invited guests.
Prior to unveiling a commemorative plaque, the Duke of Gloucester spoke of how such a boatyard as C Toms & Son plays an important role in keeping the British fishing fleet ‘in good shape’. He noted his admiration of British fishermen who often face ‘very bad weather out there, battering their ships to bring fish back to the table’. Remarking on the hard work of the yard’s craftsmen to build and maintain such vessels, he added: “Achieving grant aid on such a development was a good move.”
Owner of the yard Paul Toms spoke on behalf of his family firm and told the guests: “Just a big thank you to everyone who has attended and indeed, all of our customers for your continued help in transforming this yard.”
With a wry smile he added: “Officially I have been working full-time at this yard for 37 years, but of course I had the odd time as a kid helping out – every day, I seem to remember.
“Over 37 years and longer, I have seen the yard go through a lot of changes, and we intend to see more changes ahead. As the fishing industry and the workboat industries change, we must advance – we must change with them, and we will.
“There is no point in sitting on our laurels – customers may not keep coming to us if we do. At present, no one within the fishing industry knows what is coming, but whatever the case, we must be ready to face it, and hopefully the UK fishing industry will have a good future.
“It is much appreciated that this development was achieved by grant aid. So much went on behind the scenes to make sure that everything necessary to facilitate that aid went to plan, and I thank both Rachel, my wife, and our company accountant Jacqui Lewis for carrying that out. Our whole team continue to be vital to the yard’s success. and we applaud their commitment.”
The Duke of Gloucester was given a guided tour throughout the yard to see the improved workshops, the new slipway winch and new yard plant equipment, which are all electrically driven.
He also saw the new mobile vessel trolley, which has the capacity to carry up to 100t. Elliot Toms, son of Rachel and Paul Toms, showed the duke how this works by remote control.
This phase of match-funded development work at the yard was carried out as part of the region’s Good Growth Programme.
Councillor Tim Dwelly, Cornwall Council’s cabinet member for economic regeneration and investment, told Fishing News: “Cornwall’s thriving marine industry is a cornerstone of our local economy and heritage, employing thousands of people in varied roles across the industry.
“The development at C Toms & Son is a prime example of how our Good Growth Programme has invested public funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to strengthen this vital sector and unlock opportunities for cross-sector innovation and decarbonisation. This is one of several strategic investments we’ve made to ensure Cornwall remains at the forefront of marine innovation, resilience and low-carbon growth.”
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For further information on this story and for more reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.50 here.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source fishingnews.co.uk ’
