January Cornish Mining Sundowner: some good and not so good news

There was a good turnout of around 20 for last night's sundowner at the County Arms Hotel, Truro.

It was good to see ex-Camborne School of Mines student Tim Henderson, down from his home in Scotland.  As the former Executive Director Operations for Glencore, Tim was responsible for overseeing all Glencore's worldwide copper operations, having previously served as Executive Director on the board of Mopani Copper Mines Plc and as Alternate Director on the board of Zambezi Resources Ltd, overseeing copper exploration in Zambia and identifying new opportunities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

On his retirement as Executive Director Operations for Glencore International AG, Tim was appointed in 2019 to the Advisory Board of Forbes & Manhattan Inc., a leading private merchant bank headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with a global focus on the resource and technology sectors. 

In 2013 Tim donated US$1.3 million to the CSM Trust to enable the Trust to continue its support for students and staff at the School, to expand the promotion of mining and minerals education. The CSM Trust is an independent charity whose objectives are to promote education and research in mineral resources disciplines and since 1993 has awarded grants exclusively to CSM as part of The University of Exeter. The Trustees are individuals who give their services voluntarily and serve as trustees as they have a special interest in supporting mining education and often CSM in particular. Tim is seen below with fellow members of the CSM Trust, which meets today.

CSM Trust members Pete Whitbread-Abrutat, Nick Clarke, Matt Colwill,
Tim Henderson and Robin Dunne (retired)

More good news this month that Cornwall has received a £4.7 million investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme, which will accelerate Cornwall’s goal to be a major environmentally sustainable producer of critical minerals such as lithium, tin and tungsten, unlocking potentially thousands of jobs. Research has shown that Cornwall alone could meet more than half the UK’s 2030 demand for lithium, which is an essential part of the electric vehicle battery supply chain.

But it is not all good news on the Cornish Mining scene. Biohydrometallurgy '16 delegates will remember the evening at Heartlands, the mining heritage site at the Robinson's Shaft of the South Crofty Mine, where we had an informal Cornish buffet with a local male-voice choir providing the atmosphere to complement the area's rich mining past. Heartlands was opened in 2012 but sadly is about to close due to financial difficulties. A great shame as 360,000 visitors used the site every year and local schoolchildren used the site to learn about social history and their local mining heritage.

Heartlands, Camborne

The next sundowner will be at the Chain Locker in Falmouth on Thursday February 15th, from 5.30pm.