A STRONG supporter of the cultural scene in the St Austell area is being made a Cornish bard.

Sheila Vanloo is receiving the honour in recognition of her backing for local arts and music, particularly through her broadcasting roles.

Sheila has spent more than 25 years supporting the local scene by promoting both professional and amateur shows and providing reviews.

For 14 years, she was a voluntary manager and presenter at Radio St Austell Bay, the first community station in Cornwall. Sheila presented two shows, one promoting all the arts in Cornwall and the other highlighting local music. Soon she will be joining CHBN radio in Truro with Vanloo's Reviews, which will be dedicated to local arts and music.

For several years, Sheila was the chair and co-ordinator of the St Austell Torchlight Carnival, and in 2022 she hosted a free “fun palace” event in St Austell as part of the Christmas lights festivities.

Sheila volunteered with Kneehigh Theatre for 15 years and supported the company’s last project, Random Acts of Art, when they put on pop-up performances in the St Austell area.

Another of her voluntary roles is with the Scary Little Girls feminist theatre where she is a member of the advisory board.

Sheila also spent three years as a director with Restormel Arts, during which time she project managed the community play, As Well Be Shot As Be Starved, which told the story of the bread riots of 1847.

Furthermore, Sheila has supported the St Austell Festival of Children’s Literature since its inception and has volunteered each year.

This week, on Thursday (August 14), Sheila will be storytelling in the old Peacocks building as part of the town’s VJ Day events.

She told the Voice: “My initial reaction to being offered the honour of becoming a Cornish bard was shock and disbelief – I burst into tears when I read the letter. It took a couple of days to sink in before I could let myself get excited.

“I’m passionate about Cornwall and all things Cornish. My volunteering work promoting the arts has never been a chore and has been done with no thought for recognition, but becoming a Cornish bard is the highest honour a Cornish woman could wish for.”

Meanwhile, Tristan Netherton, from Sticker, is also being made a bard, in recognition of “his extensive work and contribution to the local community and his support for the culture of Cornwall”.

Twenty-two new bards will be welcomed into the College of Bards of the Gorsedh Kernow at Marazion on September 6 in recognition of their outstanding work in serving Cornwall.

Gorsedh Kernow was established with the aim of celebrating and promoting Cornwall’s distinctive Celtic culture and it says all of the new bards have contributed considerably to Cornwall in different ways.

Gorsedh Kernow exists to promote and maintain the Celtic spirit of Cornwall, to encourage the study of Cornish history and literature, to spread the Cornish language, to foster Cornish art, music, dance and sport, and to link with other Celtic peoples.