THE SUNNY Corner Conservation Group celebrated 10 years of caring for one of Truro’s best-loved locations on Sunday.

Around 200 people gathered at the waterside shelter near Boscawen Park for a cream tea and a birthday cake baked by volunteer Chris Ranson.

They were serenaded by the One Voice choir, and a raffle raised £285, with donated prizes including a family trip on the River Fal courtesy of Enterprise Boats, afternoon tea at The Alverton, a turned wooden bowl and a framed photo of Truro.

Flashback to 2016, and Sunny Corner was a neglected area next to the Truro River. A dedicated band of green-fingered volunteers took it on, and defied naysayers to transform it into a well-maintained floral haven.

The crew meet on Tuesday mornings for weekly gardening sessions, and have received an array of accolades for their efforts, including individual and group certificates at the Truro Civic Awards and even the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2022, for which group members travelled to Buckingham Palace.

Group leader Paul Caruana said: “Given the forecast a few days before, the weather couldn’t have been nicer for our event. In 2016, many didn’t expect us to still be here 12 years on, but we have been blessed with good volunteers and even have a waiting list of people willing to muck in.”

Those present included Truro-born and bred Wes Gunn, who learned to swim at Sunny Corner and now travels from Bodmin to help out; and Peter Fitzgerald, whose father Arthur, a stalwart of the group since its inception, died in February aged 95.

Tributes abound on site, including a raised garden area known as “Arthur’s Patch” that can be tended without having to bend down. “Dad loved it here,” said Peter. “It’s been a great event and it’s nice to see everyone happy. It makes it all worthwhile.”