I was recently walking along the pathways that surround the radiant Cinque Terre coastline in the Italian Riviera.

I was immersed in the alluring beauty. Because of certain similarities in the terrain and the wide ocean vistas, this stunning region of Italy reminded me of Cornwall and the love I have for it.

Wherever I travel in the United States or in the world, those feelings about Cornwall often come to mind, like a boat that peacefully finds port in my soul, then drops anchor again. Cornwall is more than a physical place, it lives within us. We can leave our footprints on the beaches and walkways, and then take the spirit of Cornwall wherever we are in the world. And we don’t only embrace that spirit within ourselves, we share it, becoming a reflection of what we appreciate and value about the Cornish people and the Duchy. We can be of the disposition of viewing one of the great global exports of Cornwall as showcasing its values and attributes.

My columns here and comments beyond have long advocated for mobilising the Cornish diaspora around the world to be points of shining light in their respective areas to advance the interests of Cornwall back home. Thanks to the proactive vision and positive leadership that Cornwall Trade and Investment (CTI) are making, we are witnessing real progress. Capacity is being built up, messaging refined, communication professionalised, and reach expanded. And while we need to be patient, I believe this is an historic moment for modern Cornwall and its global ambitions. People will look back to these years and say this is when the sail was hoisted and we started a fresh journey out to sea.

One fresh and exciting CTI initiative is called Global Cornish. It is designed to connect and mobilise the Cornish diaspora around the world. The initiative is a central piece of the Cornwall Diaspora Strategy (2025–2028). That bold strategy emanated out of research CTI conducted alongside The Diaspora Institute (TDI). I am glad to be involved from here in the US and in Washington, DC. And you can be supportive as well from Cornwall.

As a proud GlobalScot working alongside many talented colleagues, I see first-hand what a decades old diaspora framework has done for promoting Scotland in the US and around the world. Cornwall is on the right path with Global Cornish. It’s a real joy to be involved.

As we continue to build this promising network for Cornwall, we will see commercial benefits, increased tourism flows to Cornwall that will have real benefits for small businesses, and heightened charitable donations to Cornish organisations. It is essential that we not let these seeds that have been carefully sowed to wither in the soil of ideas as a result of not having proper cultivation, nourishment, and long-term funding.

In Italian there is an expression, "chi dorme non piglia pesci." It means "he who sleeps doesn't catch fish." CTI and Cornwall have created something special, we now need to be active and seize the opportunities.