I proudly wear a lapel pin of the Cornish shield with the fifteen balls or besants displayed.

The piece is made by Blue Hills in St. Agnes with authentic tin from Cornwall. It was given to me as a gift, and I cherish it for so many reasons. One reason is it reminds me of how central small businesses like Blue Hills are to Cornwall, to communities across the UK, and the world.

The vast majority of businesses in Cornwall are small, with a large proportion having less than 10 employees. This is a vital economic data point that reminds us how critical it is to ensure the health and well-being of this sector. You will likely know a person who runs a small or micro business in Cornwall – perhaps you own one or work for one.

I admire the work the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce is doing to bring people together, build community, encourage, educate, and advocate for local businesses. The Cornwall Chamber has a long and rich history of doing so and of course is a fully accredited member of the larger British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) network.

That vibrant network is a national umbrella organisation that connects 51 accredited regional Chambers throughout the UK. BCC mentions that it has a presence in every part of the UK – from Inverness to Cornwall and Belfast to Cardiff.

The BCC network also extends beyond the UK with British Chambers in more than 70 international markets. To give you a sense of that depth, we are talking about almost 80,000 businesses as members of various Chambers across the entire network.

And within the network, BCC represents 19,000 companies internationally and those companies employ 18 million individuals. That is a massive service network and comprised of so many good people and diverse companies.

Steering the ship of ideas back to the port of small businesses and enterprises in Cornwall, I continue to emphasise the need to expand and deepen global links. As Cornwall forges wider connections with global markets and international audiences, it is a certainty that trade, tourism, investment, and inward flows to support charitable enterprises will grow.

This is a vital moment for Cornwall to keep searching for and building that capacity. Consider reaching out to the Cornwall Chamber or attending The Cornwall Business Fair which the chamber organises on 16th July at Truro School. The prospects ahead are exciting and will yield results for Cornish entities across sectors.

Like the brave Cornish workers of long ago who descended into the mines to pull out tin, we need to keep exploring and mining together to uplift and support each-other now and into the future. I’ll wear my Cornish tin pin here in the US and think of you.

That is another reason I cherish it for the pin brings me back to Cornwall and the people. And so I’ll care for it by polishing and cleaning it - keep it shining bright with pride. Onen hag Oll! One and All! Glad to be in this together.