Wales and West Utilities, in partnership with Cornwall Council, will be carrying out essential gas pipe replacement works on Polmear Road, St Austell, starting Wednesday 8th October through to Christmas.

The work will happen in two phases, each lasting about 6 weeks.

Phase One: Multiway traffic lights will be in place at the junction of Cromwell Road, Porthpean Road, and Polmear Road.

Phase Two: Multiway traffic lights will be installed around the roundabout at Polmear Road, Charlestown Road, Mount Charles Road, and Holmbush Road.

Further information is below from Wales and West Utilities.

What work are we doing?

The works will be carried out in two phases;

Traffic Management for Phase One will consist of multiway lights on the junction of Cromwell Road, Porthpean Road and Polmear Road.  We will be there for roughly 6 weeks. 

Traffic Management for Phase Two will consist of multiway lights on the roundabout of Polmear Road, Charlestown Road, Mount Charles Road and Holmbush Road. Again, this Phase will take roughly 6 weeks. 

We will be working for approximately 12 weeks in total and we propose to start early October, taking us up to Christmas.

It’s part of our multi-million-pound, 30-year, gas pipe investment programme across Wales and the South West of England. As part of this programme, old metal gas pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being upgraded to new, long-lasting plastic ones. We replace over 400km of metallic gas mains each year, and we spend around £1.4 million on this programme every week. 

 

What is Wales & West Utilities:

Every day at Wales & West Utilities, our team of more than 1,300 skilled and dedicated colleagues do their very best to keep our 7.5 million customers safe and warm, with gas connections and a gas supply they can rely on combined with a level of service they can trust.

We don’t sell gas; instead, we use our extensive network of pipes to transport gas to homes and businesses throughout Wales and the south west of England. We respond to gas emergencies, and we invest £2m every week across our network, connecting new homes and businesses, and upgrading old metal gas pipes to new plastic ones so the communities we serve receive a safe and reliable gas supply for generations to come. 

We launched Wales & West Utilities in 2005, and since then we have worked hard to build our impressive and established reputation for delivering excellent customer service with safety, reliability and value for money at the heart of everything we do.

We are there for our customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – it’s a vital service and one that we are extremely proud to deliver.

We own and maintain more than 35,000 kilometres of gas pipes – enough to stretch from the UK to New Zealand and back again. Using those pipes – most of which lie hidden beneath your feet - we supply gas to around 2.5 million households and businesses, serving a population of 7.5 million people. We cover an area that stretches from Wrexham to Redruth, from the mountains of North Wales to the cliff tops of Cornwall, serving a mixture of cities, towns, villages and open countryside

 

Why are we doing this now:

We have planned these works in the winter months to avoid the summer embargoes. Due to the increase in gas demand in St Austell these work must be completed.

Installing new pipes in the area will also help us move towards net zero carbon emissions and improve our impact on the environment. It will also prepare the local gas network for the introduction of green gases in the future.

 

How will residents be impacted:

We always try to keep disruption to a minimum when we are working in local communities. If people need additional support during the time their gas supply is interrupted - such as alternative cooking and heating facilities, or any other assistance such as specific access requirements, we ask that they please contact us as soon as possible so we can put arrangements in place. 

Today we welcome our Year 7 and Year 11 students with smiles, excitement, and a strong sense of community.

Over the next two days, our focus is on building a deep sense of belonging, ensuring that every student feels known, valued, and excited to be at Penrice, not just as a learner, but as an integral member of our school family.

This morning, Year 7 spent time in their tutor groups, finding out more about the school and enjoying team-building activities. Year 11 kick-started the academic year with an absolutely fantastic talk by motivational speaker Stephen Seki who certainly ignited fires in the bellies of our students – thank you, Stephen!

As the day progressed, the community lunch brought together our Year 7 and Year 11 students, with our oldest students warmly welcoming our new cohort on their very first day. It was heartwarming to see confidence growing over shared meals and conversations.

Here’s to a year of support, kindness, and connection across our school community! We look forward to seeing all year groups back in school tomorrow.

Students at Penrice Academy were given the opportunity to meet young-adult author Anthony McGowan on Monday 9th June when he visited the St Austell-based secondary school.

McGowan first delivered an assembly to the whole of Year 8 before spending the rest of the day at Penrice leading workshops with selected students in Years 7 to 10.

Each group of students were inspired by Mr McGowan’s storytelling which was followed by detailed question and answers sessions as the famous writer explained his journey to becoming a published and established author.

McGowan won the annual Carnegie Medal in 2020 for writing Lark, a book that is now part of the Year 8 curriculum at Penrice during tutor time reading sessions. Set up in 1936, the annual Carnegie Medal is the UK’s oldest and most prestigious book award for children’s writing.

Harry, a Year 9 student, said:

“I enjoyed the storytelling element because I had liked reading Lark last year.”

Isabel in Year 10 added:

“His stories about what inspired him were gripping and also quite shocking. But I thought the message about the relationship between truth and fiction was an interesting one.”

 

Mrs Alison Hague
Reading Champion at Penrice Academy:

“Anthony McGowan has won so many awards for his books that we were thrilled when he agreed to visit our school. His book, Lark, is read in Year 8 and revolves around two boys of similar age to our students. He brought to life the inspiration for this book and had us all gripped with tales of his own schoolboy experiences in 1970s Leeds. The experience encouraged students to see the magic of storytelling in a new light, and allowed them to connect with the creative process. I’d like to thank Anthony for helping to inspire the next generation of readers and writers in such an entertaining way.”

Mr McGowan thanked Penrice Academy for welcoming him, stating:

“It has been a delight, from beginning to end.”

McGowan’s most recently published book was released earlier this year, called ‘The Beck’ – an environmental tale packed full of his signature grit, heart and humour. He is also finishing a book called Birdlands which is expected to be published next year.

Penrice Academy is proudly celebrating a remarkable double victory after both its Year 10 and Year 7 boys’ football teams were crowned County Champions this week.

The winning streak began on Monday evening when the Year 10 Boys’ Team retained their County Cup title with a dominant performance against Truro School. In a thrilling match, the team showcased exceptional skill and teamwork to secure a convincing victory.

Year 10 goals came from Callum (10LS), who netted a superb hat-trick, along with strikes from Peter (10OB), Ollie (10LS), and Ollie (10JS), plus an own goal by the opposition, sealing a memorable win and reaffirming their status as county champions.

Just two days later, the spotlight shifted to the Year 7 Boys’ Team, who faced Falmouth School in a tense and fiercely contested final. Despite the pressure of the big stage, the Penrice players rose to the occasion, demonstrating outstanding determination and composure to clinch a narrow 3-2 victory and secure the County Cup title.

Goals in the Year 7 final were scored by Morgan (7GS), Alex (7GS), and Jenson (7PB), each contributing to a hard-fought and well-deserved win.

Both matches saw fantastic support from the sidelines, with staff, students and families creating an electric atmosphere and acting as the “12th man” throughout. The school extends its heartfelt thanks to all those who came out to cheer on the teams.

It was a memorable visit to Poetry Live in Bristol on Wednesday 12th February.

After an early start with the coach departing before sunrise, students reached Bristol in good time. They had an amazing day listening to famous poets discussing their work and reading their poems live on stage. Performing poets included Simon Armitage, John Agard, Carol Ann Duffy, Imtiaz Dharker, Daljit Nagra and Owen Sheers.

Thank you to our local community midwives for visiting Penrice to deliver an interactive session for our Year 11 Child Development students.

Debbie and Becky covered the role of the midwife during the antenatal period, during labour and birth, and then the postnatal period.

Students were fully engaged in their roles as Student Midwives for the session and it was great for them to be able to sample midwifery as a career as they head into Post-16 education in September.