Nick Clegg in Cornwall

7.28.53pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 26th May 2008

Nick Clegg, Matthew Taylor and Stephen Gilbert view plans for the regeneration of St Austell

At the end of last week, Party Leader Nick Clegg came to Cornwall for a 24 hour visit split over two days. He wanted to see both the best of what Cornwall has to offer and some of the problems that rural areas such as ours have to cope with.

Nick and Stephen view the regeneration with John Allen of contractors McLeans

We started off in St Austell to see the massive regeneration project there with local MP Matthew Taylor and PPC Stephen Gilbert. As well as seeing the models of what is planned, we went on a tour of the site itself.

Nick and Terrye Teverson meeting post office users in Playing Place

Then it was off to Playing Place to join local PPC Terrye Teverson campaigning to save the village post office. Nick met some of the post office customers who use motorised scooters and who will have a lot of trouble making it to the next village if their post office is proposed for closure in July. Terrye recently organised a protest march between some of the rural post offices to show what a trek customers would face if their local post office is closed.

After that, we went to the Cornwall University campus at Tremough to see the sustainable energy projects and the media centre before a Q&A with students.

Nick viewing a mine safety robot at the university

The University has incorporated the world famous Camborne School of Mines. In the tradition of Cornish inventors, students and academics there have put together a new mine safety robot which will cost around £30,000 and which is already in demand around the world.

Nick and Andrew George with RNLI lifeguards at Gwithian

Then it was off to the beach at Gwithian to meet the RNLI lifeguards who have taken responsibility for the area. There are six stretches of beach, each with a different owner and lifeguard provision was patchy to say the least before. Now the RNLI have taken over there is a superb 7 day a week service provided by qualified and well-equipped professionals.

Next we went to Penzance to join Andrew George MP and the local civic society who want more say over the decision to force the local district council to build 10,000 more homes in the Penwith area.

Nick opens Andrew George's new offices

Nick also formally cut the ribbon on Andrew's new offices in the centre of Penzance and caught up with local party members.

Finally we were off to Porthtowan for dinner with 100 members and activists. There was brilliant music from the Cornwall Youth Orchestra beforehand and then a great meal made up of seasonal Cornish produce - Cornish sausages, cheeses, strawberries and salad leaves all featured highly.

Nick with Dan Rogerson at Blisland community land trust project

The second day of Nick Clegg's tour around Cornwall started with a visit to the Community Land Trust project in Blisland, near Bodmin. There he was met by local MP Dan Rogerson and councillor Sandra Amy.

There are lots of villages in Cornwall where local people simply cannot afford to buy homes and houses very rarely come to the market in any case. So the Community Land Trust has stepped in with the support of the parish, district and county councils to build a second phase of 13 new homes, two of which will be flats. Of these, six will be for social rent and seven for affordable sale in the £120,000 range. Through planning controls and working with the local housing associations, the CLT will try to ensure that the homes stay within the affordable market.

Nick and Colin Breed on the farm

After Blisland, Nick headed off to Liskeard and a mixed use farm with local MP Colin Breed and the new PPC for South East Cornwall Karen Gillard.

Nick's Saltash Town Hall meeting

Finally, it was off to Saltash for another of Nick's town hall meetings. Nick answered questions on nuclear power, rights of way, engaging young people in politics, farming and many more.