A tribute to John Pollard – 1948-2022

Friends of the Towans were shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death of trustee John Pollard. John, a proud son of Hayle, brought energy and enthusiasm to his work with FOTT, as well as the experience he gained during 40 years of public service, which included four years as the highly-respected leader of Cornwall Council.

John was brought up in Copperhouse, where his parents ran a sweet shop, and educated at Penpol Primary School and Humphry Davy Grammar School. He later taught at Humphry Davy in its early years as a comprehensive school, and went on to become the school’s deputy headteacher.

John was a long-standing member of Hayle Town Council and former Mayor, and  served as a governor at Connor Downs School and a trustee of Hayle Pilot Gig Club and St Ives Archive. Organisations he chaired over the years included Harvey’s Foundry Trust and the Millennium Committee which oversaw improvements to the subtropical King George V Memorial Walk.

John was a Bard of Gorsedh Kernow, and was delighted when Hayle was chosen as the location for the annual Cornish festival in September 2022. John led a guided tour of Hayle, which demonstrated his huge knowledge of the history of his home town, and his ability to communicate that knowledge in a lively and engaging fashion.

For John’s fellow trustees at Friends of the Towans, this is a second huge loss, coming only months after the death of another of its founding fathers, John Bennett. The two Johns worked together on many community projects in Hayle over the years.

Friends of the Towans are dedicating a bench in John’s memory, to be placed along the bench already dedicated to John Bennett at North Quay.