46 flags, different shades of red, spread out across my attic floor.
They have been freshly mended and ironed by Sue up at The Orchard, ready for our celebration on Gwithian Beach. These flags have been hoisted and marched and waved twice before during our community protests against chemical geoengineering in St.Ives Bay. And before that they were used on another beach for another protest. These 46 flags tell a story of community, resistance and thrift.
The flags first came into being in 2021 when Carbis Bay Hotel razed the trees and bushes on a stretch of cliffs overlooking St.Ives Bay. The owners did not have permission to bulldoze the cliffs, but they did it anyway. After all, once the trees are cut down, the soil excavated, concrete poured and building erected – it’s a done deal and planning authorities rarely take retrospective action.
Living in St.Ives makes many of us cynical about the planning system – money tends to flow to big developers and businesses and the natural environment is consistently disregarded. Luxury homes proliferate but there is no affordable housing for locals. Seeing the cliffs being trashed for yet more luxury hotel accommodation was the final straw for local people who love Carbis Bay Beach and the bay. They decided to organise a protest.
photo: Ilya Fisher
Despite local opposition, Carbis Bay Hotel continued to throw its power and influence behind the unlawful development on the cliffs. We decided that our second protest on the beach needed a colour to represent our outrage. And this is when the flags ceme into being. A group of volunteers gathered in a garage in Penbeagle and with swathes of second hand fabric, a sewing machine and good food and drink. At this second protest, attended by hundreds of local people, Bailey Tomkinson sang her song ‘Bright Red‘ about the way Carbis Bay Hotel had scarred her precious local beach in the name of profit. The hotel owners looked down at the protest from their glass viewing area and laughed.
photo: Ilya Fisher
The 47 flags were folded up in a box in that Penbeagle garage when finally in September 2021 Carbis Bay Hotel suffered a stunning defeat. They were forced by the planning authorities to at least partly restore the cliff and to tear down the buildings. It remains a remarkable victory for local people who had demanded accountability.
The second outing for the red flags was on Sunday 16th April 2023. This was our first Keep Our Sea Chemical Free protest and information day. Over 300 local people turned out to the towns and beach at Gwithian to express their shock and concern on discovering that Planetary Technologies was carrying out chemical geoengineering tests in St.Ives Bay. We had just found out that a secret test had already happened in the bay and this Canadian company with its Silicon Valley sounding name was about to embark on a series of increasingly large tests. The decisions were all made and it seemed there was nothing we could do to stop the tests or to find out what was going on.
By this point Sue at the Orchard had made some more signs for us spelling out Keep Our Sea Chemical Free and Save St.Ives Bay. This second excursion for the red flags was a turning point. Suddenly our community voice was amplified. Many of us were knocked sideways by the emotion we felt on that day – Our red flags fluttering high on bamboo poles, defined by the saturated blue of the ocean. For the first time we felt glimmers of hope and the joy of solidarity. At that point the thought of Planetary Technologies giving up on their experiments seemed almost impossible, but at least we had drawn a line in the sand and delayed thousands of tonnes of mine waste being pumped into the bay.
Photo: Harry Cordon Lloyd
The 46 flags came out again in 2024 for the Swim for the Sea Protest on Gwithian Beach. A year on, we were unsure of what was happening. Planetary Technologies insisted they were ready to scale up at any moment and were pushing hard locally and internationally to promote their technology. For local people, the shimmer of worry was constantly with us. When would the announcement come that Magnesium Hydroxide was being pumped into the bay? Again hundreds of people turned out and a flotilla of local fishing and working boats joined us. Again our red flags rippled in the wind as we marched up the beach and swam in the sea.
Photo – Greg Martin – Cornwall Live
And now it is April 2026. A full three years since we first heard about testing in St.Ives Bay. And this time we will be waving our red flags in celebration. A year ago, in April 2025, suddenly and against all the odds, Planetary Technologies cut their losses and fled Cornwall for good. We knew that it was our protests and ongoing resistance had caused this U turn.
So this time, when we fly our red flags on Gwithian Beach we will be celebrating. Celebrating the power of community and the wonder of our marine ecosystem.
We have learned what it is like to challenge, question and resist. And we are familar with bright red of our flags outlined against the sea and the sound of them rippling in the wind.
Posted by Senara Wilson
KEEP OUR SEA CHEMICAL FREE 