More than 30 senior figures from both public and private sectors enjoyed the unique day, hosted by Imerys Minerals Ltd and Fowey Harbour Commissioners, which aimed to promote exports from the port of Fowey.
It included a Pit to Port tour of the mid Cornwall mining operations by road, rail and sea. The special journey on DB Schenker’s impressive company train from Treviscoe to Fowey - along the beautiful Lostwithiel to Fowey branch line - was the first passenger train into Fowey for 45 years and demonstrated how material can be moved to the port.
Millions of tonnes of Cornish granite are generated by the china clay industry every year, a proportion of which is processed and sold into the market as a ‘secondary’ aggregate. The all-important secondary status means there is no aggregate tax to pay, and the green credentials go further to making it an attractive industrial material.
The day aimed to raise awareness of the resource and its potential uses, along with the opportunity to meet and view the downstream operations of the aggregate processing partners.
Imerys Port and Logistics manager Ross Facey said: "The day received really positive feedback. With the participation of all the local aggregates producers we were able to present a united front in demonstrating the huge potential of Cornish aggregates in the marketplace.
“Fowey has excellent infrastructure and deep water making us perfectly positioned to ramp up exports. The task now is to turn talk into tonnage, hopefully the open day has been a springboard to help us achieve that."
Ends
Download full press release