A family venture which breathes new life into old fishing gear is celebrating overwhelming support from the county’s business sector.
Cornish Spliced, which makes a range of products including dog leads and toys, mats, bowls, keyring and floating fobs from repurposed fishing ropes and ghost gear, is now working with 16 wholesalers from across Cornwall and Isles of Scilly within just a few months of launching.
15-year-old Beth Perkin, who started Cornish Spliced last October with her Grandad, said:
“When I had the idea for my grandad to make me a dog lead from his old fishing rope, using his splicing skills, I thought I might be able to sell a few leads to friends to make some pocket money. I never imaged that nine months later the whole family would be splicing and making all kinds of goodies from rope, supplying 16 businesses around the county.”
Beth makes the products with her mum Rachel and grandad Frank Plummer – a retired St Ives fisherman, who is passing on his traditional fishing skill of splicing to his family, who are all getting involved to support the new family venture, including Beth’s aunty Helen and little cousin Ailla.
With generations of Cornish fishing in their blood, the family is proud to keep this heritage skill alive, while also preventing retired fishing rope from going to landfill; alongside collecting ghost gear and plastics from Cornwall’s beaches, repurposing it to stop it re-entering the sea.
Alongside “grandad Frank’s” retired fishing rope, materials have been donated from other Cornish fishing families and directly off the boats through Newlyn harbour master; the family also do regular beach cleans.
